Preview
Copywork
About This Passage
Four tiny sentences that hold the camp's whole secret. Mr. Sir is bragging: this prison needs no walls, no guard towers, no fence — because the empty desert does all that work itself. The only water for a hundred miles is at the camp, so running away means running into nothing. As your child copies, point out the question in the middle — 'Know why?' — Mr. Sir asks it like a teacher, because he wants Stanley to remember the answer forever. The scariest things he says are the ones he says most calmly.
Nobody runs away from here. We don’t need a fence. Know why? Because we’ve got the only water for a hundred miles.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell someone about Stanley's first hour at Camp Green Lake, in order: getting off the bus, the sign on the building, Mr. Sir and his sunflower seeds, the orange clothes, the rules about digging, and the talk outside about fences and water. Slow down at the very end — tell the thirsty part carefully.
Discussion Questions
- The sign says YOU ARE ENTERING CAMP GREEN LAKE JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY, and Stanley thinks, 'Well, duh!' Why do you think this sign matters here, when Stanley is just arriving? What part of the chapter helps you decide what it shows him about this place?
- When Mr. Sir says every boy must call him 'Mr. Sir,' why do you think he says it that way the very first time he meets Stanley? Use the chapter's words about the way he talks and acts to help you decide what Stanley is supposed to learn right away.
+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide
Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
So tired and mixed up you can hardly think straight
Item 2
Empty land where nothing grows
Item 3
A bottle for carrying water on a long, hot day
+ 5 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
+ 4 more questions in the complete study guide
Get the complete study guide — free
Sign up and get your first book with every chapter included. Copywork, discussion questions, vocabulary, and critical thinking.
Sign up free