Preview
Copywork
About This Passage
Sachar slows the clock here: a small breakfast scene inside a desperate night. The passage pairs sensory contrast (sugar-frosted flakes after a week of onions) with Zero quietly taking over the shovel while Stanley sifts dirt for any missed diamond. It teaches rhythm, sensory detail, and the way friendship looks like shift-work.
Zero handed down a box of cereal. Stanley carefully poured some cereal into his mouth. He didn’t want to put his dirty hands inside the box. He nearly gagged on the ultra-sweet taste. They were sugar-...
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In three or four sentences, retell Chapter 44 using the names Stanley, Zero, and the Warden. Be sure to include what they were doing, what Stanley found, and the surprise at the very end.
Discussion Questions
- In the chapter, Zero says, “No offense, but you make too much noise when you walk. You’re too big.” How does the text suggest that this is a sign of Zero’s confidence, and not an insult? What evidence in the chapter supports your reading?
- Stanley reasons that Kate Barlow probably couldn’t have dug much deeper, so he digs wider instead. What in the chapter shows that Stanley is learning to think like the person who buried the treasure? What does this reveal about his mind?
+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide
Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
A tool with a long handle and a broad blade used to dig and move earth.
Item 2
A long, narrow passage dug under or through the ground.
Item 3
A breakfast food made of grain flakes or bits, usually eaten from a box.
+ 5 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
+ 5 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