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Copywork
About This Passage
This is Stanley's true story, told to a judge — and it sounds like the silliest excuse in the world. That is the trap: sometimes the truth sounds harder to believe than a lie would. Copy the passage carefully, including the quotation marks around Stanley's words. Then look at the last little sentence sitting all by itself: 'It had hurt, too.' Four small words on their own line. The writer puts them alone so they land like the shoe did — suddenly. A tiny sentence can carry a big feeling when it gets its own space.
“I was walking home and the sneakers fell from the sky,” he had told the judge. “One hit me on the head.” It had hurt, too.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell what happened to Stanley on the day of the sneakers, in order: the notebook, the walk home, the shoes from the sky, the running, and the police car. Then tell what happened at court. What part of the story shows why nobody believed Stanley?
Discussion Questions
- Nobody believed Stanley when he said he was innocent. Now nobody believes him when he says he stole the sneakers. Stanley thinks that is 'kind of funny in a way.' Why might Stanley laugh a little instead of getting angry? Use the chapter's words about what Stanley thinks on his cot to explain how he handles being doubted both ways.
- Stanley's mother said, 'Just tell the truth.' Stanley told the truth — and the chapter says 'perhaps it would have been better if he had lied a little.' Was telling the truth still the right choice, even though it did not work? What part of the chapter helps you decide what went wrong for Stanley?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
Soft sports shoes with rubber bottoms
Item 2
Washing yourself under falling water
Item 3
A big printed picture you hang on a wall
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Critical Thinking
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