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Copywork
About This Passage
This is the first sentence of the book, and it teaches young writers how to begin a story. Notice how it tells you THREE things at once — where the girl is (a palm tree), what kind of place it is (an island), and how big the world around her is (the wide blue sea). Good first sentences put the reader inside the story right away.
In a palm tree on an island in the middle of the wide blue sea was a girl.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell the story of this chapter. Stop at the moment Nim jumps into the water with Selkie the sea lion. How does Nim feel at that moment, and how do you know?
Discussion Questions
- Nim is alone on the island for three days while her father sails away. Was it OKAY for Jack to leave Nim by herself, or should he have stayed with her? What in the story makes you think so?
- Nim wears three cords around her neck — one for a spyglass, one for a whistling shell, and one for a pocket knife. What do these three things tell you about what kind of girl Nim is? What in the story makes you think so?
+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
+ 4 more questions in the complete study guide
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