Preview
Copywork
About This Passage
This one sentence holds the secret of the whole chapter. The sun has baked Kansas, Aunt Em, and Uncle Henry all gray, but one small black dog keeps Dorothy laughing. Copying it lets the child feel how Baum repeats the word gray to paint a faded, sober world, and then notice the single bright, living thing that stands against it.
It was Toto that made Dorothy laugh, and saved her from growing as gray as her other surroundings.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell the story of this chapter in order. Start with Dorothy's gray home on the wide prairie, then tell how the cyclone came, and what Dorothy did when the house began to fly. Slow down at the most important moment and tell why it mattered.
Discussion Questions
- Aunt Em and Uncle Henry have both grown gray and serious, but Dorothy still laughs and plays every day. Why do you think Dorothy stays cheerful in a home that feels so dull and heavy? Use the chapter's details to help you decide.
- When Dorothy laughs, Aunt Em is startled instead of glad, and presses her hand to her heart. Why do you think a child's laughter feels so strange to Aunt Em in this chapter? Use the chapter's details to help you decide.
+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide
Vocabulary
Item 1
A powerful, spinning windstorm that can lift things high into the air.
Item 2
Very thin and bony, often from hard work or worry.
Item 3
Very serious and quiet, without any smiling.
+ 5 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
+ 4 more questions in the complete study guide
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