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Copywork
About This Passage
Selected for rhetorical sophistication (the startling comparison of reading to breathing — something so natural it becomes invisible until threatened), thematic weight (Scout realizes how much she loves reading only when it is about to be taken from her), and vocabulary density (covey, annoyed, lose).
Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing. I knew I had annoyed Miss Caroline, so I let well enough alone and stared out the window until recess when Jem cut m...
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In your own words, tell the story of this chapter. What were the most important moments? What made them important — and how do you know?
Discussion Questions
- Scout says 'I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.' What does comparing reading to breathing tell us about how reading fits into Scout's life? What does Miss Caroline's rule change for Scout that she did not realize could be changed?
- Jem tells Scout that Miss Caroline is trying out a new way of teaching called the 'Dewey Decimal System.' Jem doesn't really understand what that means — he thinks it has something to do with reading. Why does Jem pretend to know things he doesn't? What does this tell us about how older siblings think about younger siblings?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
Agreed to do something that felt beneath one's dignity, with a slightly lowered attitude
Item 2
Thinking about something carefully and for a long time
Item 3
A small, tight group, originally used to describe a family of birds
+ 7 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
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