Charlotte's Web
Chapter 10 — Teaching Companion
E. B. White · Scouts 1st–3rd
Coaching, not a script — and not an answer key: every question here has more than one defensible answer.
This chapter's big question
Wilbur leaves Templeton a whole noodle instead of half because the rat's rotten egg helped save Charlotte. Is that a fair thank-you to a rat who never meant to help?
The tension Templeton helped by accident and boasts about it, while Wilbur remembers that the rat was useful and gives him more than he planned.
Today's focus
Notice how a rotten egg saves Charlotte and who takes credit for it.
Two core ideas
- Help can come by accident: Avery tips the trough, the egg breaks, and Charlotte is safe.
- Charlotte keeps her promise quietly: she waits for an idea, then works through the night.
The shape at a glance
Charlotte waits for an idea and decides to play a trick on Zuckerman. Avery and Fern spend the morning swinging in the barn, then Avery tries to capture Charlotte. He falls against the trough and breaks the rotten egg, and the smell drives him away. That night Charlotte starts cutting and reweaving her web.
A way in
Start with Avery's stick. Ask what is about to happen and what stops it.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: Charlotte's idea, the kitchen, the swing, the raspberries, Avery and the stick, the egg, and Lurvy's lunchtime.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences about someone who is unhappy but cannot help showing off: how the person feels, then But and what they do.
Debate Take sides on the big question: is Wilbur's whole noodle fair thanks to Templeton? Each side must use one line from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why a story might let a rotten egg do something good.
Easier Read the scene at the pigpen aloud together and talk through discussion questions 2 and 4 only.
On level Talk through all five discussion questions, then have the student answer one critical-thinking question aloud with two reasons from the chapter.
Harder Ask the student to say what Templeton might answer if someone told him the egg had saved Charlotte, using his own words from the chapter.
Discussion
- Charlotte waits head-down day after day for an idea. Was that wise, or was she wasting time? What makes you think so?Character
What it asks It asks whether Charlotte's patience is a strength or a risk when she has promised to save Wilbur.
One reading
It was wise: she is patient and knows a good idea needs time to come.
Charlotte was naturally patient.
she felt sure that if she thought long enough about Wilbur's problem, an idea would come to her mind
Another reading
It was risky: summer is half gone and there is not much time.
Summer was half gone. She knew she didn't have much time.
Listen for
- Weighs waiting against the time Charlotte has.
- Uses what the chapter says about her patience.
If stuck
- What does Charlotte do when she wants a fly to come?
- What does the chapter say about the summer?
- Is waiting always the same as wasting time?
A strong answer Waiting suits Charlotte, because the chapter says she was naturally patient and that a fly comes if she waits long enough. But it also says summer was half gone and she knew she did not have much time. A strong answer takes a side and says what the other side would answer.
- Avery wants to capture Charlotte, and Fern says he already has a frog and that should be enough. Is Fern right? Why or why not?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether having one pet means you should leave another creature alone, and what Fern and Avery each want.
One reading
Fern is right: Charlotte is not Avery's to take, and he already has a frog.
Leave it alone!
You've got a frog - isn't that enough?
Another reading
Avery admires the spider: he calls her fine and wants to keep her, the way he keeps his frog.
Hey, look at that big spider!
That's a fine spider and I'm going to capture it
Listen for
- Says what each of them wants.
- Gives a reason, not only a side.
If stuck
- What does Avery say about the spider when he sees her?
- What does Fern tell him?
- Is a creature yours because you like it?
A strong answer Fern is right that Charlotte is not Avery's to take: he already has a frog, and she tells him to leave it alone. But Avery says the spider is a fine one and tremenjus, so he seems to like her in his own way. A strong answer takes a side and says what Charlotte would think about being taken.
- Lurvy says, "How I hate a rat!" and buries the broken egg and Templeton's other things. Was that fair? What makes you think so?Inference
What it asks It asks whether Lurvy treats Templeton fairly, when Lurvy knows only that there is a rat's nest under the trough.
One reading
It was fair enough: the nest stinks and rats are pests on a farm.
What in thunder?
I might a'known a rat would make a nest under this trough.
Another reading
It was not fair: Templeton loses everything he saved, and Lurvy does not know about the egg.
burying the broken egg and all Templeton's other possessions
Templeton, of course, was miserable over the loss of his beloved egg.
Listen for
- Says what Lurvy knows and what he does not.
- Says what Templeton loses.
If stuck
- What does Lurvy smell when he comes with the pail?
- What does Lurvy do with the trough and the nest?
- Does Lurvy know what the egg did that morning?
A strong answer Lurvy sniffs the smell and finds a rat's nest, so burying it seems sensible to him. But Templeton loses the egg and everything else he saved, and Lurvy does not know any of the story. A strong answer takes a side and says what Lurvy knows and what he does not.
- Templeton says, "It pays to save things," in a surly voice. How does he sound to you? What tells you?Tone
What it asks It asks the student to hear Templeton's voice and decide whether he is proud, sour, or both.
One reading
Proud: he cannot resist boasting that his habit paid off.
But he couldn't resist boasting.
A rat never knows when something is going to, come in handy. I never throw anything away.
Another reading
Sour: he has just lost his beloved egg and he snaps at the others.
Templeton, of course, was miserable over the loss of his beloved egg.
he said in his surly voice
Listen for
- Reads Templeton's line aloud in the voice the student hears.
- Allows that he may feel two things at once.
If stuck
- What word does the author use for his voice?
- What has Templeton just lost?
- Can someone be proud and miserable in the same minute?
A strong answer Templeton sounds proud, because he cannot resist boasting that saving things pays. He also sounds sour, because he has lost his beloved egg and the author says his voice is surly. A strong answer reads one line aloud and says whether the voice sounds proud, sour, or both.
- The author spends a whole paragraph on the swing, with "then" over and over. Why might the author make that paragraph so long?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what the long swing paragraph does to the reader, in a chapter that is also about a worried spider.
One reading
It lets the reader feel the swing: the climb, the drop, and the sailing in and out.
For a second you seemed to be falling to the barn floor far below
then out again, then in again, then out, then in
Another reading
It makes a happy, busy contrast with Charlotte sitting quiet and still, working on her idea.
Hour by hour she sat motionless, deep in thought.
They took turns for an hour.
Listen for
- Says what the reader feels while reading about the swing.
- Notices what is different about Charlotte's days.
If stuck
- Read the swing paragraph aloud. How does your voice go?
- What does the word then do to the sentences?
- What is Charlotte doing while the swing is going?
A strong answer The long paragraph with then, then, then lets the reader feel the climb, the fall, and the sailing in and out. It also makes a happy, noisy contrast with Charlotte, who waits quietly head-down. A strong answer says what the reader feels while reading it and why the author may have wanted that.
Critical thinking
- Wilbur has to tell the story "over and over again" to the other animals. Why do you think he tells it so many times? Give two reasons.
What it asks It asks why the animals want the story and why Wilbur is glad to tell it.
One reading
The animals want to know why the barn smells so bad, so they keep asking.
There were many complaints about the awful smell
Wilbur had to tell the story over and over again
Another reading
Wilbur is relieved and happy that Charlotte is safe, and it is a story worth telling.
Wilbur's heart almost stopped when he saw what was going on.
It was that rotten goose egg that saved Charlotte's life
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one said twice.
- A reason that explains why the story is told again and again.
If stuck
- What did the animals complain about when they came up from the pasture?
- How did Wilbur feel when he saw what Avery was going to do?
- What would you do if your friend had just had a narrow escape?
A strong answer The animals keep complaining about the awful smell, so Wilbur has to explain it each time. He also may want to tell it, because his heart almost stopped when he saw what Avery meant to do to Charlotte, and the egg saved her just in time. A strong answer gives two pieces of evidence and says which reason matters more.
- Charlotte has a narrow escape from Avery. What saved her? Give two reasons from the chapter.
What it asks It asks the student to weigh luck against what Templeton and the goose did to put the egg there.
One reading
Luck saved her: Avery lost his balance and the trough tipped on the egg.
he lost his balance. He swayed and toppled and landed on the edge of Wilbur's trough.
The goose egg was right underneath.
Another reading
Templeton's habit of saving things saved her, since the egg was kept under the trough.
It pays to save things
I never throw anything away.
Listen for
- Two separate things that led to the broken egg.
- A reason to choose one over the other.
If stuck
- What happens to Avery just as he is about to raise his stick?
- Where was the goose egg when the trough came down?
- Who kept the egg there?
A strong answer Luck played a part: Avery lost his balance, landed on the trough, and the egg was right underneath. But the egg was there because Templeton saves things and never throws anything away. A strong answer gives two pieces of evidence and says whether luck or Templeton's habit mattered more.
- Late at night Charlotte cuts some of her lines and weaves something new. What does that show about her? Give two reasons from the chapter.
What it asks It asks what the quiet night work shows about Charlotte's way of keeping her promise.
One reading
She is determined: she works slowly but steadily and is still at it at midnight.
She worked slowly but steadily while the other creatures drowsed.
When Templeton got back from the dump, around midnight, the spider was still at work.
Another reading
She is careful and keeps it to herself.
None of the others, not even the goose, noticed that she was at work.
Charlotte tore quite a section out of her web, leaving an open space in the middle.
Listen for
- Two separate things Charlotte does.
- A word for her, such as determined or secretive.
If stuck
- What time is it when Templeton gets back?
- Who notices that Charlotte is working?
- What has she promised Wilbur?
A strong answer Charlotte works slowly but steadily, and she is still going at midnight, so she is determined. She also does it while the other creatures drowse, and none of them notices, so she keeps it quiet. A strong answer gives two pieces of evidence and says what the work shows about how she keeps her promise.