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Chapter 2

Charlotte's Web

Scouts · 1st–3rd

Copywork

Wilbur loved his milk, and he was never happier than when Fern was warming up a bottle for him. He would stand and gaze up at her with adoring eyes.

Read the passage aloud. What can you picture when you hear Wilbur gaze up at Fern?

Discussion

Narration Tell what happened to Wilbur in this chapter, in order. Slow down at the day Mr. Arable says he must be sold.

1. Fern broke down and wept, but her father was firm about it. What do you think Mr. Arable was feeling at that moment?Character

2. Mr. Arable says, "You have had your fun raising a baby pig." Does he sound kind or unkind to you? What makes you think so?Tone

3. Mrs. Arable says Fern can walk down the road and visit Wilbur at the Zuckermans'. Does that make the sale easier for Fern? What makes you think so?Inference

4. Mr. Arable has already sold Wilbur's ten brothers and sisters. Is it right to treat Wilbur like the others? Why or why not?Moral reasoning

5. The author writes, "Every day was a happy day, and every night was peaceful." Why put that sentence just before the news that Wilbur must be sold?Author's choice

Make a Connection Tell about a time something you loved had to change or go away.

Vocabulary

Crossword
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Across
  • Across 1. To look steadily at someone.
  • Across 5. Soft, wet and slow-moving, like mud.
  • Across 6. A wish for food.
  • Across 8. Looked closely to see.
  • Across 9. Not changing his mind.
Down
  • Down 2. Loving very much.
  • Down 3. Delighted, as if by magic.
  • Down 4. A pig's long nose.
  • Down 7. Cried.
The words in the chapter
  • gaze He would stand and gaze up at her with adoring eyes.
  • adoring He would stand and gaze up at her with adoring eyes.
  • enchanted Fern was enchanted.
  • peered Fern peered through the door.
  • snout Wilbur was poking the straw with his snout.
  • oozy where it was warm and moist and delightfully sticky and oozy.
  • wept Fern broke down and wept.
  • firm But her father was firm about it.
  • appetite Wilbur's appetite had increased; he was beginning to eat scraps of food in addition to milk.

Critical thinking

1. Fern asks, "Won't he be cold at night?" Her father answers, "You watch and see." How does each of them care for Wilbur? Give two reasons.

2. At the brook, Fern and Avery swim while Wilbur plays in the mud. What does this show about Fern's love for Wilbur? Give two reasons.

3. Wilbur is taken from his home under the apple tree to a manure pile in the cellar of Zuckerman's barn. What does this change show? Give two reasons.