The Adventures of Pinocchio
Chapter 21 — Teaching Companion
Carlo Collodi · 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
Chained to the doghouse, Pinocchio cries, “I deserve it!” How much of what the Farmer does to him does he really deserve?
The tension Pinocchio did take grapes that were not his, and he admits it, yet the Farmer treats him as a chicken thief and chains him like a dog.
Today's focus
Notice how three voices judge Pinocchio in the dark: the Glowworm, the Farmer and Pinocchio himself.
Two core ideas
- Pinocchio did take grapes that were not his, and he admits it: the Glowworm tells him hunger is no reason.
- The Farmer goes beyond the grapes: he calls Pinocchio a chicken thief and chains him as a watchdog.
The shape at a glance
Pinocchio is caught in a trap in a dark field and no one comes. A Glowworm stops, asks whose grapes they are, and tells him hunger is no reason for taking what belongs to another. Then the Farmer arrives, calls Pinocchio the chicken thief, chains him by the neck as his new watchdog and goes to bed. Alone by the doghouse, Pinocchio says he deserves it, and falls asleep.
A way in
Start with the Glowworm's question, “Are the grapes yours?” Ask what Pinocchio could have said instead of “No.”
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the trap, the Glowworm, the Farmer's lantern, the chain, Pinocchio's speech and sleep.
Imitate the author After copying the sentence, the student says one sentence in the same pattern about a hard night, ending on a list of three things.
Debate Take sides on the big question: how much of the Farmer's punishment does Pinocchio deserve? Each side uses one line from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author lets Pinocchio say his last words alone in the dark.
Easier Read the Glowworm's talk with Pinocchio aloud together and talk through discussion questions 1 and 4 only.
On level Talk through all four discussion questions, then have the student give one critical-thinking answer aloud with two details from the chapter.
Harder Ask the student to find one more place where the Farmer's words or actions show what he thinks of Pinocchio.
Discussion
- The Glowworm says, “Hunger, my boy, is no reason for taking something which belongs to another.” Do you agree with her? What makes you think so?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to weigh being hungry against taking what is not yours, and to give a reason for where they land.
One reading
She is right: the grapes were not his, and being hungry does not change that.
Are the grapes yours?
“It’s true, it’s true!” cried Pinocchio in tears.
Another reading
It is not so simple: he was truly hungry and took only a very few grapes.
I was hungry.
I came here only to take a very few grapes.
Listen for
- Gives a reason, not only yes or no.
- Uses what Pinocchio says to the Glowworm.
If stuck
- What does Pinocchio answer when she asks if the grapes are his?
- How much does he say he came to take?
A strong answer The grapes were not his, and Pinocchio says so himself when she asks. That is the heart of her rule: needing something does not make it yours. But he was hungry and says he came for only a very few grapes, so a student may feel the rule is hard on him. A strong answer takes a side and says what matters more, the need or the owner.
- The Farmer says Pinocchio will get “a lesson.” Then he makes him his watchdog. Was that a lesson, or just handy for the Farmer?Character
What it asks It asks the student to decide what the Farmer really wants: to teach Pinocchio something, or to fill a job.
One reading
A lesson: the boy who came for his things must now guard them.
I’ll give you a lesson that you’ll remember for a long while.
if, by any chance, any thieves should come, be sure to bark!
Another reading
Just handy: the Farmer needs a dog tonight and Pinocchio is there.
since my watchdog died today, you may take his place and guard my henhouse
Listen for
- Uses the Farmer's own words.
- Says what the Farmer gets out of it.
If stuck
- What happened to the Farmer's watchdog?
- What does the Farmer tell Pinocchio to do if thieves come?
A strong answer The Farmer's words give both. He promises a lesson that Pinocchio will remember, and the watchdog job puts a thief to guarding a henhouse. But he also says, since my watchdog died today, which sounds like a farmer who needs a dog and finds a boy in his trap. A strong answer says which reason sounds stronger and points to the Farmer's words.
- At the end, the author says Pinocchio’s speech “came from the very depths of his heart.” Why might the author tell us that?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author stops to tell us how deeply the words came from Pinocchio, and what that makes us think.
One reading
So we believe he truly means it this time.
which came from the very depths of his heart
cried out in a weak voice
Another reading
So we feel sorry for him, alone and chained in the dark.
Poor Pinocchio huddled close to the doghouse more dead than alive from cold, hunger, and fright.
Oh, if I could start all over again!
Listen for
- Notices the author speaking, not a character.
- Says what the reader thinks or feels because of the line.
If stuck
- Who is Pinocchio talking to when he gives this speech?
- What does the author call the speech?
A strong answer The author could have let the speech stand alone, but adds that it came from the very depths of his heart. One reading is that this tells us Pinocchio means it, since he says it with no one to hear. Another is that it makes us feel for a boy chained in the dark. The chapter does not say whether his words will last, and a strong answer does not say it either.
- Pinocchio goes into the doghouse and falls asleep. Is the end of the chapter sad, peaceful, or both? What makes you think so?Tone
What it asks It asks the student to name the mood of the last moment and to point to the words or details that make it that way.
One reading
Sad: he is chained to a wall like a dog.
A long iron chain was tied to the collar. The other end of the chain was nailed to the wall.
Another reading
Peaceful: after a hard night he has a warm bed and falls asleep.
where you will find plenty of straw for a soft bed
Pinocchio went into the doghouse and fell asleep.
Listen for
- Names a feeling and points to a detail.
- Notices that both moods can sit in one scene.
If stuck
- What is tied around his neck, and where is the other end of the chain?
- What will he find in the doghouse?
A strong answer It can be both. The chain is tied to his collar and nailed to the wall, which is sad. But the doghouse has plenty of straw for a soft bed, and after his speech he goes in and falls asleep, which is quiet and peaceful. A strong answer names the mood or moods and points to one detail for each.
Critical thinking
- The Farmer expected a Weasel and found a boy. Using two details, tell why he says Pinocchio is the chicken thief.
What it asks It asks the student to say what makes the Farmer jump from grapes to chickens, and whether that is a fair guess.
One reading
A fair guess: chickens have been stolen and a thief is in his trap at night.
who was coming on tiptoes to see if, by chance, he had caught the Weasels which had been eating his chickens
he saw that, instead of a Weasel, he had caught a boy!
Another reading
A leap: Pinocchio says he came for grapes, and the Farmer decides he is the type to steal more.
I came here only to take a very few grapes.
He who steals grapes may very easily steal chickens also.
Listen for
- Two different details, not one told twice.
- Says whether the guess is fair or too quick.
If stuck
- Who did the Farmer hope to catch in his trap?
- What does Pinocchio say he came to take?
A strong answer The Farmer has been losing chickens to Weasels at night, and tonight his trap holds a boy, so a thief in the field seems likely to him. He also believes that a person who steals grapes may easily steal chickens. Pinocchio says he came only for a very few grapes. A strong answer uses two different details and says whether the Farmer's guess is fair or too quick.
- Pinocchio says what he should have done instead. Using two details from his speech, tell what he thinks would have kept him out of the field.
What it asks It asks the student to hear what Pinocchio blames in himself: not obeying, or not working and staying home.
One reading
He blames his own way of doing as he pleases and never obeying.
I have never obeyed anyone and I have always done as I pleased.
I have been nothing but a truant and a vagabond.
Another reading
He thinks that working and staying with his father would have kept him safe.
If I were only like so many others and had studied and worked and stayed with my poor old father, I should not find myself here now
Listen for
- Two different details from his speech.
- Says what Pinocchio would have done differently.
If stuck
- What does Pinocchio say he has never done?
- Whom does he say he should have stayed with?
A strong answer Pinocchio blames his habits. He says he never obeyed and always did as he pleased, and he says that if he had studied and worked and stayed with his poor old father he would not be here. Those are two different faults, doing what he wants and leaving home. A strong answer picks the two details and says how each would have kept him out of the field.
- Pinocchio is about to faint in the trap. Using two details, tell which troubles him more: the pain in his legs or being alone.
What it asks It asks the student to weigh two kinds of hurt at the start of the night and choose which one the chapter makes bigger.
One reading
The pain in his legs troubles him more.
A little because of the sharp pain in his legs
Another reading
Being alone troubles him more, since no help is anywhere near.
a little because of fright at finding himself alone in the darkness of the field
no houses were to be seen and not a soul passed by on the road
Listen for
- Two different details, not one told twice.
- A reason that says why one hurts more.
If stuck
- What does the author say is the first cause of his fainting?
- Who is near enough to hear him cry out?
A strong answer The author says it is a little because of the pain and a little because of fright, so the chapter does not put one far ahead. A strong answer picks one and backs it. Pain is told in one sharp phrase, while the loneliness gets more: the darkness, no houses, and not a soul on the road.