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The Adventures of Pinocchio
Scouts · 1st–3rd
After the boat is lost under a huge wave, Pinocchio dives into the rough sea to save his father. Is that courage, or a leap he has not thought through?
The tension The fisher folk watch Geppetto's boat vanish and turn for home, while Pinocchio, with no plan but his cry, throws himself into the same rough water.
Notice who acts and who only watches when Geppetto's boat is lost: the fisher folk on the shore, and Pinocchio.
Pinocchio reaches the Fairy's house and finds only a marble slab that says she died of grief after he left. He cries all night. A Pigeon asks for him by name, says Geppetto is building a boat by the sea, and flies him there. On the shore the fisher folk watch Geppetto's tiny boat vanish under a huge wave and turn for home, but Pinocchio dives in after his father and is soon lost to view.
Start with the marble slab. Ask what Pinocchio does when he reads it, and what he does when the Pigeon speaks.
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the slab, the night of tears, the Pigeon, the flight, the shore, the lost boat and the dive.
Imitate the author After copying the sentence, the student says one sentence of their own that names what something is made of and what that lets it do.
Debate Take sides on the big question: was the dive courage, or a leap Pinocchio had not thought through? Each side uses one line from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author ends the chapter with the fisher folk saying, “Poor boy!”
Easier Read the shore scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 3 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 in the chapter where Pinocchio's feelings change quickly, and to say what changed them.
1. Pinocchio cries all night at the Fairy’s marble slab. Is he crying for her, for himself, or both? What makes you think so?Character
What it asks It asks the student to tell sorrow for the Fairy from fear of being alone, using Pinocchio's own words.
For her: he mourns the Fairy and wishes he had died in her place.
Oh, my Fairy, my dear, dear Fairy, why did you die?
Why did I not die, who am so bad, instead of you, who are so good?
For himself: most of his worries are about what will happen to him.
What shall I do alone in the world?
Who will make my new clothes?
A strong answer He is crying for both. He says she was good and he was bad, and he wishes he had died in her place, which sounds like true sorrow. But he also asks where he will eat, where he will sleep and who will make his clothes, which are worries about himself. A strong answer says which kind of crying is bigger and uses his own words.
2. The Pigeon flies away, “not wanting any thanks for a kind deed.” Why might a kind helper want no thanks?Inference
What it asks It asks why the Pigeon leaves before Pinocchio can thank him, and what that shows about how he helps.
He helps because it is right, not to be paid back in thanks.
the Pigeon, not wanting any thanks for a kind deed, flew away swiftly and disappeared
If you want to come, I’ll take you with me.
He knows Pinocchio is in a hurry, and thanks would only slow him down.
I’m in a great hurry.
Pinocchio jumped off the Pigeon’s back
A strong answer The Pigeon offers the ride as soon as Pinocchio wishes for wings, carries him all day and flies away at once, so he seems to help for the sake of helping. Another reading is that Pinocchio is in such a hurry that thanks would only slow him down. A strong answer picks one reading and points to what the Pigeon says or does.
3. Pinocchio waves to his father “with hand and cap and even with his nose.” Is that moment funny, sad, or both? What makes you think so?Tone
What it asks It asks the student to name the mood of the scene on the rock and to point to what in it makes that mood.
Funny: a puppet waving his nose is a silly picture.
waved to him with hand and cap and even with his nose
Sad: he is worn out, and the boat is being thrown about on the waves.
tired out with searching
the little boat, tossed about by the angry waters, appeared and disappeared in the waves
A strong answer It can be both. The nose is a silly picture, and it shows how many ways Pinocchio will try to be seen. But he is tired out with searching, and the boat is tossed about by the angry waters and appears and disappears in the waves, which is frightening. A strong answer names the mood or moods and points to a detail for each.
4. The fisher folk whisper a prayer and turn to go home. Was that the right thing to do? What makes you think so?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to judge what the fisher folk did when the boat was gone, and to weigh a prayer against doing something.
Right: the boat is gone and the sea is too rough, so a prayer is all they can give.
The water is very rough and we’re afraid he will be drowned.
They waited and waited for it, but it was gone.
Not enough: they cared and watched, but they left without trying anything.
The shore was full of people, shrieking and tearing their hair as they looked toward the sea.
whispering a prayer as they turned to go home
A strong answer The fisher folk care: the shore is full of people shrieking and tearing their hair, and they wait and wait. The boat is gone under a huge wave on very rough water, so a prayer may be all they feel they can give. But some will say they left too soon. A strong answer takes a side and says what they could or could not have done.
1. The Pigeon says Geppetto has been looking for Pinocchio for four months. Using two details, tell what that shows about Geppetto.
What it asks It asks the student to read Geppetto's months of searching and decide what kind of man it shows.
He never gives up: he searches for months and then builds a boat to go farther.
For the last four months, that poor man has been wandering around Europe, looking for you.
He was building a little boat with which to cross the ocean.
He will risk his life: his boat is tiny and the sea is rough.
a tiny boat for himself in order to go in search of him across the ocean
The water is very rough and we’re afraid he will be drowned.
A strong answer Geppetto does not give up. He has wandered around Europe for four months looking for Pinocchio, and when that fails he builds a little boat to cross the ocean. That shows how much he loves his son, and it also shows he will take a big risk, since the sea is very rough and the boat is tiny. A strong answer uses two different details and says what they show.
2. Pinocchio is in a great hurry, yet clutches the Pigeon’s neck when he looks down. Using two details, tell which feeling is stronger, the hurry or the fear.
What it asks It asks the student to weigh fear against hurry on the flight, and to see that Pinocchio feels both at once.
The hurry is stronger: he wishes for wings and they fly all day.
Fifty miles? Oh, dear Pigeon, how I wish I had your wings!
They flew all day.
The fear is stronger: his head swims and he holds on wildly.
His head swam and he was so frightened that he clutched wildly at the Pigeon’s neck to keep himself from falling.
A strong answer Pinocchio feels both. He wishes for wings and cries, “Gallop on,” so the hurry is strong. But when he looks down his head swims and he clutches wildly at the Pigeon’s neck, so the fear is real too. A strong answer picks the stronger feeling and uses one detail for the hurry and one for the fear.
3. Pinocchio dives into the rough sea. Using two details from the dive, tell how safe the sea is for him.
What it asks It asks the student to weigh what keeps Pinocchio afloat against what the sea might do to him, without deciding whether the dive was wise.
Fairly safe: he is made of wood and swims like a fish.
The Marionette, being made of wood, floated easily along and swam like a fish in the rough water.
Not safe: the water is rough, he keeps vanishing, and at last no one can see him.
Now and again he disappeared only to reappear once more.
At last he was completely lost to view.
A strong answer The sea is safer for Pinocchio than for most, because he is made of wood and floats easily and swims like a fish. But it is still rough water, and he keeps disappearing until at last he is lost to view. The chapter does not say what happens next, and a strong answer does not guess. It uses two different details and says which side weighs more.