The Adventures of Pinocchio
Chapter 26 — 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
The boys tempt Pinocchio away from his lessons, and he chooses to run with them. Who is more to blame, the boys who asked or the boy who went?
The tension Pinocchio is praised at school and warned about his friends, and he holds out against the boys' push, yet he is the one who proposes the race and runs first.
Today's focus
Notice who pushes and who chooses in this chapter: the boys who ask Pinocchio to skip school, and Pinocchio, who has been warned and says he is too wise.
Two core ideas
- Pinocchio does well at first: the teacher praises him, yet his only fault is that he has too many friends.
- The boys' asking and Pinocchio's going are two different things: he holds out and offers to go after school before he proposes the race.
The shape at a glance
Pinocchio goes to school, where the boys play tricks on him until he kicks one and wins their favor. For weeks the teacher praises him, though the teacher and the Fairy both warn him about his friends. One day the boys tell him a Shark as big as a mountain is near the shore. He holds out, then races them there, running first and laughing at his followers, and the author warns that dreadful things are coming.
A way in
Start with Pinocchio's first day. Ask what the boys do to the Marionette, and how he first answers them.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the first day, the kick, the weeks of praise, the warnings, the boys' news about the Shark and the race.
Imitate the author After copying the sentence, the student says one sentence of their own that names a person's only fault.
Debate Take sides on the big question: who is more to blame, the boys who asked or the boy who went? Each side uses one line from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author tells us about the dreadful things to come while Pinocchio is still laughing.
Easier Read the boys' talk with Pinocchio on the road 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 where Pinocchio says one thing and then does another.
Discussion
- The teacher praises Pinocchio and also warns him every day. Why might he do both?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to work out why the teacher gives praise and a warning together, and what he sees in Pinocchio.
One reading
He sees real good work and wants to keep it safe from the wrong friends.
even the teacher praised him, for he saw him attentive, hard working, and wide awake
Among these were many well-known rascals, who cared not a jot for study or for success.
Another reading
He sees that Pinocchio is easily swayed by people who admire him.
Everyone admired him, danced attendance upon him, petted and caressed him.
Listen for
- Uses what the teacher sees and what he says.
- Notices that the praise and the warning are about different things.
If stuck
- What does the teacher notice about Pinocchio at school?
- What does the chapter say is Pinocchio's only fault?
A strong answer The praise is for real work: Pinocchio is attentive, hard working, and first in and last out. The warning is about something else, his friends, some of whom care nothing for study. One reading is that the teacher wants to protect good work that is already there. Another is that he sees how easily Pinocchio is won over by people who admire him. A strong answer says why the two can sit side by side.
- When he is warned about his friends, Pinocchio points to his forehead as if to say, “I’m too wise.” Why might he feel so sure?Character
What it asks It asks why Pinocchio brushes off a warning from the teacher and the Fairy, and what he is counting on.
One reading
He is proud of how well school is going, so he trusts himself.
even the teacher praised him
always the first to come in the morning, and the last to leave when school was over
Another reading
He likes being admired and does not want to hear that he could go wrong.
With that kick and that blow Pinocchio gained everybody’s favor.
There’s no such danger,” answered the Marionette, shrugging his shoulders
Listen for
- Uses what Pinocchio does and says, not only what the others say.
- Gives a reason for his being sure.
If stuck
- How is school going for Pinocchio?
- What does he do with his shoulders when he is warned?
A strong answer Pinocchio has reasons to feel sure: the teacher praises him, and he is first in and last out. He also likes the favor of the other boys, and he shrugs off the warning without a second thought. A strong answer says which reason sounds stronger, and whether feeling sure is the same as being safe.
- The boys say Pinocchio can go to school tomorrow, and that the teacher is paid to grumble. Are those harmless things to say? What makes you think so?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to judge whether the boys' words are only talk or whether they push Pinocchio away from the people who care about him.
One reading
Harmless: it is one day, and they are excited about something amazing.
You can go there tomorrow.
A Shark as big as a mountain has been seen near the shore.
Another reading
Not harmless: they wave away the people who care about Pinocchio.
Let him talk. He is paid to grumble all day long.
Mothers don’t know anything
Listen for
- Uses the boys' own words.
- Says what the words might lead Pinocchio to do.
If stuck
- What do the boys say about the teacher?
- What do they say about mothers?
A strong answer One day of school may seem small, and the boys are excited about a Shark as big as a mountain. But they also brush aside the teacher with “He is paid to grumble all day long” and say mothers do not know anything, which makes the people who care about Pinocchio sound unimportant. A strong answer decides whether the words are harmless and uses the boys' own words.
- Right at the end, the author calls Pinocchio an “Unhappy boy!” while he laughs at the others. Why might the author say that there?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author steps in with a warning at the moment Pinocchio is happiest, and what that does for the reader.
One reading
It warns us that trouble is coming, so his laughing makes us uneasy.
If he had only known then the dreadful things that were to happen to him on account of his disobedience!
Another reading
It shows how happy and sure he is just before, so the warning stings more.
running as if on wings
he laughed out heartily
Listen for
- Notices the author speaking, not a character.
- Says what the reader feels because of the words.
If stuck
- Who says “Unhappy boy!”, Pinocchio or the author?
- What is Pinocchio doing when the author says it?
A strong answer The words come from the author, not from Pinocchio, and they come while Pinocchio is laughing. One reading is that they warn us that trouble is coming. Another is that they make his happy running feel sadder, because he does not know what we have just been told. A strong answer picks a reading and says what the reader feels when the chapter ends.
Critical thinking
- Pinocchio kicks the boy who tries to pull his nose. Using two details, tell why the other boys admire him afterward.
What it asks It asks the student to say what the boys admire in Pinocchio after the kick: his strength, or his standing up to them.
One reading
They admire his strength, since he hits hard.
Oh, what hard feet!
And what elbows! They are even harder than the feet!
Another reading
They admire that he warned them and then stood up for himself.
Careful, boys, I haven’t come here to be made fun of.
For a while Pinocchio was very calm and quiet.
Listen for
- Two different details, not one told twice.
- Says what the boys admire, in the student's words.
If stuck
- What do the boys say about his feet and elbows?
- What does Pinocchio say before he kicks?
A strong answer The boys admire that Pinocchio hits hard: they cry out about his hard feet and his even harder elbows. But he also gave them a warning first, after being calm and quiet for a while, so they may admire that he stood up for himself. A strong answer picks what they admire most and uses two different details.
- Pinocchio tells the boys he will see the Shark after school. Using two details, tell why he makes that offer.
What it asks It asks the student to tell what Pinocchio wants here: to keep to school, to see the Shark, or both.
One reading
He wants to do the right thing, so he puts school first.
No, not I. I must go to school.
And what will the teacher say?
Another reading
He wants to see the Shark for reasons of his own.
I wonder if it could be the same one I heard of when my father was drowned?
For certain reasons of mine, I, too, want to see that Shark
Listen for
- Two different details, not one told twice.
- Says whether he wants school, the Shark, or both.
If stuck
- What does Pinocchio say first when the boys ask him to come?
- What does he say he wonders about the Shark?
A strong answer Pinocchio is pulled two ways. He says he must go to school and asks what the teacher will say, so school matters to him. But he also wants to see that Shark, and he wonders if it is the one he heard of when his father was drowned. The offer to go after school lets him try to have both. A strong answer picks what he wants more and uses two different details.
- Pinocchio runs first and laughs at the others. Using two details, tell how he feels as he runs.
What it asks It asks the student to name Pinocchio's feelings during the race, using what he does and what he sees.
One reading
He feels free and light, as if he could fly.
Pinocchio led the way, running as if on wings
At the signal, the little troop, with books under their arms, dashed across the fields.
Another reading
He feels proud, because he is beating the others.
seeing his followers hot and tired, and with tongues hanging out, he laughed out heartily
Listen for
- Two different details, not one told twice.
- Says what Pinocchio feels, not only what he does.
If stuck
- Who leads the way, and how does the chapter say he runs?
- What does he see when he looks back, and what does he do?
A strong answer Pinocchio feels light and free, running as if on wings. He also feels proud, because when he looks back and sees his followers hot and tired, with tongues hanging out, he laughs out heartily. A strong answer names the feeling and uses one detail about how he runs and one about the others.