The Adventures of Pinocchio
Chapter 27 — 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
Every boy but Pinocchio runs from the hurt Eugene. Is Pinocchio staying out of care for Eugene, or out of fear for himself?
The tension Pinocchio is scared to death and stays to bathe Eugene's head, yet the words he cries out are as much about his own trouble as about Eugene.
Today's focus
Notice what Pinocchio does when the fight turns serious and the other boys run, and how what he does looks to the Carabineers.
Two core ideas
- A game can turn serious fast: the trick, the mocking, the fight and the book that strikes Eugene follow one another in a few moments.
- Staying is not the same as being believed: Pinocchio helps Eugene, yet the Carabineers take him because the book is his.
The shape at a glance
Pinocchio races to the shore and finds no Shark: the boys tricked him to get him out of school. They threaten him, and when he mocks them a fight begins. A Crab warns them to stop, and Pinocchio answers roughly. Books are thrown, and his own arithmetic book, thrown by one of the other boys, strikes Eugene, who falls. The boys run and Pinocchio stays to bathe Eugene's head, but the Carabineers take him away because the book is his, and he runs from them with a Mastiff after him.
A way in
Start with the moment the boys run. Ask what each boy does when Eugene falls, and what Pinocchio does.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the empty sea, the trick, the fight, the Crab, the book, Eugene, the Carabineers and the chase.
Imitate the author After copying the two sentences, the student says two short sentences in the same pattern: one about time passing and people leaving, then three words about who is left.
Debate Take sides on the big question: does Pinocchio stay for Eugene's sake or his own? Each side uses one line from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author sets Pinocchio apart from the other boys with the words “All except Pinocchio.”
Easier Read the fight and the scene by the sea aloud together and talk through discussion questions 2 and 3 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 compare how Pinocchio and the other boys act when Eugene falls, using one detail for each.
Discussion
- The boys say they tricked Pinocchio because it is “only fair to look out for ourselves.” Do you agree? What makes you think so?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to weigh the boys' reason for the trick against what they do to Pinocchio.
One reading
Fair: if Pinocchio studies and they do not, the boys feel they pay for it.
If you study and we don’t, we pay for it.
it’s only fair to look out for ourselves
Another reading
Not fair: they tricked him and threatened him for studying.
That we have made you stay out of school to come with us.
You’ll pay for it!
Listen for
- Uses the boys' own words.
- Gives a reason, not only yes or no.
If stuck
- What do the boys say happens to them if Pinocchio studies?
- What do they say will happen to Pinocchio if he keeps studying?
A strong answer The boys say that when Pinocchio studies and they do not, they pay for it, so looking out for themselves sounds fair to them. But their plan is to trick him out of school and threaten him with “You’ll pay for it!” if he keeps studying. A strong answer says whether looking out for yourself is a good reason to push someone else, and uses the boys' own words.
- The fight starts with laughing and a “Cuck--oo!” Where does it stop feeling like a game? What makes you think so?Plot structure
What it asks It asks the student to find the moment the mood changes from play to danger and to say what shows it.
One reading
At the first blow: once someone is hit on the head, it is a real fight.
And with the words, he gave Pinocchio a terrible blow on the head.
the fight raged hot and heavy on both sides
Another reading
When the book strikes Eugene: that is when the boys stop laughing and run.
At the sight of that pale little corpse, the boys were so frightened that they turned tail and ran.
Listen for
- Names one moment and says what changes after it.
- Uses a word or action, not only a feeling.
If stuck
- Who gives the first blow, and where does it land?
- What do the boys do when Eugene falls?
A strong answer The game feels over at the first terrible blow on the head, when the fight rages hot and heavy on both sides. Another answer is the moment the book strikes Eugene and the boys turn tail and run. A strong answer picks one moment and says what is different after it, in what the boys do or say.
- Pinocchio answers the Crab “as roughly as he knew how.” Why might he be so rough with someone giving good advice?Character
What it asks It asks why Pinocchio brushes off a warning that turns out to be right, and what he is feeling in the middle of the fight.
One reading
He is too caught up in the fight to listen to anyone.
Meanwhile, the battle waxed more and more furious.
Poor Crab! He might as well have spoken to the wind.
Another reading
He does not like being told what to do, even by someone who is right.
Keep quiet, ugly Gab!
But I’m stubborn and proud. I listen, but always I do as I wish.
Listen for
- Uses what the Crab says and how Pinocchio answers.
- Gives a reason for the roughness.
If stuck
- What does the Crab say will come to the boys?
- What does Pinocchio say about himself later in the chapter?
A strong answer The Crab says trouble is sure to come, and Pinocchio tells him to keep quiet. One reason is that he is in the middle of a furious battle and is not listening to anyone. Another is that, as he says later, he is stubborn and proud and does as he wishes. A strong answer picks a reason and uses what Pinocchio says.
- The chapter ends with the Dog and Pinocchio raising so much dust that no one can see them. Why might the author stop there?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author ends on a cloud of dust, and what the reader is left wondering or feeling.
One reading
It leaves us wondering whether Pinocchio gets away.
Pinocchio ran fast and the Dog ran faster.
it was impossible to see them
Another reading
It makes the ending feel like a race, so the reader is left as curious as the crowd.
He went like a bullet out of a gun.
the people hung out of the windows or gathered in the street, anxious to see the end of the contest
Listen for
- Notices that the reader cannot see the end.
- Says what the reader feels because of it.
If stuck
- Who runs faster, Pinocchio or the Dog?
- What do the people in the street hope to see?
A strong answer The author ends with the Dog and Pinocchio hidden in dust, so the reader cannot see who wins, just like the people hanging out of their windows. One reading is that this leaves us wondering whether Pinocchio gets away. Another is that it makes the chase feel like a race. A strong answer picks a reading and says what the reader feels at the end.
Critical thinking
- Pinocchio cries, “Why did I listen to those boys?” Using two details from his speech, tell who or what he blames.
What it asks It asks the student to hear whom Pinocchio blames for his trouble: the boys, or himself.
One reading
He blames the boys: they were a bad influence.
Why did I listen to those boys?
They always were a bad influence!
Another reading
He blames himself: he heard the warning and did as he wished anyway.
But I’m stubborn and proud. I listen, but always I do as I wish.
Oh, how much better it would have been, a thousand times better, if only I had gone to school!
Listen for
- Two different details from his speech, not one told twice.
- Says whom he blames more, and why.
If stuck
- What does Pinocchio say about the boys?
- What does he say about himself?
A strong answer Pinocchio blames both. He says the boys were a bad influence and asks why he listened to them. But he also says he is stubborn and proud and always does as he wishes, and that it would have been a thousand times better if only he had gone to school. A strong answer picks whom he blames more and uses two different details.
- The Carabineers take Pinocchio because the book is his. Using two details, tell whether that is fair.
What it asks It asks the student to weigh what the Carabineers can see against what really happened.
One reading
Fair: the book that hurt Eugene is his, and he is the one still there.
And whose book is this?
Mine.
Another reading
Not fair: another boy threw it, and Pinocchio stayed to help.
instead of hitting the Marionette, the book struck one of the other boys
I’m helping this schoolfellow of mine.
Listen for
- Two different details, not one told twice.
- Says what the Carabineers could see and what they could not.
If stuck
- What do the Carabineers ask about the book?
- Who threw it, and where was it aimed?
A strong answer The Carabineers see a hurt boy, a book that belongs to Pinocchio, and Pinocchio standing there, so taking him may seem fair. But the book was thrown by one of the other boys, aimed at Pinocchio's head, and Pinocchio was the one who stayed to help. A strong answer takes a side and uses two different details.
- Pinocchio feels ill as he walks between the Carabineers. Using two details, tell what troubles him most.
What it asks It asks the student to weigh how Pinocchio feels in his body against what he thinks about the Fairy.
One reading
Fear troubles him most: his body shows it.
He thought he had a nightmare. He felt ill.
his legs trembled, his tongue was dry
Another reading
Shame before the Fairy troubles him most.
he suffered keenly at the thought of passing under the windows of his good little Fairy’s house
What would she say on seeing him between two Carabineers?
Listen for
- Two different details, not one told twice.
- Says what hurts more, the body or the thought of the Fairy.
If stuck
- What happens to his legs and his tongue?
- Whose house does he have to pass, and what does he wonder?
A strong answer His body shows the fear: he thinks he has a nightmare, he feels ill, his legs tremble and his tongue is dry. But the chapter says he suffers keenly at the thought of passing the windows of the Fairy's house and asks what she would say on seeing him between two Carabineers. A strong answer picks which troubles him more and uses two different details.