Teaching Companion · Chapter 3 · The Adventures of Pinocchio

This chapter's big question

Geppetto says “I deserve it!” when the Marionette kicks him, and says it again as he is dragged to prison. Is he right to blame himself, or does the blame belong to Pinocchio?

The tension Geppetto made a Marionette that plays tricks before it is even finished, yet he also taught it to walk, and the same chapter lets him call himself guilty while the street calls him cruel.

Today's focus

Notice how Geppetto talks about himself, and how the street talks about him, while Pinocchio runs off.

Two core ideas

A person can be hurt by what he made and still care for it: Geppetto is kicked, yet he teaches Pinocchio to walk.
People who see only a moment can judge wrongly or rightly: the street sees a shaken Marionette and calls Geppetto cruel.

The shape at a glance

Geppetto goes home, makes the Marionette, and names him Pinocchio. While he is being made, Pinocchio stares, grows a long nose, laughs, sticks out his tongue, takes the wig and kicks. Geppetto teaches him to walk, and Pinocchio runs out into the street. A Carabineer catches him by the nose, the crowd calls Geppetto cruel, and Geppetto is dragged off to prison.

A way in

Start with the tricks while Pinocchio is being made: ask which one surprised Geppetto most, and what he does about it.

Lesson plan

Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the name, the eyes, the nose, the mouth, the wig, the kick, the walking lesson, the chase, and the prison.

Imitate the author After copying the sentence, the student writes one sentence in the same pattern: a surprise, then how someone felt.

Debate Take sides on the big question: is Geppetto right to blame himself, or does the blame belong to Pinocchio? Each side uses one quote from the chapter.

Purpose Close by asking why a story might send its maker to prison in the same chapter that its Marionette is born.

Easier Read the chase scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 3 and 4 only.

On level Talk through all five discussion questions, then have the student give one critical-thinking answer aloud with two things from the chapter.

Harder Ask the student what Geppetto could have done differently, and whether that would have changed what the Marionette did.

Discussion

Right after being kicked, Geppetto puts Pinocchio on the floor and teaches him to walk. Why might he do that, and not stay angry?Character
What it asks It asks why Geppetto helps the Marionette who has just hurt him, and what that shows about how he feels about his own work.
One reading

He cares about Pinocchio and is patient, even after being tricked and kicked.
- Geppetto held his hand and showed him how to put out one foot after the other
- He took hold of the Marionette under the arms and put him on the floor to teach him to walk.
Another reading

He sees it as his job: he made Pinocchio, so he must finish the work, even though it is too late to change him.
- I should have thought of this before I made him. Now it’s too late!
Listen for
- Remembers that the kick comes just before the walking lesson.
- Gives a reason from what Geppetto says or does.
If stuck
- What does Pinocchio do to Geppetto just before the walking lesson?
- What does Geppetto say to himself right after?
- How does Geppetto help when Pinocchio's legs are stiff?
A strong answer Geppetto has just been kicked on the nose, and he says he deserves it and that it is too late to think of it now. Then he holds Pinocchio's hand and shows him how to put out one foot after the other. A strong answer can say this is patient kindness, or that he is doing the job of a maker who cannot undo what he made, and the chapter lets both stand.
When the mouth sticks out its tongue, Geppetto pretends he sees nothing and keeps working. Was that wise or weak? What makes you think so?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether ignoring a rude trick is good sense or giving in, and what Geppetto gains and loses by it.
One reading

It was wise: shouting did nothing, so he stopped an argument that could not be won.
- but he might as well have spoken to the wall
- Not wishing to start an argument, Geppetto made believe he saw nothing and went on with his work.
Another reading

It was weak: he lets the trick go, and the next trick comes right after.
- Geppetto made believe he saw nothing and went on with his work
- Geppetto felt his wig being pulled off.
Listen for
- Notices that shouting did not work first.
- Says what Geppetto gained or lost, with a reason.
If stuck
- What does Geppetto say when the mouth laughs? What does the mouth do?
- Why does Geppetto decide not to start an argument?
- What happens next, when he is finishing the fingers?
A strong answer Geppetto shouted twice, even in a voice of thunder, and the mouth only stuck out a long tongue. So he made believe he saw nothing, which kept the peace for a moment. But the very next thing is the wig. The chapter does not say that one caused the other, so a strong answer weighs the quiet he bought against the trick that followed, and says which seems to matter more.
Pinocchio leaps out the door and flies down the street. Is he being wicked, or is he just trying out his new legs? What makes you think so?Inference
What it asks It asks whether the running is mischief or the joy of a Marionette who has only just learned to walk.
One reading

He is trying out his legs: they were stiff a moment ago, and now he runs in leaps and bounds.
- When his legs were limbered up, Pinocchio started walking by himself and ran all around the room.
- Pinocchio ran in leaps and bounds
Another reading

He is being naughty: he runs from Geppetto, tries to escape the Carabineer, and refuses to go home.
- tried his best to escape between the legs of the big fellow
- threw himself on the ground and refused to take another step
Listen for
- Remembers that his legs were stiff only a moment before.
- Uses what Pinocchio does after running, not only the running.
If stuck
- What had to happen before Pinocchio could walk by himself?
- What does Pinocchio do when he sees the Carabineer?
- What does he do when Geppetto says they are going home?
A strong answer The first running is easy to read as a new walker in the first joy of it: his legs have just come loose and he ran all around the room, then out the door. The chapter changes when he tries to slip between the Carabineer's legs and then lies down and refuses to go home. A strong answer can say the running starts as play and turns into something worse, or can say it was all one wild burst, and gives the moment that shows it.
The people in the street call Geppetto “mean and cruel.” Is that fair, from what they saw? What makes you think so?Theme
What it asks It asks whether the crowd's quick judgment fits what they actually saw, and what they did not see.
One reading

It is fair enough from what they saw: he shook Pinocchio by the neck and spoke angrily.
- he shook him two or three times and said to him angrily
- When we get home, then we’ll settle this matter!
Another reading

It is not fair: they did not see him teach Pinocchio to walk, or see the tricks that made him angry.
- Poor Geppetto ran after him but was unable to catch him
- The poor old fellow did not know how to defend himself
Listen for
- Names what the people saw, and what they did not.
- Notices that one of them says Geppetto looks like a good man.
If stuck
- What does Geppetto do and say as he takes Pinocchio by the neck?
- What did the people in the street not see at Geppetto's house?
- What does the second man say Geppetto looks like?
A strong answer The crowd saw a man shake a Marionette by the neck and say they would settle it at home, so their worry is not silly. But they did not see the tricks, the kick, or the walking lesson, and one of them says Geppetto looks like a good man. A strong answer weighs what they saw against what they missed, and says whether a quick judgment can be fair.
The wood already stares, laughs and sticks out its tongue before Geppetto finishes. Why might the author make Pinocchio like this from the start?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what the early tricks do for the story, for the comedy, and for how we see Geppetto and his Marionette.
One reading

They are there for fun: each part of the face makes a new joke.
- It stretched and stretched and stretched till it became so long, it seemed endless.
- No sooner was it finished than it began to laugh and poke fun at him.
Another reading

They show the trouble starts before Geppetto can teach anything, which makes us wonder how much he can be blamed.
- You are not yet finished, and you start out by being impudent to your poor old father.
Listen for
- Points to one of the early tricks.
- Says what the trick does for the reader, such as making us laugh or making us feel for Geppetto.
If stuck
- Which part of the face does a trick first? What does it do?
- What does Geppetto say about Pinocchio when the wig is taken?
- How would the chapter feel if Pinocchio were quiet and still until he was finished?
A strong answer Each part of the face brings a new trick: the eyes stare, the nose grows and grows, the mouth laughs and sticks out its tongue. They make the beginning funny, and they also make Pinocchio a handful before he is finished. A strong answer says what the early tricks do, funny scenes, trouble for Geppetto, or both, and uses one trick as proof.

Critical thinking

The eyes stare and the nose grows while Geppetto works. Using two things from the chapter, tell whether Geppetto handles these first tricks well.
What it asks It asks the student to judge how Geppetto answers the first tricks, with the eyes and the nose.
One reading

He handles them badly: he feels insulted, and his cutting only makes the nose grow longer.
- Geppetto, seeing this, felt insulted and said in a grieved tone
- Poor Geppetto kept cutting it and cutting it, but the more he cut, the longer grew that impertinent nose.
Another reading

He handles them well enough: he asks a plain question, then lets the nose alone and keeps working.
- Ugly wooden eyes, why do you stare so?
- In despair he let it alone.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains the choice.
If stuck
- What does Geppetto feel and say when the eyes stare?
- What happens each time he cuts the nose?
- What does he do in the end?
A strong answer When the eyes stare Geppetto feels insulted and asks them why, and the eyes give no answer. The nose grows the more he cuts it, until in despair he leaves it alone. He is hurt and he is beaten by the nose, but he does not smash the work or give up. A strong answer picks well or badly, and backs it with two things Geppetto does.
Geppetto calls Pinocchio a “wicked boy” when he takes the wig. Using two things from the chapter, tell whether “wicked” is the right word.
What it asks It asks whether a Marionette not yet finished can be called wicked for taking a wig.
One reading

Wicked fits: he keeps the wig and puts it on his head instead of giving it back.
- But instead of giving it back, Pinocchio put it on his own head, which was half swallowed up in it.
Another reading

Wicked is too strong: he is not even finished, and the wig is more of a joke than a harm.
- You are not yet finished
- which was half swallowed up in it
Listen for
- Names what Pinocchio does with the wig.
- Says why wicked fits or does not, with a reason.
If stuck
- What does Geppetto ask Pinocchio to do?
- What does Pinocchio do instead?
- How does the wig look on his head?
A strong answer Geppetto asks for his wig, and instead Pinocchio puts it on his own head, where it is half swallowed up. That is a cheeky trick, and Geppetto is truly sad. But Pinocchio is not yet finished, and a wig that swallows his head is a funny sight more than a cruel one. A strong answer weighs the refusing against the joke, and decides whether wicked is the right word.
As he is dragged off to prison, Geppetto says he tried so hard to make a well-behaved Marionette. Using two things from the chapter, tell what he did to try.
What it asks It asks the student to find what Geppetto actually did for Pinocchio, and whether it adds up to trying hard.
One reading

He did try hard: he made Pinocchio carefully and taught him to walk by hand.
- Geppetto set seriously to work to make the hair, the forehead, the eyes.
- Geppetto held his hand and showed him how to put out one foot after the other
Another reading

He did not try everything: he only thought of the trouble after Pinocchio was made.
- I should have thought of this before I made him.
- I should have given the matter more thought.
Listen for
- Two things Geppetto did, from the chapter.
- A reason that says whether it was trying hard or not enough.
If stuck
- How does Geppetto go to work after he chooses the name?
- How does he help Pinocchio with his stiff legs?
- What does Geppetto say he should have done?
A strong answer Geppetto took his tools, set seriously to work on the face, and when the legs were stiff he held Pinocchio's hand and showed him how to walk. That is real effort. But he also says twice that he should have thought more before he made the Marionette. A strong answer uses two things he did, and says whether they add up to trying hard.