The Adventures of Pinocchio
Chapter 30 — 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
Pinocchio says no to the Land of Toys again and again, yet he keeps staying to hear more. Is he keeping his word, or already letting it go?
The tension Pinocchio has promised the Fairy to be home before dark and to obey, while his friend Lamp-Wick pulls him toward a country with no school, and each time Pinocchio says no he stays a little longer.
Today's focus
Notice how Pinocchio says no to Lamp-Wick, and what he does and asks between each no.
Two core ideas
- A promise is easy to make and harder to keep: the Fairy warns that boys give promises easily and forget them as easily, and Pinocchio says he is not like those others.
- Lamp-Wick's pull is made of small asks: two more minutes, a country with no school, a wagon coming at midnight, and Pinocchio keeps answering.
The shape at a glance
The Fairy lets Pinocchio invite his friends to tomorrow's party if he is home before dark, and warns him that boys forget promises easily. He invites everyone, then searches for his dearest friend Lamp-Wick, who is waiting to leave at midnight for the Land of Toys, a country with no school. Pinocchio says no again and again, but each time he stays a little longer and asks another question. The chapter stops as the wagon's light and bell come out of the dark.
A way in
Start with the Fairy's warning. Ask what Pinocchio answers, and what he says he will do from now on.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the Fairy's leave and warning, the invitations, the search for Lamp-Wick, the Land of Toys, the many good-byes and the light in the dark.
Imitate the author After copying the sentence, the student says one sentence of their own in the same pattern: what someone gives, and what they as easily do.
Debate Take sides on the big question: is Pinocchio keeping his word or already letting it go? Each side uses one line from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author lets Pinocchio say good-by so many times.
Easier Read Lamp-Wick's talk about the Land of Toys 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 find each time Pinocchio says good-by, and to say what he does right after.
Discussion
- The Fairy warns that boys forget promises easily. Pinocchio says, “I am not like those others.” Why might he feel so sure?Character
What it asks It asks why Pinocchio feels sure he is different from other boys, and what that sureness rests on.
One reading
He means to change: he knows he has come to grief before and says this time is different.
I certainly have,” said Pinocchio, “but from now on, I obey.
I have promised my kind Fairy to become a good boy, and I want to keep my word.
Another reading
He is proud of his word and has not yet been tested.
But I am not like those others. When I give my word I keep it.
I’ll be back in one hour without fail
Listen for
- Uses Pinocchio's own words about his word.
- Says what makes him sure, not only that he is.
If stuck
- What does the Fairy say boys do with promises?
- What does Pinocchio say he will do from now on?
A strong answer Pinocchio has reasons to feel sure. He says he has come to grief before, and that from now on he obeys, so he sees this as a new start. He also sounds proud of his word, since he says he is not like those others, and nothing has tested him yet. A strong answer picks what the sureness rests on, and uses his own words.
- Lamp-Wick says the Land of Toys has “No schools, no teachers, no books!” Why might that sound so good to Pinocchio?Inference
What it asks It asks what Pinocchio hears in Lamp-Wick's description that makes his mouth water: freedom from study, or fun with friends.
One reading
It sounds like freedom from work and study.
In that blessed place there is no such thing as study.
In the Land of Toys, every day, except Sunday, is a Saturday.
Another reading
It sounds like play and company, with a hundred other boys.
Days are spent in play and enjoyment from morn till night.
Alone? There will be more than a hundred of us!
Listen for
- Uses Lamp-Wick's words about the country.
- Says what Pinocchio gets in the picture, in the student's words.
If stuck
- What does Lamp-Wick say about every day except Sunday?
- How does Lamp-Wick say the days are spent?
A strong answer Lamp-Wick paints a place with no study at all, where every day but Sunday is a Saturday. He also paints a place full of play and company, with more than a hundred boys going. One reading is that Pinocchio longs to be free of work. Another is that he longs for fun with friends. A strong answer picks one and uses Lamp-Wick's words.
- Lamp-Wick says of the Fairy, “Let her scold. After she gets tired, she will stop.” Is that good advice? What makes you think so?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to judge Lamp-Wick's advice about the Fairy, and to weigh what a scolding costs against what it leaves out.
One reading
Not good advice: it leaves out that the Fairy would worry, and that Pinocchio would suffer.
I have waited too long as it is. The Fairy will be worried.
In case you do disobey, you will be the one to suffer, not anyone else.
Another reading
Not meant as advice: Lamp-Wick only wants Pinocchio to stay.
Wait two minutes more.
Wait two more minutes.
Listen for
- Says what the advice leaves out.
- Gives a reason, not only good or bad.
If stuck
- What does the Fairy say will happen if Pinocchio disobeys?
- What does Lamp-Wick keep asking Pinocchio to do?
A strong answer The advice makes scolding sound small, but it leaves out that the Fairy would be worried and that, as she said, Pinocchio would be the one to suffer. It may also not be advice at all: Lamp-Wick keeps asking for two more minutes, so he may only want his friend to stay. A strong answer decides whether the advice is good and says why.
- The chapter ends with Pinocchio saying, “What a wonderful, beautiful, marvelous country!” Why might the author stop there?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the chapter closes on Pinocchio's cry, and what the reader is left wondering or feeling.
One reading
To leave the reader wondering what he will do next.
But is it really true that in that country boys never have to study?
Never, never, never!
Another reading
To show how strongly the country pulls on him, in his own words.
What a wonderful, beautiful, marvelous country! Oh--h--h!!
feeling his mouth water
Listen for
- Notices that the chapter ends in Pinocchio's words.
- Says what the reader feels or wonders at the end.
If stuck
- What does Pinocchio ask Lamp-Wick one more time?
- What is coming through the dark?
A strong answer The chapter stops while Pinocchio is still talking, with the wagon's light in the dark, so the reader is left wondering what he will do. It also lets us hear how much the country pulls on him, in three words piled on one another. A strong answer picks a reason and says what the reader feels when the chapter ends.
Critical thinking
- Pinocchio goes to Lamp-Wick’s house three times. Using two details, tell why Lamp-Wick matters so much to him.
What it asks It asks the student to say what Pinocchio sees in Lamp-Wick: a friend he loves in spite of his faults, or the one he most wants to share good news with.
One reading
He loves him dearly, faults and all.
Lamp-Wick was the laziest boy in the school and the biggest mischief-maker, but Pinocchio loved him dearly.
Another reading
He wants his best friend to share his good news.
Haven’t you heard the news? Don’t you know what good luck is mine?
Shall I see you at my party tomorrow?
Listen for
- Two different details, not one told twice.
- Says what the details show about the friendship.
If stuck
- What does the chapter say about how much Pinocchio loves him?
- What does Pinocchio tell Lamp-Wick once he finds him?
A strong answer Lamp-Wick is the laziest boy in the school and the biggest mischief-maker, yet Pinocchio loves him dearly, so the friendship does not depend on Lamp-Wick being good. Pinocchio also goes to his house three times and tells him his news first. A strong answer picks what matters most and uses two different details.
- Pinocchio’s friends hear about the buttered toast and say yes. Using two details, tell why they come.
What it asks It asks the student to weigh two reasons the friends say yes: the treat, or a wish to please Pinocchio.
One reading
For the treat: the toast wins over the ones who held back.
Others had to be coaxed, but when they heard that the toast was to be buttered on both sides, they all ended by accepting the invitation
Another reading
To please Pinocchio, who is their friend.
We’ll come to please you.
Some accepted quickly and gladly.
Listen for
- Two different details, not one told twice.
- Says whether the reason is the toast or Pinocchio.
If stuck
- How did some of the friends answer right away?
- What made the others say yes?
A strong answer Some friends said yes quickly and gladly, which suggests they came for Pinocchio. But others had to be coaxed, and it was the toast buttered on both sides that won them, though they all ended by saying, “We’ll come to please you.” A strong answer says which reason is stronger and uses two different details.
- A small light and a soft bell sound in the dark. Using two details, tell how the author makes the wagon feel.
What it asks It asks the student to hear the mood of the wagon's arrival, and to choose between gentle and inviting, or strange and uneasy.
One reading
Gentle and inviting: a small light and a sound soft as a little bell.
a small light flickered
soft as a little bell
Another reading
Strange and a little uneasy: a queer sound, muffled, in a darkening night.
the night became darker and darker
A queer sound could be heard
faint and muffled like the buzz of a far-away mosquito
Listen for
- Two different details, not one told twice.
- Names the feeling the details make.
If stuck
- What does the author say the sound is like?
- What is the night doing?
A strong answer The details pull two ways. The small light and the sound soft as a little bell feel gentle and inviting. But the night grows darker and darker, and the sound is queer, faint and muffled, which feels a little uneasy. A strong answer picks a feeling, or says it is both, and uses two different details.