Teaching Companion · Chapter 6 · The Adventures of Pinocchio

This chapter's big question

The old man hears a wild bell in the night and decides he knows who is ringing it. Is he fair to guess that way, or does he owe a hungry boy a better look?

The tension Pinocchio is really hungry and begs politely for a bit of bread, while the old man, woken in the night, hears only the kind of boy who rings bells for fun.

Today's focus

Notice how Pinocchio and the old man each understand the ringing of the bell.

Two core ideas

Need can be stronger than fear: Pinocchio is greatly afraid, yet his hunger is far greater.
People can guess wrongly about each other: the old man thinks of boys who ring bells at night, while Pinocchio only wants bread.

The shape at a glance

Pinocchio runs out into a thunderstorm because he is so hungry, and finds the village dark and deserted. He rings a bell and asks politely for bread, and an old man pours cold water on him. He goes home wet, puts his feet on the stove to dry, and falls asleep. His feet burn to ashes while he snores, and the chapter ends at dawn with a knock and the voice of Geppetto.

A way in

Start at the doorway: ask what Pinocchio wanted when he rang the bell, and what the old man thought he wanted.

Lesson plan

Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the storm, the empty village, the bell, the water, the stove, the sleep, and the knock at dawn.

Imitate the author After copying the sentence, the student writes one sentence in the same pattern: a fear, then a stronger want, joined by the word "but".

Debate Take sides on the big question: is the old man fair to guess as he does, or does he owe a hungry boy a better look? Each side uses one quote from the chapter.

Purpose Close by asking why a story might send a hungry boy to the one window that opens and then pour water on him.

Easier Read the doorway scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 1 and 2 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 Pinocchio could have said or done at the bell so that the old man would have understood, and what in the chapter makes them think so.

Discussion

Pinocchio hates the dark street and fears the thunder, but he runs out anyway. Was that brave or just desperate? What makes you think so?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether doing a frightening thing because you are very hungry counts as bravery, or is only needing something badly.
One reading

It was brave: he was greatly afraid, and he went out into the storm anyway.
- Pinocchio was greatly afraid of thunder and lightning
- In a dozen leaps and bounds, he came to the village
Another reading

It was just desperate: hunger pushed him, and he had no other choice.
- but he was so hungry that, in spite of it, he ran out of the house
- Pinocchio, in desperation, ran up to a doorway
Listen for
- Names both the fear and the hunger.
- Gives a reason for brave or desperate, not only the word.
If stuck
- What does Pinocchio feel about the dark and the thunder?
- What is stronger than that feeling?
- What does he do, even though he is afraid?
A strong answer Pinocchio is greatly afraid, and he goes out into the thunder and lightning anyway, which sounds brave. But the chapter says the hunger he felt was far greater than his fear, and later says he acted in desperation. A strong answer weighs doing something frightening on purpose against being pushed to it, and says which seems truer here.
The old man says, “Wait a minute and I’ll come right back.” What does he seem to be planning? What makes you think so?Inference
What it asks It asks what the old man means to do when he leaves the window, and what his words and tone tell us.
One reading

He plans to teach the ringer a lesson, because he thinks it is a boy playing a trick.
- thinking he had to deal with one of those boys who love to roam around at night ringing people’s bells
Another reading

He only wants to make the noise stop so he can go back to sleep.
- He called down angrily
- What do you want at this hour of night?
Listen for
- Uses what the old man says or how he says it, not only what happens next.
- Says what he thinks of the ringer.
If stuck
- How does the old man call down to Pinocchio?
- What does the chapter say he is thinking?
- What does he tell Pinocchio to do next?
A strong answer The old man calls down angrily and asks what Pinocchio wants at this hour of night. The chapter says he is thinking of boys who roam at night ringing bells, so he may mean to teach this one a lesson. But he may only want the noise to stop. A strong answer uses his words and his anger, and says what he seems to be planning without being sure.
The author says the village seemed “the Village of the Dead.” What does that make you feel about the night? Which words help?Tone
What it asks It asks what feeling the author builds with the empty, closed-up village, and which details make it.
One reading

It feels frightening: everything is dark and empty.
- The night was pitch black.
- The whole village was dark and deserted.
Another reading

It feels lonely and shut against Pinocchio, because nothing is open to him.
- The stores were closed, the doors, the windows.
- In the streets, not even a dog could be seen.
Listen for
- Points to words the author uses, such as dark, deserted or closed.
- Says what feeling they make, with a reason.
If stuck
- What is shut in the village?
- What can Pinocchio not see in the streets?
- How would a village with lights on feel different?
A strong answer The author piles up empty things: a pitch black night, a dark and deserted village, closed stores, doors and windows, and not even a dog. That feels frightening, and it also feels lonely for a hungry boy who needs someone to open a door. A strong answer names a feeling and points to the words that make it.
Pinocchio snores away happily while his feet burn to ashes. Why might the author tell it so calmly?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author tells a bad thing in a calm, almost funny way, and what that does for the reader.
One reading

The calm voice makes it funny: he sleeps on while something silly and terrible happens.
- Pinocchio snored away happily as if his feet were not his own.
- Slowly, very slowly, they blackened and turned to ashes.
Another reading

It shows how worn out he is: nothing wakes him, even this.
- As he no longer had any strength left with which to stand
- tired out from weariness and hunger
Listen for
- Notices that the author does not hurry or warn him.
- Says what the calm voice does to the moment.
If stuck
- How fast do the feet burn, and how does the author say so?
- How does Pinocchio sound while he sleeps?
- Why might he not wake up?
A strong answer The author says the feet blackened slowly, very slowly, and that Pinocchio snored away happily as if they were not his own. The calm telling makes the moment funny and a little frightening at once. It also fits a boy too tired to wake. A strong answer says what the calm voice makes us feel, and uses the words that show it.
The chapter ends with a knock at the door and a voice saying “It is I.” Why might the author stop right there?Plot structure
What it asks It asks what the author gets by ending on a knock and a voice, and what the reader is left wanting.
One reading

It makes the reader want to know who is at the door, and what happens next.
- At dawn he opened his eyes just as a loud knocking sounded at the door.
- It was the voice of Geppetto.
Another reading

It leaves Pinocchio cheerful and unaware, which sets the reader wondering about the trouble that waits.
- “Who is it?” he called, yawning and rubbing his eyes.
- Pinocchio snored away happily as if his feet were not his own.
Listen for
- Notices that the chapter stops before anything happens.
- Says what the reader is left wondering.
If stuck
- What wakes Pinocchio?
- Who is at the door?
- What does Pinocchio do when he hears the knock?
A strong answer The chapter ends on a knock and a voice, and the reader does not yet see what happens. That leaves us wanting the next chapter. Pinocchio is also yawning and rubbing his eyes, cheerful and unaware, which makes the quiet ending feel full of waiting. A strong answer says what the reader is left wondering, and which words leave it open.

Critical thinking

Lightning, wind and trembling trees fill the night. Using two things from the chapter, tell how the night makes Pinocchio's trip harder.
What it asks It asks the student to find how the weather and the dark work against Pinocchio, and whether they are mostly frightening or mostly tiring.
One reading

The night frightens him: the sky and the trees look wild.
- bright flashes of lightning now and again shot across the sky, turning it into a sea of fire
- the trees shook and moaned in a weird way
Another reading

The night wears him out and leaves him alone: the wind is cold and the village is empty.
- An angry wind blew cold and raised dense clouds of dust
- In the streets, not even a dog could be seen.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that says how the night makes it harder.
If stuck
- What does the sky do?
- What do the wind and trees do?
- What can Pinocchio not find in the village?
A strong answer The night makes the trip harder in two ways. The sky flashes and the trees moan, which frighten a boy who is greatly afraid of thunder and lightning. The cold wind and the empty streets also wear him down and give him no one to turn to. A strong answer picks how the night makes it harder and backs it with two things the chapter says.
Pinocchio sits on a stool and puts his feet on the stove to dry them. Using two things from the chapter, tell whether that was a careful thing to do.
What it asks It asks whether drying his feet by the stove was sensible, and what makes it go wrong.
One reading

It was a sensible plan: he was wet through and wanted to dry off.
- He returned home as wet as a rag
- put his two feet on the stove to dry them
Another reading

It was not careful: he was too tired to think and he fell asleep with wooden feet on the stove.
- As he no longer had any strength left with which to stand
- There he fell asleep, and while he slept, his wooden feet began to burn.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains the choice.
If stuck
- How wet is Pinocchio when he gets home?
- How strong does he feel?
- What happens as he sleeps?
A strong answer Wanting to dry off is sensible: he is as wet as a rag. But he has no strength left, sits down, and falls asleep with wooden feet on the stove, which burn. A strong answer says whether the plan was careful or only the best a tired boy could do, and uses two things the chapter says.
The old man opens his window to Pinocchio's bell. Using two things from the chapter, tell what kind of neighbor he is.
What it asks It asks the student to weigh what the old man does well and what he does badly in the same short scene.
One reading

He is unkind: he is angry and soaks Pinocchio instead of giving bread.
- He called down angrily
- a shower of ice-cold water pour down on his poor wooden head, his shoulders, and over his whole body
Another reading

He is not so bad: he comes to the window and says he will be right back.
- An old man in a nightcap opened the window and looked out.
- Wait a minute and I’ll come right back
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Notices that he does come to the window when the whole village is dark.
If stuck
- Who comes to the window?
- What does he say he will do?
- What does he really do?
A strong answer The old man answers the bell in the dark, deserted village, and he says he will come right back. But he calls angrily and then pours ice-cold water over Pinocchio. A strong answer uses one thing he does that is good and one that is not, and says what kind of neighbor that makes him.