“Ever since the spider had befriended him, he had done his best to live up to his reputation” (pg. 114). “Wilbur was modest; fame did not spoil him” (pg. 115). Ask students what word they can find in befriended. They will see the word friend. Tell them that befriended is another way of saying “made friends with.” To tackle the word reputation, go back into the text and reread the sentence, as well as the remainder of the paragraph. Context will help students, but you will need to help them understand that a reputation is “how someone is viewed by others.” In this case, Wilbur’s reputation (how he is viewed by others) depends on the words that Charlotte is spinning in her web. Finally, students may need some support with “live up to.” Tell your students that “living up to” something means to be as good as you thought or said it would be. Model for your students how to put a tough sentence in your own words. “Ever since Charlotte made friends with Wilbur, Wilbur has been trying his best to be as good as Charlotte said he was in her webs.” Give students the definition for the word modest: “a bit shy, you don’t brag about yourself.” For fame, ask students if they’ve heard any other words that sound like fame, words that they might use to describe someone really well known, like a singer or actor (famous). Tell them they are different forms of the same word. Students may be familiar with the word spoil. Ask the kids if their parents have ever spoiled them with toys and presents? Spoil is a word with multiple meanings; this is a good chance to introduce kids to the idea that words can mean more than one thing. Point out to your students that spoil can also mean “gone bad, ruined” like when your bananas spoil. Now, ask students to turn to a partner and say the whole sentence in their own words.
CHAPTER 20: “The Hour of Triumph” Where is Fern during Wilbur’s great triumph (pg. 156)? Would Fern have done this at the beginning of the book? How has Fern changed? Fern isn’t there to celebrate Wilbur’s prize. She runs off to go on the Ferris wheel with Henry Fussy. Fern probably wouldn’t have done this at the beginning of the book because she babied Wilbur and spent a lot more of her time with him. But Fern has changed. She has started spending more time with Henry Fussy and less time with Wilbur. She is growing up. Note: This will be a tricky question for kids. First, prompt your students to remember how Fern treated Wilbur like an infant at the beginning of the book. Once they remember this, they will be able to see how much Fern has changed. You might also remind them of what Dr. Dorian said might happen to Fern; he said she would grow up and she does. CHAPTER 21: “Last Day” “Nobody, of the hundreds of people that had visited the Fair, knew that a grey spider had played the most important part of all. No one was with her when she died.” The last two sentences of this chapter are very, very sad. No one ever knew that Charlotte was the one who wrote those messages in the webs, and she ends up dying all alone after Wilbur and Templeton leave in the crate. But now, think back on everything that has happened in this chapter. Do you think Charlotte was happy or sad when she died? What happened in the story that makes you think so? Students will have varied responses. Charlotte is happy that she has saved Wilbur, and that her babies will be safe and go on to live with Wilbur at the farm. Charlotte is sad that she won’t ever get to see her babies (said in a previous chapter), and that she won’t get to be with Wilbur. Note: Your students may stray away from the text on this question, wanting to talk more broadly about death and how it makes people feel. As much as you can, ask students to think about what happens in the text that makes them think Charlotte is happy or sad when she dies. Ask them to give you examples.