Pinocchio

Build Background, Preview Vocabulary, and Set a Purpose for Reading

• Ask students if they’re familiar with the fairy tale “Pinocchio.” Some may have watched Disney’s animated movie version or know the story from a book. Tell the class that the original version of “Pinocchio” was created in 1881 by Italian writer Carlo Collodi.
• Build background knowledge by showing our video “What Is a Fairy Tale?”
• Invite students to look at the image on page 22 and describe what they see in it.

• Preview challenging vocabulary from the play with our Vocabulary Slideshow. Follow up before or after reading with the Vocabulary Skill Builder. Highlighted words: anxiously, conscience, glee, gorging, looms, pure, recounts, reins, virtue. 
• This story uses several idiomatic words and phrases that might be unfamiliar to students. Be sure to review this language with our Exploring Idioms Skill Builder.

• Call on a volunteer to read the Up Close box on page 22. 

First Read: Get to Know the Text

• Assign parts and read the play aloud as a class or in small groups. Students can also listen to our Author Read-Aloud of the play as a first read. Note that larger speaking roles are marked with an asterisk in the character box on page 23; the smaller roles or group roles can be a good fit for students who feel less comfortable reading aloud in class.
• After reading, put students in small groups to discuss the close-reading questions. Then talk about the critical-thinking questions as a class.

Close-Reading Questions

1. How does the Prologue help us get interested in the story? (author’s craft) In the first line, Storyteller 1 speaks directly to us, saying hello in Italian and then asking us a question about an emoji. This draws us in right away, making us feel as if we are there with the storytellers. Plus we want to know how an emoji connects to the play. The conversation among the storytellers is silly and fun, which causes us to guess that the rest of the play will also be fun. The Prologue ends with the typical start to a fairy tale, “Once upon a time.” These words tell us that it’s time to pay attention because the story is about to begin.
2. What do we learn about Pinocchio in Scene 1? (character) We learn that Geppetto carved him out of wood; the Blue Fairy brought him to life; Geppetto plans to treat him like a son; Pinocchio wants to be a real boy but needs someone to be his conscience; and that he lies.
3. In Scene 2, Geppetto uses his last gold coin to buy Pinocchio a book bag for school. What does this tell us about Geppetto’s character? What can we infer about Pinocchio’s character when he later sells the bag? (inference/character) Geppetto chooses to spend his last bit of money to buy Pinocchio a nice book bag. This tells us that he cares deeply for Pinocchio and that he values education. When Pinocchio sells the bag in order to buy a ticket to Funland, we can infer that he is selfish, only wants to have fun, and doesn’t think about the feelings of others.
4. Reread Scene 3. What does Cricket mean when he says, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” How has Cricket been fooled once? How is he trying to not be fooled again? (interpreting text) Cricket means that if someone gets tricked once, it’s not their fault. But they should be ashamed if they don’t learn from their mistakes and end up getting fooled again. Cricket is tricked when Fox swats him away so that Fox and Cat can get Pinocchio alone without his conscience telling him the right thing to do. As a result, Pinocchio sells his book bag. Cricket tries to prevent Pinocchio from making a mistake again by telling him not to go to Funland. But Pinocchio goes anyway.
5. Reread Scene 4. What are Fox and Cat’s plans for the children they bring to Funland? (key idea) Fox and Cat bring the children to Funland to turn them into donkeys that will be sold to do hard work.
6. Compare what Pinocchio asks the Blue Fairy to do in Scene 4 with what he asks her to do in Scene 3. How does she respond each time? (compare and contrast) In Scene 3, Pinocchio wants the Blue Fairy to replace the book bag he sold. She refuses to do so, telling Pinocchio that she only grants wishes to people who deserve them. In Scene 4, he asks the Blue Fairy to tell Geppetto that he’s sorry. He also asks her to help Lampwick. These requests show that Pinocchio is becoming less selfish and starting to care about others. This time, the Blue Fairy helps him.
7. How does the illustration on pages 26-27 help us understand what happens in Scene 5? (text features) Scene 5 tells how Pinocchio finds and then rescues Geppetto from a big shark’s stomach. The illustration shows Geppetto and Cricket holding onto Pinocchio right after the puppet swims out of the shark’s mouth as it opens to eat some fish. The expressions of Pinocchio, Geppetto, and Cricket look concerned and determined as they work hard to escape.
8. How does the wish granted by the Blue Fairy in Scene 6 connect to Scene 1? (compare and contrast) The scenes connect because they involve wishes being granted by the Blue Fairy. In Scene 1, the Blue Fairy grants Geppetto’s wish for a son by bringing Pinocchio to life. But she refuses to grant Pinocchio’s wish to become a real boy because he hasn’t earned it yet. In Scene 6, after Pinocchio learns important lessons about honesty and responsibility, the Blue Fairy grants Pinocchio’s wish from Scene 1, transforming him into a real boy.

Critical-Thinking Questions

• How does Pinocchio change from the beginning of the play to the end? (how a character changes) At the beginning, Pinocchio thinks only about himself and having fun. He lies to try to get his way and doesn’t care how his actions affect others. He doesn’t have a conscience, although Cricket tries to be one for him. By the end of the play, Pinocchio shows concern for others by asking the Blue Fairy to help Lampwick and by rescuing Geppetto from the shark. In Scene 6, he says, “I promise not to lie anymore, Papa. I might still make mistakes, but I’ll always try to do what’s right.” This shows that Pinocchio now has a conscience and is ready to be honest and to take responsibility for his actions.
• What important lesson do you think the author of the play wants us to know? (theme) The author of the play probably wants us to know that being honest and kind and taking responsibility for our actions is very important. Pinocchio starts out lying a lot, being selfish, and getting into trouble, but as he learns to tell the truth and own up to his mistakes, he becomes a better person. The lesson is that honesty, kindness, and responsibility are the keys to becoming a good person.

Featured Skill: Theme

• Distribute or digitally assign the Theme Skill Builder, available on two levels. Have students complete it independently or with a partner. This skill builder will help prepare students to respond to the writing prompt on page 27. Then you can send their work to our writing contest! (See page 2 of the magazine for details.)