1. Charles by Shirley Jackson
page 5 The Language of Literature

2. Strategies for reading
Look on page 4 of the Enjoying Literature Book and learn about strategies for Active Reading: PREDICT VISUALIZE CONNECT QUESTION CLARIFY EVALUATE Stop frequently while reading the story and use some of these strategies.

3. Necessary Background Knowledge: The main character in this story is a BOY. The author is British and apparently Laurie was a pretty popular boy’s name in Britain at the time the story was written. So, the main character’s name is Laurie, but don’t forget that he is a BOY.

4. How does Laurie’s appearance change on his first day at kindergarten?
Answer the questions in complete sentences and restate the question at the beginning.
How does Laurie’s appearance change on his first day at kindergarten?
Your answer needs to start this way:
On the first day of kindergarten, Laurie’s appearance changes because he …

5. 2. Laurie’s changed appearance might indicate a change in how he feels
2 Laurie’s changed appearance might indicate a change in how he feels? Explain your opinion.
3 What does Laurie’s mother do when Laurie starts laughing at his father.

6. 4 Do you see any relationship between the behavior of Laurie and Charles?
5 Why do you think Laurie’s mother wants to meet Charles’s mother?

7. 6 What do you think Laurie’s mom imagines that Charles’s mom will look like?
7 Why do you think Laurie tells stories about Charles?

8. 8 Why do you think Laurie’s parents are misled by his stories and never suspect the truth?
9 What do you think happens when Laurie’s mom gets home from the PTA meeting?
10 What is the main idea of this story? Write 1 sentence with 10 words (no more, no less).

9. Write down 5 words from the story that you don’t know the meaning of, and then look the words up in the dictionary. Write the definition in your own words. (Don’t use words defined in the footnote.)
word definition 11 12 13 14 15