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The Trumpet of the Swan

© 2018 Brave Writer — Julie Bogart: This is your copy. It may not be shared outside your family or resold in either digital or printed form.

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The Trumpet of the SwanBy E. B. White

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mailto:[email protected]

http://bravewriter.com



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Maybe you’ve heard the educationese term “scope and sequence”? Here's our version: the Brave Writer Spin and Spiral—terms and skills to visit and revisit.

In this issue of the Arrow:

» We’ll write numbers as words;

» We’ll slow down and get physical with the “full stop” (period);

» We’ll punctuate dialogue;

» We’ll get quotation marks going in the right direction;

» We’ll call in “should” and “could” to help spell “would;”

» We’ll explore parallelism;

» We’ll create a possessive without an apostrophe (gasp!); and

» We’ll appeal to known experiences to draw readers in.

Brave Writer Spin and Spiral





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Week OneSam was eleven. His last name was Beaver. He was strong

for his age and had black hair and dark eyes like an Indian.

(Chapter 1)





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Week OneRun-on Sentence

Sam was eleven. His last name was Beaver. He was strong

for his age and had black hair and dark eyes like an Indian.

(Chapter 1)

Why this passageSam is the main human character in this book. The swan, Louis, becomes the primary character (what is called the protagonist) of the story, but Sam is integral throughout, acting as both a member of the tale and as a narrator (relating the story).

What to noteThe number “11” is written as a word. In most cases, numerals are written as words. The exceptions are years (1958), complex multi-digit numbers (1,254,676), and time (1:30 p.m.). Some writers choose to use the numerals for age too when the number is attached to “years old”: 11 years old.





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There are three proper nouns in this passage: Sam (first name), Beaver (last name), and Indian. “Indian” is an outdated label for Native Americans (see note in “How to teach the passage” below).

Monday–Thursday

Use the first three days of the week to copy the passage a sentence at a time and discuss the notes below. On the fourth day, review the words of the passage that will be found in the French-style dictation.

Punctuation: There are three complete sentences, each ending in periods.

Period: A period is also called a “full stop” in the British system. A “full stop” is a lovely, clear visual for what a period effectively does. It does not pause (like a comma). The period means that the current group of words, conveying an idea, has come to a complete stop.

Kids who forget to use periods when writing on their own, are not connecting the punctuation mark with the internal experience of a sentence’s end. One way to help your child “see” and “experience” the period is to have them come to a complete stop while reading aloud to you. Add a physical act to the acknowledgement of the period at the end of each sentence. Your son could nod his head. Your daughter could finish reading the sentence and then, smack her hand on the couch, or tap the page with a single finger.

The idea is that you want the child to feel the end of the thought. Rushing ahead reading sometimes eliminates the natural concluding feel of the sentence, which then gets carried over to original writing.

How to teach the passage





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Proper nouns: In reading this passage, notice the three proper nouns: Sam, Beaver, Indian. Your children can write their own names using capital letters at the start of them. Ask them to write a few other names in the family, to get practice using capitals for names.

The term “Indian” is capitalized because in English, we capitalize nationalities. When the first explorers came to North America, they thought they had circumnavigated the globe and had found a special passage to India. As a result, they called the indigenous peoples “Indians.” While we have known for centuries that North America is not India, it took until the late 20th century for the general population to retire that label and call the indigenous people: Native Americans. E. B. White wrote this novel in 1970 before that shift was complete.

Friday

Complete the French-style dictation. The words that fill in the blanks are:

» eleven

» name

» strong

» black

» eyes

Review these words, then give the sheet to your student and read the passage aloud while your student fills in the blanks with the appropriate terms.





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Week One: French-style Dictation(Chapter 1)

Sam was ________. His last ______ was Beaver. He

was _______ for his age and had _______ hair and dark

______ like an Indian.

Name: ___________________ Date: ___________________





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Week Two“Sam, if a man can walk three miles in one hour, how

many miles can he walk in four hours?”

“It would depend on how tired he got after the first hour,”

replied Sam.

(Chapter 7)





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Week TwoDialogue punctuation

“Sam, if a man can walk three miles in one hour, how

many miles can he walk in four hours?”

“It would depend on how tired he got after the first hour,”

replied Sam.

(Chapter 7)

Why this passageKids love the way Sam circumvents the purpose of the math lesson to focus on a realistic appraisal of what would actually happen if someone were to walk the distances suggested in this arithmetic problem. Continue reading to the end of this chapter to see how the teacher becomes flummoxed by the good sense of the children.

Numbers: This passage reinforces the lesson about numbers in writing. Here, the number “three” is written as a word. Later, Sam refers to the “first” hour (rather than the 1st hour).

What to note





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Dialogue punctuation follows a specific format. The speaker’s words are indented (new paragraph) and are enclosed by double quotation marks. The sentence punctuation of the comment goes inside the quotation mark. If the end mark is a question mark or exclamation point, it is included inside the quotation mark at the end of the sentence before any tag (he said, said she, they replied). If the sentence in quotes is one that would end in a period (if not a dialogue comment), the period is converted to a comma followed by the attributive tag.

For kids, this gets complicated in explanation but can be shown over and over again in the text itself. See the “How to teach the passage” notes for ideas.

Finally, the dialogue comment is addressed to “Sam.” As a result, the name “Sam” is followed by a comma before the comment.

In this instance, the teacher, Miss Snug, is addressing Sam.

Monday–Thursday

Pick a day or two to discuss the notes and have your child copy the passage.

If your child needs to break the passage into shorter chunks for writing, determine in advance where to stop for the day. There’s a natural break in the first dialogue comment after “hour,” which is followed by a comma. In the second sentence, you could stop at “tired,” and pick up from there the next day.






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Quotation marks: This passage is only two sentences, but each one is long. Practice making dialogue quotation marks, first. Some versions are two stiff lines, and others are two curved lines. They are nearly to the top of the line and don’t drop below the halfway point of any letter.

The opening quotation marks need to start away from the word that follows and move toward the word. The ending quotes point back to the final word of the sentence, on the outside of the punctuation mark.

“Sam…hours?”

“It…hour,”

Once your child is confident in handwriting the quotation marks, try writing an entire sentence.

Friday

On the fifth day, use the French-style dictation passage. These are the words that go in the blanks on the French-style dictation page.

» Sam

» three

» one

» four

» would

» after

» first

» Sam





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Spelling “would”: The word “would” is a commonly used term so it’s a good idea to go over it before expecting perfect spelling. The word sounds similar to its homonym: “wood.” The way to keep track of the difference is to associate “would” with its two sisters: “should” and “could.” All of them use the “ould” as their spelling.

This dictation passage includes the words for the numerals 3, 1, and 4. It also includes the word for the ordinal 1st.





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Week Two: French-style Dictation(Chapter 7)

“___, if a man can walk _____ miles in ___ hour, how

many miles can he walk in ____ hours?”

“It _____ depend on how tired he got _____ the

_____ hour,” replied ___.

Name: ___________________ Date: ___________________





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Week ThreeLouis splashed a little water into the air. Serena splashed a

little water into the air. It was like a game. It was love at long last

for Louis; it was love at first sight for Serena.

(Chapter 17)





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Week ThreeLove at long last and first sight

Louis splashed a little water into the air. Serena splashed a

little water into the air. It was like a game. It was love at long last

for Louis; it was love at first sight for Serena.

(Chapter 17)

Why this passageLouis’ successful wooing of Serena is the climax of the book. His toil with the trumpet and his diligence to find a way to communicate with her results in the love he sought from the first time he laid his swan’s eyes on Serena.

What to noteParallelism: This passage uses what is called “parallelism.” In mathematics, a parallel line is one that runs infinitely parallel (never crossing) above or below or side-by-side to another line. These lines are parallel.





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Even though they are not of the same length, they are nonetheless parallel because they do not and never will cross, even if they continued.

In writing, parallelism borrows from this idea of similar structure. The first two sentences of this paragraph are identical except for the swan’s name. These sentences followed the parallel structure set out in the paragraph above this week’s selection.

Louis swam once rapidly around Serena.

Then Serena swam once rapidly around Louis. This seemed to amuse them.

Louis dipped his neck and pumped it back and forth.

Serena dipped her neck and pumped it back and forth.

Louis splashed a little water into the air. Serena splashed a little water into the air. It was like a game. It was love at long last for Louis; it was love at first sight for Serena.

The fully developed experience of this passage, then, is that whatever Louis did, Serena did too. This mirroring of each other’s actions communicated love. E. B. White writes this scene in such a way that each swan’s activity is described with the same language to underscore the significance of their identical love-dance.

The final sentence is a delightful departure from the identical actions taken by both swans. Now we are treated to the truth: one swan (Louis) had longed for this day and this result, while the other swan (Serena) had only just come upon these feelings through the exchange.





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There are four sentences in this passage.

Monday

The first two sentences are identical except for the names. These can be copied on the same day.

Louis splashed a little water into the air. Serena splashed a little water into the air.

Tuesday

Copy the third sentence.

It was like a game.

Wednesday

Copy the first half of the fourth sentence, until the semicolon.

It was love at long last for Louis;


Semicolon: A semicolon is a punctuation mark that joins two related complete sentences. In this case, Louis’s feelings of love and Serena’s are described in contrast, yet are connected to each other, hence the semicolon (a classic use!).





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Thursday

Copy the second half of the fourth sentence.

it was love at first sight for Serena.

Friday

Do the French-style dictation passage. Be sure to review the tricky spelling words.

» splashed

» air

» splashed

» air

» game

» love

» last

» love

» first

» sight





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Week Three: French-style Dictation(Chapter 17)

Louis ________ a little water into the ___. Serena

________ a little water into the ___. It was like a ____.

It was ____ at long ____ for Louis; it was ____ at _____

_____ for Serena.

Name: ___________________ Date: ___________________





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Week FourOn the pond where the swans were, Louis put his trumpet

away. The cygnets crept under their mother’s wings. Darkness

settled on woods and fields and marsh. A loon called its wild

night cry.

(Chapter 21)





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Week FourDescription

On the pond where the swans were, Louis put his trumpet

away. The cygnets crept under their mother’s wings. Darkness

settled on woods and fields and marsh. A loon called its wild

night cry.

(Chapter 21)

© Frederick Sneddon | Dreamstime.com





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Why this passageThis is the closing passage of the book. E. B. White is the master of understatement and simplicity. He finishes this story with the following lovely sequence of images:

As Louis relaxed and prepared for sleep, all his thoughts were of how lucky he was to inhabit such a beautiful earth, how lucky he had been to solve his problems with music and how pleasant it was to look forward to another night of sleep and another day tomorrow, and the fresh morning, and the light that returns with the day.

White’s writing is elegant. I love the line “…how lucky he had been to solve his problems with music…” Doesn’t that speak volumes about the nature of gratitude, art, and optimism?

The first sentence has a comma in it. The comma separates the clause that tells us about Louis’s environment from the main idea of the sentence (that Louis puts his trumpet away).

The second sentence contains one tricky spelling word: cygnets. A cygnet is a baby swan. While the spelling is tricky, it is a great word to master. Tell your kids they will be spelling wizards if they can whip out that word and use it correctly, with its proper spelling. Another fun fact: “cygnet(s)” is the only word in English that starts with the “cyg” spelling. Once your child masters it, there is no need to apply that spelling to any other word.

What to note





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Write each sentence, one per day.

Monday

The first sentence, noting the comma.

Tuesday

The second sentence, noting the spelling of “cygnets” and “mother’s.”

Wednesday

The third sentence, noting the double “t” in “settled.”

Thursday

The fourth sentence uses “its” (possessive, no apostrophe)

Friday: French-style dictation

Featuring these terms for the blanks. Be sure to differentiate between “where” and “were” with your kids. Help them think of the difference by sound, but also by similarity to other terms. “Where,” for instance, contains “here” which is also found in “there.” These are all “place words” so share a similar spelling structure.


The second sentence also has a possessive (using an apostrophe): mother’s. The last sentence also features a possessive: its. “Its” is unique among possessives as it does not use an apostrophe. “It’s” indicates “it” + “is.”

» where

» were

» trumpet

» cygnets

» mother’s

» settled

» fields

» its

» night





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Week Four: French-style Dictation(Chapter 21)

On the pond ______ the swans _____, Louis put

his ________ away. The ________ crept under their

________ wings. Darkness ________ on woods and

_______ and marsh. A loon called ___ wild ______ cry.

Name: ___________________ Date: ___________________





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Appeal to Known Experiences

Literary Element

The best writing capitalizes on known experiences and uses them to draw readers into the mood or setting of the story.

The Trumpet of the Swan is successful precisely because, even though a swan is the protagonist (main character), the reader is the “expert” who understands all the circumstances and predicaments in which Louis, the swan, finds himself. The reader is able to enjoy Louis’s adventure because Louis and his swan family and friends are learning how to navigate the world the reader already understands.

“And just as I reach the pond again, watch how I shoot my feet out in front of me and use them for the splashdown, as though they were a pair of water skis!”

(Chapter 6)

Here, Louis’s father explains how to fly and land to his young cygnets. He concludes his description by comparing his landing to using water skis. This is clearly for the human reader as what swan would know the first thing about water skiing? In this way, White connects to his readers, helping them to imagine how a swan lands after flying.

“Sam, if a man can walk three miles in one hour, how many miles can he walk in four hours?”

“It would depend on how tired he got after the first hour,” replied Sam.





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The pupils roared. Miss Snug rapped for order.

“Sam is quite right,” she said. “I never looked at the problem that way before. I always supposed that man could walk twelve miles in four hours, but Sam may be right: that man may not feel so spunky after the first hour. He may drag his feet. He may slow up.”

(Chapter 7)

This passage and the subsequent paragraphs exploit a child’s experiences with mathematical word problems that ignore the demands of reality in favor of calculating sums. Every child has asked questions of these impossibly simplistic (and seemingly irrelevant) problems, which is one way that White appeals to his readers’ known experiences to create sympathy between writer and reader.

He climbed onto the stern of the boat and sat down on the seat inside the hollow swan-shaped structure and began to push the pedals with his feet, as though he were riding a bike.

(Chapter 14)

This description is comparing a pedal boat to a bicycle. Presumably readers are more familiar with bike riding. White makes the comparison to bicycles so that we can envision how the boat operator propels the boat.

To be all alone in a hotel room gives a person a cozy feeling and a feeling of importance.

(Chapter 15)





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White relies on his readers’ experiences to help us identify with Louis on his first night in a hotel (and since Louis is a swan, it’s even more delicious to feel that we have experience to spare whereas Louis is having his first taste!).





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The Appeal to Known Experiences

The “appeal to known experiences” principle helps writers connect to readers. The process is to take an unfamiliar experience and compare it with a familiar one. Conversely, it is possible to take a familiar experience and make it new again (for instance, White gives his swans human experiences).

As you read the book with your child, use Post-it Notes to flag White’s appeals to known experiences. At the end of the book, flip back through to discuss the experiences. Are the experiences familiar to the reader? Are they unfamiliar to the characters yet made familiar to the reader through a powerful comparison? The story toggles between the human world and the animal world. White gives Louis, the swan, a trumpet, paid work, the ability to read a newspaper, the duty to play taps in a boy scout camp, puts him up in a hotel, and finally shows Louis in love (an enduring human experience).

Meanwhile, Sam, the boy, spends hours in nature learning the habits and behaviors of the bird and animal kingdom, examining what he doesn’t understand, and asking questions in his journal.

This novel works because it moves between animal behavior and human experience, blurring the line between them both. As a result, the reader feels closer to animals.

This month, spend time observing your pet dog or cat (or ferret or parakeet or gerbil or…). How can the movements and behaviors of your pet animal be compared to behaviors and motivations of people?

Writing Activity





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You might compare your pet rat’s race through a maze to wandering in the corn maze at a fall festival. You might compare your dog’s friendly greeting to the overly excited handshake your Uncle Buster gives you each time he visits from the Bahamas.

Perhaps you notice your little brother fall asleep watching TV again and you compare him to your cat who splays his little body on your laptop keyboard each morning.

If your child is interested, you can make a list of possible “known experiences” that can be used to enlighten a reader about a pet’s behavior. This is a terrific tool to enhance writing, when you do go to write a little narrative.





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Hello, Book Club Planners!

This book club guide is packed with ideas for a memorable “book club party school.” Pick and choose the ideas that work best for you, your location, and the children involved. Believe me when I say: even I won’t use all of the ideas included in this guide, but I wanted to provide you with a lot of choices. Go forth and kick-start a lifetime of literary enjoyment for your kids.

Hello and welcome, my little cygnets.

You must be tired from your long flight. I know it is hard to leave your birthplace, but I suspect that you and your family will enjoy the wilderness of Montana.

We have a very special swan here this season. Louis and his wife, Serena, arrived at our location last night to rest from their travels.

In fact, listen closely, you can hear Louis playing his trumpet right now.

Let’s make our way to the lake for his concert, shall we?

Book Club Party School


By Mary Wilson





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Trumpeter Swan Life» Hang a welcome sign on the front door. There are quite a

few options in the book, so set the scene that works best for your group:

» Welcome to the Swan Boat

» Welcome to Camp Kookooskoos

» Welcome to the Canadian Wilderness

» Welcome to the Philadelphia Zoo

» Create a music playlist full of trumpet music or search YouTube for listen to trumpet music. If you create a playlist, include songs from the book:

» Taps

» Beautiful Dreamer, Wake Unto Me

» There’s a Small Hotel

» Invite your cygnets to bring their favorite zoo, lake, or marsh-living stuffed animal to book club today. Set them up in various places around the meeting area or put them in the same general area and label it, “Welcome to the Philadelphia Zoo.”

A Night at the Ritz» Bake swan-shaped cookies or other swan-shaped treats. If you

search for the terms online, you will find swan-shaped breads, simple cookies, and even cream puffs.

» Enjoy a Boston themed buffet.

» Lobster (lobster puffs, lobster tails, lobster soup)

» Baked Beans





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» Boston Clam Chowder

» Fenway Franks (a hot dog brand)

» Boston Cream Pie

» Drink Lake Water. Removed the labels from bottled water and replace them with labels that read, “Lake Water.”

» Pack a picnic to eat outdoors, preferably by a pond while sitting on a log. Include sandwiches, maybe even a watercress sandwich to taste test.

» Set up a “Make Your Own Trail Mix” area. Include a variety of trail mix treats in individual bowls with spoons. Your cygnets should add a spoonful or two of each treat into a Ziploc baggie. Once everyone’s trail mix is made, take a nature walk with your snack.

◊Trail mix foods include, but are not limited to mini pretzels, marshmallows, raisins, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, craisins, peanuts, M&M’s, almonds, cashews, and dried fruit.

◊Note: If you create nature journals (idea below) then take them on your walk as well.

» Make birds nests treats using chow mein noodles. Recipes can be found online if you search for birds nest treats. Most include semi-sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter in addition to the chow mein noodles.

Camp Kookooskoos » Watch a video and listen to the sounds of a Trumpeter Swan.

Take some time to share a few facts with your cygnets about the Trumpeter Swan. This site will help: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Trumpeter_Swan/overview.

◊



https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Trumpeter_Swan/overview

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Trumpeter_Swan/overview



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» Print maps of the USA, preferably with Canada included, and identify the key cities and locations in the book: Western Canada (Alberta); Red Rocks Lake National Refuge, Montana; Billings, Montana; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Boston, Massachusetts.

» Make swans with your cygnets. Create paper plate swans using a paper plate, a googly eye, and orange paper for the beak. Feathers are optional but a lovely touch. Search online for paper plate swans.

» Carry Louis’s Load Relay. Let your cygnets fly to each of Louis’s stops, collect an item, and return to their home nest.

◊Supplies needed (1 per cygnet for them to take home):

» plastic toy trumpet

» small chalk slate board

» white chalk

» a medal

» purse/money bag (a kids drawstring backpack would work)

» Chocolate gold coins (4-5 per cygnet)

◊NOTE: Plastic toy trumpets, inexpensive drawstring backpacks, and medals can be purchased online at places such as Oriental Trading Company or at local stores. Small slate boards can be found at your local hobby/craft shop.

◊Set up five locations where each of the cygnets will stop to collect an item.

1. Sam’s School - slate board and chalk

2. Billings, Montana - toy trumpet

3. Camp Kookooskoos - medal

4. The Swan Boat - money bag (or purse/backpack)





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5. Philadelphia Zoo - chocolate coins

◊Each station should be labeled with the name of the location and have the assigned items waiting for the cygnets as they arrive.

◊How to Play: Divide your cygnets into two teams. Each team should begin in their “home nest.” When the signal is given, the first cygnet should flap their “wings” and fly to each station to gather their items.

1. Sam’s School - Grab a slate board and chalk. Write your name and then take your slate and chalk to the next stop.

2. Billings, Montana - Pick up a toy trumpet. You sure do have a lot to carry now.

3. Camp KooKoosKoos - Your cygnets deserve a medal for excellent flying. They should take one and put it around their neck before heading to the next stop.

4. The Swan Boat - Grab a money bag and fly to your last stop.

5. Philadelphia Zoo - Grab 4 or 5 chocolate coins as payment for a job well done.

◊Once the first cygnet returns to their nest, they should tag the next cygnet who should complete the same journey. The winning flock is the one where each cygnet is seated in their nest with all of their supplies first.

◊If you don’t have enough cygnets for two teams (or don’t want to have a competition), then set up the course for the group to have fun gathering their supplies.

» Make Nature Journals. Nature journals can be created from a variety of materials. To create a basic journal, you will need two pieces of cardstock per child, blank paper, twine or ribbon, and a hole punch.





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◊Give each of your cygnets two pieces of cardstock to use as a front and back cover. Give everyone time to decorate their front and back covers using nature-themed stickers and colored pencils or markers.

◊Give everyone 10-15 pieces of paper to stack in between the two pieces of cardstock. Punch two holes in the margin and use twine to tie the book together.

◊You can find other nature journal designs and ideas by searching for DIY nature journal kids online.

Fly safely, my little cygnets, and return home soon.



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