1. Chapters 4 – 6

2. goslings Noun: a young goose “I do not play when there are eggs to hatch. I’m expecting goslings.”

3. glutton Noun: a person who eats too much I am a glutton but not a merry-maker. Right now I am on my way to your trough to eat your breakfast.

4. inheritance Noun: something from the past that is still important or valuable “It’s a miserable inheritance,” said Wilbur, gloomily.

5. detested Verb: to dislike (someone or something) very strongly He could hardly believe what he was seeing, and although he detested flies, he was sorry for this one.

6. salutations Noun: The act of greeting someone. “When I say ‘salutations,’ it’s just my fancy way of saying hello or good morning.”

7. scheming Verb: to make plans to do or get something in a secret and often dishonest way “Charlotte is fierce, brutal, scheming, blood-thirsty – everything I don’t like.”

8. decency Noun: polite, moral, and honest behavior and attitudes that show respect for other people The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions, no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything.

9. lair Noun: the place where a wild animal sleeps He pushed and nudged until he succeeded in rolling it to his lair under the trough.

10. compunctions Noun: feelings of regret The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions, no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything.

11. stealthily Adverb: quietly and secretly in order to avoid being noticed And Templeton, the rat, crept stealthily along the wall and disappeared into a private tunnel that he had dug between the door and the trough in Wilbur’s yard.

12. endure Verb: to deal with or accept (something unpleasant) He didn’t know whether he could endure the awful loneliness any more.

13. dejected Adjective: sad because of failure, loss, etc. Friendless, dejected, and hungry, he threw himself down in the manure and sobbed.

14. RIGHT THERETHINK AND SEARCH AUTHOR AND ME ON MY OWN How did Wilbur find his mysterious friend? Describe how Templeton spends his time. Would you trust Templeton? Why or why not? Have you ever felt like you needed a friend? What did you do about it? Explain. What did Charlotte learn from her family? Tell the good and bad qualities Wilbur discovered about Charlotte. Do you think you could make a deal with a character like Templeton? Why or why not? Would you rather share a meal with Charlotte or Wilbur? Tell why?