William Tell: book club questions by chapter

🦉 William Tell · meeting 1 of 2

Read: Part One, “The Hat on the Pole”; Part Two, “The Apple” (pages 1–8, about 5 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 8, and don't read on: the next part is for next time.

1. What did Gessler order everyone in Altdorf to do?
   The story's answer: Bow to his hat on a pole
2. Why did Walter say he would stand as still as a stone?
   The story's answer: He trusted his father not to miss
3. Who have we met so far, and what does each of them want?
   Listen for: Make a list together on the board; keep it for next time and add to it.
4. The part we just read is called "The Apple". Why do you think it has that name?
   Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page.
5. Stop here. What do you think will happen next? Write or draw one guess to check next time.
   Listen for: Keep the guesses in an envelope. Don't say whether a guess is right: the next part will.

🦉 William Tell · meeting 2 of 2

Read: Part Three, “The Storm on the Lake” (pages 9–14, about 4 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 14, the end of the story.

1. Why did Tell take a second arrow?
   The story's answer: It was meant for Gessler if the first hurt Walter
2. How did Tell escape from the boat?
   The story's answer: He leaped onto a flat rock and pushed the boat away
3. What does the story of William Tell teach?
   The story's answer: People who stand together can stand up to a bully
4. Look back at last time's guesses. Which came true, and what surprised you?
   Listen for: Read the guesses out. Nobody was wrong: a guess that missed often shows what the author wanted us to expect.
5. The part we just read is called "The Storm on the Lake". Why do you think it has that name?
   Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page.
6. Now that you know the ending, was it the ending you expected?
   Listen for: Ask what in the earlier parts pointed to it, or pointed the other way.

About the whole story

1. What makes the main character a hero? Would you want them as a friend?
   Listen for: Heroes of legends are brave but not always kind; ask for both sides.
2. Which part of this could have really happened, and which part grew in the telling?
   Listen for: Legends often start from a real person or place.
3. How would the story change if someone else told it?
   Listen for: Try the villain's side.
4. Who would you give this story to, and why them?
   Listen for: A reader who can name the right person has understood what the story is like.
5. If you could ask the person who first told this story one question, what would it be?
   Listen for: Collect the questions; some have answers on the story's page in the library.