Bridge to

Terabithia

By

Katherine

Paterson

Comprehension

Guide

Bridge to Terabithia is the story

of fifth grader Jess Aarons, who

becomes friends with his new

neighbor Leslie Burke after he

loses a footrace to her at

school. Leslie is a smart,

talented, outgoing tomboy,

and Jess thinks highly of her. He

himself is an artistic boy who, in

the beginning, is fearful, angry,

and depressed. After meeting

Leslie, Jess is transformed. He

becomes courageous and

learns to let go of his frustration.

Name:

Date:

2

People come in and out of our lives, but some people make a bigger impression than

others. For whatever reason, we don’t always get a chance to express to them what

they mean to us. On the lines below, write a letter to a friend or family member that

has helped you transform yourself in a positive way. Explain how he/she changed you

and what he/she means to you.

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Directions: Answer the following questions about the story Bridge to Terabithia. ALWAYS

USE COMPLETE SENTENCES.

Building Prior Knowledge

Prior to Reading

Strategy Focus: Making Predictions

Good readers will predict. Preview your book and make a prediction about what the

book is about. Your prediction should be at least 2 sentences. Your prediction must

include what you think the book will be about and also how you think the main

character(s) will fit into the story.

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What questions do you have? What are you curious about knowing?

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Bridge to Terabithia Comprehension Guide

by Katherine Paterson

4

Chapter 1: Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr.

Why does it seem like Jesse is not that important to his family? Give examples from the

chapter by accurately quoting from the text.

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Strategy Focus: Compare and Contrast

Great readers will try to compare events in the story to their own lives. Compare and

contrast your life to Jesse’s life below. You must include at least two details in each

circle.

Jess You

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Chapter 2: Leslie Burke

Strategy Focus: Compare and Contrast

Great readers will try to compare events in the story to their own lives. Describe what it

is like to be a student at Lark Elementary School. Compare it to our school. You must

include at least two details in each circle.

Your School Lark Elementary

Who is Miss Edmunds? What does Jesse think of her? How do you know? Quote

accurately from the text.

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Put yourself in Mrs. Aaron’s place. Write about Jess’s racing practice from her point of

view.

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Chapter 3: The Fastest Kid in Fifth Grade

Describe the race. What happened to Jesse, and who won the race? How did this

make Jesse feel? (USE DESCRIPTIVE WORDS!)

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What questions do you still have about the story? What are some new questions that

you have after reading the first three chapters?

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Strategy Focus: Drawing Conclusions

From reading about the first day of school at Lark Creek Elementary, what conclusions

do you reach about Jess’s attitude toward school in general? Why does he feel that

way?

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From Leslie Burke’s behavior as she enters the classroom, what do you conclude about

her? Write about several characteristics she seems to have.

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Chapter 4: Rulers of Terabithia

How many TVs do you own? What is your favorite program?

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Why did Leslie and Jess create “Terabithia?” Who are they trying to escape from?

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Explain why you think Jess and Leslie become friends so quickly.

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Chapter 5: The Giant Killers

Would you want May Belle as a friend? Use evidence!

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What kind of characteristics do Leslie and Jess display in this section? Discuss whether

or not the events in Chapter 5 change your opinion of them. Explain your reaction.

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Janice is considered a bully in this book. What would you do if Janice was at our

school and constantly bullied you?

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Chapter 6: The Coming of Prince Terrien

Do you think Leslie understands Jess better than his father? How do you know? Give

examples from the text.

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Describe what happens when Jess gets a gift from his dad.

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What was the best gift you have ever received? What was it and what was your

reaction?

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Chapter 7: The Golden Room

Describe the relationship between Leslie and her father. How is it different from Jess

and his father?

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What was Janice Avery doing in the bathroom? What do Leslie and Jess find out

about Janice? What is their reaction?

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Strategy Focus: Compare and Contrast

Great readers will try to compare events in the story to their own lives. For this activity,

compare your family to the Burke family. You must include at least three details in

each circle.

Burke family Your family

Chapter 8: Easter

Jess and Leslie seem to grow closer as they learn more about the differences between

their families and their beliefs. Write why this is so. Do you think growing closer is usual or

unusual among people from different backgrounds? Explain why.

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Chapter 9: The Evil Spell

How is Jess and Leslie’s friendship changing? How do you know?

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Reread the paragraph in Chapter 9 that begins, “When they got to the bank of the

creek, they stopped.” Visualize the scene. Then draw a detailed picture that shows

how you see Terabithia after days of heavy rain. Use other details from the chapter if

you want. Write a caption of at least two sentences for your picture.

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Chapter 10: The Perfect Day

How does Jess know something is wrong when he returns home?

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Imagery and Mood

1. The baseball player argued with the umpire. ______________________________________

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2. The basement floor was flooded. _________________________________________________

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3. The toddler was angry. ___________________________________________________________

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4. The cars crashed. ________________________________________________________________

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5. I ate the chocolate doughnut. ___________________________________________________

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After reading chapter 10, how does the mood change from the beginning to the

end? What words or phrases help to create the distinct moods?

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Chapter 11: No!

What was the cause of Leslie’s death? What effect does the news of her death have

on Jess at first?

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How would you react if you lost a best friend? Why?

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How do Jess’s parents treat him differently? Explain with evidence.

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Chapter 12: Stranded

How does Jess’ dad comfort him? Do you see Jess’ dad

differently now? Why or why not?

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Why do you think Jess threw the art supplies in the water?

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Chapter 13: Building the Bridge

When Jess wakes up on Saturday Morning, he seems ready to resume the task of

milking Miss Bessie. What do you infer from this about Jess’s state of mind? How has he

changed since he first heard of Leslie’s death? Do you think Jess still feels guilty?

Support your answer with evidence from the story.

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What does Jess accomplish as he acts out the role of King when he goes back to

Terabithia? How do you think he feels after doing this?

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Firm friends build strong bonds and connect in many different ways. What do you think

Leslie learned from her friendship with Jess? What has Jess learned from his friendship

with Leslie?

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Character Details

Directions: As you read, write down details about each character below.

CHARACTER

TRAITS PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

PERSONALITY

BELIEFS/THOUGHTS

ACTIONS/WHAT THEY SAY

QUOTES/EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT

Jess

Leslie

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CHARACTER

TRAITS PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

PERSONALITY

BELIEFS/THOUGHTS

ACTIONS/WHAT THEY SAY

QUOTES/EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT

Mr. Aarons

Mrs. Aarons

May Belle

Janice Avery

Miss Edmunds

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Making Connections

Directions: As you read, write down any text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world

connections that you have for the book.

TEXT-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS Sometimes a story will make a reader think of another book that

he/she has read or heard about.

TEXT-TO-SELF CONNECTIONS Sometimes a story will remind a reader about something that

happened in his/her own life such as a birthday party, a vacation, a pet, etc. Sometimes, the

text-to-self connection is about an event that happened in someone else’s life, such as an

aunt, a friend, your pet, etc.

TEXT-TO-WORLD CONNECTIONS Sometimes a story will make a reader think about something

that is happening in the world. Maybe the book that you are reading is talking about a class

election. That may remind you that your parents have talked about the upcoming Presidential

election.

Text-to-Text Describe below some connections that can be made from

the book you are reading to another book or movie.

Text-to-Self Describe below some connections that can be made from the book you are

reading to an experience you or someone that you know has had.

Text-to-World Describe below some connections that can be made from the book you are reading to the

world.

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Elements of Fiction

A fiction story will contain certain parts (elements) such as setting,

characters, main events (ideas), problem, and a solution. Fill in the

chart below about the elements of fiction.

Setting

In the space below, describe where the main setting of the story takes place. If there is

more than one setting, try to include those also. In your setting description(s) try to

include the year (time period, such as Industrial Revolution), time of the year (season),

and a specific place.

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Problem

There is always a problem (or problems) in a story. Maybe the main character is

trapped in a hole or has an annoying brother that he doesn’t know what to do with.

No matter what story you are reading, there is a problem. In the space below, write

down the problem(s) that some of the main characters are facing.

Internal Conflict External Conflict

Solution

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Solution

After reading the story, explain how some of the main problems were solved.

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Strategy Focus: Summarizing

Good readers will summarize what they have read based on the story elements.

With your classmate or teacher, summarize the story that you have read.

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Theme Log

Theme 1:

Support Support

Support

Theme 2:

Support Support

Support

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End of Novel Project Choices The following choices will be due at the end of the novel. I will give you some time in

class to complete this, but you may have to do some at home.

Building a Bridge What did the bridge symbolize at the end of the book? Create a bridge and write

down the main components of the story that lead up to the building of the bridge.

Then make sure you fully explain your thinking about what the bridge means to Jess.

Friendships Friendship is a very important theme in this story. Write about the relationship of Jess

and Leslie, Jess and his family, and Leslie and her family. What kind of relationship do

you have with your family? Provide reasons why.

Wanted Poster Design a wanted poster for Janice Avery. Make sure to include: the money wanted for

her capture, a picture of her with a description below, and other items that would be

important to know in order to capture her. Also include 5 main events of the story on

the back of the poster.

Diorama Create a diorama of the magical world of Terabithia. Write down 5 main events on the

back. Then include in writing why Terabithia was important to Jess, Leslie, and May

Belle in the end.

Sequel Write a sequel to this novel. What will happen to Jess? Will there still be a “Terabithia” in

his life? What relationship will he have with his family? What events will happen in his

life?

Chapter Titles There are thirteen chapters in this novel. Create your own chapter titles that would fit

each chapter and then write at least two sentences explaining your new titles.