CHARLES

By Shirley Jackson
 INTRODUCTION
• “Have you ever blamed someone for something that you’ve
done? On the other hand, has someone ever blamed you for
something that you haven’t done? Explain what happened
and how you felt in each situation.”
What do you think is
happening in the picture?

What do you think the

story ‘CHARLES’ is
about? Write down 4
predictions.
YOUR MEMORIES OF SCHOOL 
What are your eraliest memories of
school?

Have you ever been in a class where

one student frequentlybehaved badly?
What did he or she do?

How do teachers typically respond to

bad behaviour? How do other
students respond typically to bad
behaviour?
 STORY PREVIEW
Read the preview of the story and with a partner try to guess the meaning of the words in bold print.
 MAKING PREDICTIONS
From the story preview you know that Laurie’s mother is worried about Charles’s bad behaviour. Read the first three sentences of the story and try to predict what will happen. Which of the
following predictions do you think is most probable? Circle your choice or give an answer that you think is better.

1. Charles will do something bad to

Laurie.
2. Laurie will be a good influence on
Charles.
3. Charles will be asked to leave school.
4. Charles will make the teacher leave
her job.
5. ............................................................
............................................................
.................
ABOUT THE AUTHOR / Shirley Jackson
How does Laurie’s mother feel about
the boy she is sending to school?

Why do you think Laurie’s mother

says ‘seeing clearly that an era of my
life was ended’?

How does Laurie behave when he

comes home from school?

Give three examples of Lauri’s bad

behaviour.
‘Charle was punished for ‘being
fresh’ What do you think ‘being
fresh means’?

What does Laurie say about

Charles on the second and third
day of school? What did
Charles do?

How do you think Laurie feels

about the bad things that
Charles does? Support your
answer with evidence from the
text.
Read the excerpt on the left
and write one question about
Laurie’s parents and one
question about Charles to ask
to your friends.
Complete the following sentences.

Laurie’s mother coul not go to the

first Parent-Teachers meeting
as .....................

The man who came to school

was ...........

The man asked Charles to ................

Laurie thinks that if Charles keeps

behaving
badly, .........................................
Explain how Charles became a
household joke at Laurie’s
home.

What kind of change is

observed in Charles in week 3
and 4?

What do you think might be

the reason for this change?

Why do you think Laurie’s

father ‘... seemed to be
wrong.’?
Why do you think Laurie’s
parents are concerned about
what another boy does at
school?

Why does the narrator mean

when she says ‘n Friday of that
week things were back to
normal’? ‘What does she mean
by ‘normal’?
Laure’s mother says at the PTA
meeting none of the mothers ‘..
Looked tired enough.’ Why does
she says that? What kind of a
mother is she expecting to see?
Why?

Why do you think Laurie’s

teacher says ‘We’re all so
interested in Laurie?’
 HOW DOU YOU THINK THE CONVERSATION
BETWEEN Laurie’s mother and the teacher will continue?

Laurie’s mother: I’ve been so anxious to meet you? I’m Laurie’s mother.
Teacher: We’re all so interested in Laurie?
Laurie’s mother: .....................................
Teacher: .................................................................
What do we discover about Charles at the end of the story? What can we infer
based on the teacher’s description of Laurie’s trouble adjusting?
DO YOU WHAT THESE WORDS MEAN?
 THINK CRITICALLY
• Why does the writer use Laurie’s maother as the narrator of the story? If the
story was told from the teacher’s or Laurie’s viewpoint, what would change?
• Think of Laurie’s mother and write two character traits to describe her and back
up those character traits with evidence from the text.
• What could Laurie’s teacher or his parents have done that would have prevented
this situation from getting so far out of hand?
• Do you think that Laurie’s parents can be blamed for his behavior in
“Charles”? Explain why or why not.
MAKING INFERENCES
LITERARY ANALYSIS