Charlotte's Web · Garden Heights Academy

Part 8

for Charlotte's Web · Part 8 · Chapters 21–22

a novel by E.B. White

35 min5 Parts

This workbook is built on a solid pedagogical foundation, effectively integrating content and language learning based on the CLIL framework (Content and Language Integrated Learning), elevated by our unique 5th C — Connection — and an integrated Standardized Test section that weaves every SAT & TOEFL question type right into the novel, so learners build real test skills easily, naturally, and with fun.

What Happens in Part 8

With her work finished and her strength gone, Charlotte gently tells Wilbur that she is dying and will not return home from the fair. Heartbroken but determined to repay his friend, Wilbur convinces Templeton to help him carry Charlotte’s precious egg sac safely back to the barn. Charlotte dies quietly at the fairgrounds, alone but at peace, knowing she saved her friend. Back home, Wilbur guards the egg sac all winter. When spring arrives on a warm wind, hundreds of baby spiders hatch. Most float away, but three stay in the doorway — and Wilbur, who never forgets Charlotte, loves them dearly. Friendship lives on.

What We Will Learn

Focus	What It Means
Resolution	How the story’s threads are gently tied up
Theme	Friendship, loss, and the cycle of life
Character Growth	How Wilbur repays Charlotte’s love

Chapter Summary

Chapter	Key Events
Ch.21	Charlotte says goodbye; Wilbur and Templeton carry her egg sac home; Charlotte dies at the fair
Ch.22	In spring, the baby spiders hatch; most leave, but three stay, and Wilbur loves them

💭 Before You Read · Warm-Up (not scored)

There are no wrong answers here — just think, guess, and talk:

Charlotte gives her whole life to save her friend, and never asks for anything back. What is the difference between doing a kindness for thanks and doing it for love?
The ending is both sad (Charlotte dies) and happy (her babies are born). Why can a bittersweet ending feel truer, and even more beautiful, than a purely happy one?
Looking back over the whole book: Wilbur began as a helpless runt. What is the most important way he has changed by the end?

Copyright Notice

This is an independent study guide created by Garden Heights Academy to support reading comprehension and literary analysis. It contains original analysis questions and does not reproduce any text from the novel. Charlotte's Web is a work by E.B. White. This guide is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by the author or any associated rights holders. Students should read the original book, available from libraries and booksellers.

Part 1

Vocabulary

Study 10 key words from Chapters 21–22, then answer each question.

🧠Knowledge Bank · Spiderlings on the Wind

Science · Spiderlings Take FlightThe book’s final wonder is a true marvel of nature: how baby spiders, called spiderlings, begin their lives. When the eggs hatch in warm spring air, hundreds of tiny spiders come pouring out of the sac. Then most of them do something astonishing called ballooning. Each spiderling climbs to a high point, tips its body upward, and spins out a thread so light that the breeze lifts it away — sometimes for miles, and sailors have found young spiders drifting far out to sea. This is how spiders have spread across nearly the whole world, and it is why almost all of Charlotte’s children float off, leaving only three behind. Knowing it, the ending feels less like an ending: each small traveler rides out on a thread to begin its own life.

A black-and-white line drawing of a tiny spider standing on the tip of a blade of grass, its body tipped upward, with several long threads of silk streaming from it into the air — Old book illustration of a young spider preparing to balloon, drawn from life after the naturalist Henry McCook and printed at natural size. The *Knowledge Bank* explains that a spiderling climbs to a high point, tips its body upward, and spins out a thread so light that the breeze lifts it away, sometimes for miles. This is a drawing, not a photograph, and it shows one spider, not Charlotte’s hundreds. Notice the threads streaming upward before the spider has left the grass — that is the moment just before the sail.
Ballooning spider ready to sail, book illustration after Henry McCook, natural size. Source: Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

farewelln.Ch.21

A goodbye

“Charlotte said a quiet farewell.”

repayv.Ch.21

To give back kindness received

“Wilbur wanted to repay his friend.”

peacefuladj.Ch.21

Calm and free from worry

“Charlotte died feeling peaceful.”

preciousadj.Ch.21

Greatly valued and loved

“The egg sac was precious to Wilbur.”

hatchv.Ch.22

To break out of an egg

“The baby spiders began to hatch.”

griefn.Ch.21

Deep sadness, especially from loss

“Wilbur felt great grief for Charlotte.”

loyaladj.Ch.21

Faithful and true

“Wilbur stayed loyal to Charlotte’s memory.”

cherishv.Ch.22

To love and care for deeply

“Wilbur would cherish the baby spiders.”

memoryn.Ch.22

Something remembered from the past

“Charlotte lived on in Wilbur’s memory.”

continuev.Ch.22

To keep going on

“Life and friendship continue.”

ⓘ The vocabulary words in this list are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the original novel.

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1According to the Knowledge Bank, ballooning is how spiderlings ___.Ch.21

2True or False: To “repay” kindness means to give it back.Ch.21

3Greatly valued and loved means ___.Ch.21

4True or False: To “hatch” means to break out of an egg.Ch.22

5Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.21

Word choices:farewellrepayprecioushatch- some words will not be used

Charlotte said a quiet , and Wilbur, longing to her, carried her egg sac home.

6True or False: “Grief” is a feeling of deep sadness, especially from loss.Ch.21

7To love and care for something deeply is to ___ it.Ch.22

8True or False: “Peaceful” means full of fear and worry.Ch.21

9Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.22

Word choices:hatchmemorycherishcontinue- some words will not be used

In spring the babies began to , and Charlotte lived on in Wilbur’s .

10Faithful and true means ___.Ch.21

Part 2

Comprehension

How well do you understand Chapters 21–22?

🧠Knowledge Bank · Summing Up the Whole Story

Reading Skill · Summarizing the WholeAs a book closes, one of the most valuable reading skills is summarizing — telling the whole story briefly in your own words, keeping only what truly matters. A good summary is not a list of every event; it captures the shape of the tale. Try it here: a runt pig is saved by a girl, then saved again by a spider who weaves words to make him famous, and in the end the spider dies but her children live on. Notice how a strong summary holds the big turns and lets the small details fall away. Summarizing forces you to decide what the story is really about — here, friendship, and the way love can outlast a single life. When you can shrink a long, beloved book down to a few honest sentences, you have proven that you understood the story all the way to its core.

Visual AidWhat a summary keeps, and what it lets go

Diagram for the Knowledge Bank on summarizing the whole. The top row is the summary the Knowledge Bank itself gives, split into its three big turns; the gray row beneath holds small details that a summary lets fall away. It does not say those details are unimportant to the story — only to a summary. Notice how few boxes the top row needs to hold a whole book.

Summary and details as given in the Knowledge Bank. Drawn for Garden Heights Academy.

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1The Knowledge Bank says a good summary ___.Ch.21

2How does Wilbur repay Charlotte’s friendship?Ch.21

3Who helps Wilbur bring the egg sac home?Ch.21

4True or False: Charlotte dies quietly at the fairgrounds.Ch.21

5Write the numbers 1–5 in the boxes to show the correct order across Part 8. Number 1 = what happens first.Ch.21–22

Wilbur convinces Templeton to help carry the egg sac home.
Charlotte dies quietly at the fair; Wilbur guards the egg sac all winter.
In spring, the baby spiders hatch.
Most babies float away, but three stay with Wilbur.
Charlotte tells Wilbur she is dying.

6True or False: Wilbur guards the egg sac all through the winter.Ch.22

7What happens to the baby spiders in spring?Ch.22

8How does Wilbur feel about the baby spiders that stay?Ch.22

9True or False: Wilbur forgets all about Charlotte by the end.Ch.22

10Fill in the blanks to complete the sentence.Ch.21–22

Word choices:egg sacCharlottebabieswinter- some words will not be used

Wilbur carried ’s home, and in spring the babies hatched.

Part 3

Literary Elements

Understanding HOW and WHY E.B. White creates certain feelings across Chapters 21–22.

🧠Knowledge Bank · A Bittersweet Ending

Literary Craft · Bittersweet ToneThe ending of this book has a tone famous among readers: it is bittersweet, a careful mixture of sadness and sweetness held in the very same breath. Tone is the feeling a writer creates through word choice and rhythm, and here White balances two feelings at once. Charlotte has died, which is bitter; yet her children hatch and dance in the sunshine, which is sweet; and Wilbur, who was once doomed, lives on to love again. Notice the gentleness of the language — calm, warm, unhurried — which keeps the sorrow from ever tipping into despair. A bittersweet ending feels more true than a purely happy one, because real life mixes loss and gladness in just this way. White trusts young readers to hold both feelings without flinching. Learn to name a story’s tone, and you will hear the quiet music beneath its words — here, a tune both tender and brave.

📚 Literary Devices in This Part · definitions & examples

The resolution ties up the story: Wilbur is safe, Charlotte’s eggs are saved, and life goes on.

A bittersweet ending mixes sadness and joy — Charlotte’s death and the new spiderlings.

Theme: true friendship, the cycle of life, and how love lives on in memory.

The questions below are mixed — not grouped by device. Decide which device each one is about.

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1According to the Knowledge Bank, the ending is bittersweet because ___.Ch.22

2The resolution is where a story’s loose ends are tied up.Ch.22

3Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.22

Word choices:resolutionbittersweetthemesetting- some words will not be used

Wilbur safe and the eggs saved is the

The ending mixes sadness and joy, so it is .

4Charlotte’s death alongside the new spiderlings makes an ending both sad and happy. Such an ending is —Ch.22

5A bittersweet ending is purely happy with no sadness at all.Ch.22

6Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.22

Word choices:themeresolutionbittersweetmood- some words will not be used

The big idea of true friendship and the cycle of life is the

Charlotte’s death with new life is a .

7True friendship, the cycle of life, and lasting love are the story’s —Ch.22

8Why does the author end with both a death and new births?Ch.22

9Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.22

Word choices:resolutionthemebittersweetplot- some words will not be used

Wilbur safe and the eggs kept is the

A sad-yet-joyful ending is .

10The mix of Charlotte’s death and the new spiderlings mainly makes the ending feel —Ch.22

Part 4

Think Deeper

Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it through.

🧠Knowledge Bank · Grief and New Life

Social-Emotional · Grief & RenewalThe last chapters ask us to feel two things at once: the grief of losing Charlotte and the comfort of new life carrying on. Wilbur mourns truly — White does not hurry him past his sorrow — and yet, when the spiderlings hatch, he finds that love does not end when a life does. He keeps his friend in mind always, and cares for her children as she once cared for him. That is the book’s deepest idea: a real friend does not merely help you, but changes who you are, and the change outlives them. Published in 1952, this story has been read aloud in classrooms for more than seventy years, because children can carry sadness when it is told honestly and kindly. Nothing truly loved is ever wholly lost; it lives on in every heart it once touched.

1Claim: “Wilbur repays Charlotte’s friendship by saving her children.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence

2Sorrow of Charlotte’s death, or hope of new life? Tap each item to sort it — tap again to switch sides. You can keep tapping to change your answer.Sort into two

◄ Sorrow of her deathHope of new life ►

3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect

Charlotte is dying at the fair→

The eggs must be saved→

Charlotte’s work is done→

Spring returns to the barn→

🧠Knowledge Bank question

4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument

The Knowledge Bank says a real friend changes who you are because , which shows that .

Part 5

Standardized Test

Prose Summary & Whole-Passage Reading — SAT & TOEFL-style practice

Friendship and the Science of Happiness

Scientists who study human happiness have made a surprising discovery: the single thing that matters most to a good life is not money, or fame, or even health. It is the quality of our friendships, the most precious thing we own. People with a few true friends tend to live longer, recover from illness faster, and feel far more content than those who are lonely. The effect is large enough that doctors now treat loneliness as a genuine health problem. But what exactly does a real friend give?

Part of it is simple company — someone to share good news with and to sit beside on hard days. Deeper still is the feeling of being truly known and accepted, flaws and all. Real friends also change us: a good friend can bring out a courage or a kindness we did not know we had, the way one friend’s belief can turn a timid person into a brave one. Best of all, the giving runs both ways, neither friend keeps count, and no one needs to repay the other. It is why a story about a pig and a spider can teach us something true about our own lives.

Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.

1According to the passage, what matters most to a good life?TOEFL · Factual Information

2“Friendships” in the passage are —SAT · Words in Context

3People with true friends tend to do all of the following EXCEPT —TOEFL · Negative Fact (EXCEPT)

4In the passage, something precious is ___.SAT · Words in Context

5The deepest thing a friend gives, the passage says, is the feeling of being —TOEFL · Factual Information

6In the passage, to repay a friend is to ___.SAT · Words in Context

7The passage most strongly suggests that a good friendship can —SAT · Inference

8That neither friend keeps “count” suggests true friendship is —SAT · Inference

9Which TWO ideas together best summarize the passage?TOEFL · Prose Summary

10Insert Text (TOEFL). Look at the four squares [1]–[4] in the excerpt below. They show where this sentence could be added:
“A grandparent, for example, may give a lifetime of care and never expect a thing back.”

The best friendships are not a fair trade. [1] In true friendship, giving runs both ways. [2] Neither friend keeps a careful count. [3] The love simply circles between them, making both richer. [4]

Where would the sentence fit best?TOEFL · Insert Text

Part 6 · Optional

Creative Writing

A bonus challenge to practice your English. Take your time and have fun with it.

About This Section

This writing task is optional and is not part of your auto-graded score. The feedback below checks only the basics — length, spelling, and grammar — not whether your ideas are right or wrong. It is meant for classroom discussion and creative practice, so feel free to use your imagination!

Writing Task — Part 8 “A Friend to Remember”

Charlotte and Wilbur show what true friendship means. Write about what makes a good friend, using examples from the story or your own life. Why do good friends matter so much? Write at least 40 words.

You can start with: “To me, a true friend is someone who…”

0 / 40 words minimum

🗣 Teach It · Just for Fun (optional)

No right or wrong — close the screen and tell someone nearby what happened in this part. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.

Part 8 Complete!

You finished Chapters 21–22 of Charlotte's Web.

Here are your auto-graded results:

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points out of 100

Teach it to someone

The best last step is to teach it. In your own words, explain what happened — retell a favorite scene, teach a character’s big choice, or sum up the main idea for a parent, friend, or classmate. When you can teach it clearly, you truly own it.

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Independent study guide by Garden Heights Academy. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the author or any rights holders. Contains original analysis only; no text from the novel is reproduced.