little house • big Adventure CLASSROOM ACTIVITY GUIDE FOR THE NOVELS OF LAURA INGALLS WILDER Little House in the Big Woods Farmer Boy Little House on the Prairie On the Banks of Plum Creek By the Shores of Silver Lake The Long Winter Little Town on the Prairie These Happy Golden Years The First Four Years LITTLE HOUSE – A LOOK FOR EVERY GENERATION. The 1932 publication of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods first introduced the world to Laura Ingalls, a spirited and courageous pioneer girl. Readers young and old fell in love with Wilder’s stories about Laura and her life on the American frontier, and the books quickly became classics. The Little House books have remained timeless adventures, but their look has changed over time, reflecting the changing world around them. Below is a glimpse of the beloved series and its evolution, from its first publication to a new look for today’s young readers. Original art for the series by Helen Sewell, a prominent illustrator of the 1930s. Garth Williams, best known for his art for Charlotte’s Web, illustrated new editions of the series in 1953. Today, a fresh, adventure-filled new look for the series, appealing to today’s young readers, who can find real-life role models in Laura Ingalls and her friends. little house • big Adventure CLASSROOM ACTIVITY GUIDE FOR THE LITTLE HOUSE BOOKS TABLE OF CONTENTS About Laura Ingalls Wilder……………………………… 4 Reading Skills and Strategies……………………………… 6 Themes……………………………………………………… 8 aura Ingalls Wilder’s classic Little House books, five of which received the distinguished Newbery Honor, have been Additional Classroom Activities……………………………10 cherished by millions of readers around the world for their L Little House in the Big Woods……………………………… 12 endearing portrayal of Laura Ingalls, her family, and her remarkable pioneer childhood. Although her books are historical fiction, Wilder Farmer Boy……………………………………………… 14 brought to life her family’s real adventures, challenges, and triumphs on the American frontier. Little House on the Prairie………………………………… 16 With their detailed and historically accurate portrayal of life in the 1800s, these novels are ideal for integrating into a classroom curriculum. On the Banks of Plum Creek………………………………… 18 In addition to providing thematic and interdisciplinary connections By the Shores of Silver Lake………………………………… 20 appropriate for use with a single novel or the entire series, this teacher’s guide also provides specific discussion questions and activities for each The Long Winter………………………………………… 22 of the novels. Little Town on the Prairie………………………………… 24 These Happy Golden Years………………………………… 26 The First Four Years………………………………………… 28 About Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957) aura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 in the log cabin described that I was very happy in thinking that Mary was getting one” (from Laura in Little House in the Big Woods. As her classic Little House books Ingalls Wilder: A Biography, p. 110). Ltell us, she and her family traveled by covered wagon across the Laura’s first teaching job came in 1882, when a school board member Midwest—from the deep forests of Wisconsin to the vast Kansas prairie from a little settlement twelve miles south of De Smet asked her to teach and the rich plains of Minnesota. The Ingalls family finally settled at the a two-month winter term. Each weekend Almanzo Wilder drove her end of a railroad line in the brand-new town of De Smet in the Dakota back and forth in his sleigh between her family’s house and the territory. During their journeys they faced many hardships, including a settlement. When she turned seventeen, they were engaged, and in 1885 plague of grasshoppers, extreme drought, severe blizzards, and malaria. they were married. Through it all the Ingallses stuck together and persevered as a family. When Laura was in her fifties, she began to document her childhood After a particularly severe winter Laura observed, “There is something memories. Laura chronicled her extraordinary life as a pioneer girl, her about living close to the great elemental forces of nature that allows early adulthood as a teacher, and her marriage to the quiet farm boy people to rise above small Almanzo Wilder. Laura said, “For years I had thought that the stories my annoyances and discomforts” father once told me should be passed on to other children. I felt they were (from Laura Ingalls Wilder: A much too good to be lost. Also, to my surprise, I have discovered that Biography, p. 107). I have led a very interesting life. Perhaps none of us realizes how Besides helping her family interesting life is until we begin to look at it from that point of view” (from with chores such as churning A Little House Sampler, pp. 179–80). butter and rounding up cattle, Laura’s books prove to be both a realistic and gripping account of Laura was an excellent student. nineteenth-century frontier life and a timeless tale of a strong and loving She was especially gifted at family working together in the face of hardship. history and writing. In the dim light of her kitchen at age fourteen, she started writing poetry. Laura also helped her sister Mary prepare for the Iowa College for the Blind. “I wanted an education so much myself 4 5 READING SKILLS AND STRATEGIES THEMES M AKE D ECISIONS Compare and Contrast Home and Family There are many times when Laura is forced to make difficult choices. For example, Laura must decide whether or not to go against her Identify Problems and Solutions Courage parents’ orders to stay in the house when a blizzard is coming and there Make Decisions Pioneers and Life on the Frontier is no firewood (from On the Banks of Plum Creek, p. 286). Ask students Show, Don’t Tell Memories to think of examples of Laura’s difficult decisions. How does she handle Writing About the Past Nature them? What do Laura’s choices show you about her values? Do students notice any changes in how Laura handled these difficult judgments and decisions as she got older? READING SKILLS AND STRATEGIES S HOW,DON’ T T ELL COMPARE AND CONTRAST The Little House books use descriptive language to show the actions The Ingalls family lives in many different places. With each new location and emotions of the characters. For example, when Mary leaves for come fresh challenges, joys, and difficulties, but there are also many college, and she and Laura take one last walk together through the things that stay the same. Make a comparison chart to help students prairie, “Laura’s throat choked up. She winked her eyelids hard and took explore the differences and similarities between the places where the a deep breath but her voice quivered” (from Little Town on the Prairie, Ingallses settle. Each row of the chart can be represented by a different p. 111). In On the Banks of Plum Creek, Wilder remarked that “her whole home. Label the columns by categories, such as “Food,” “Landscape,” skin felt thirsty” (p. 29). Discuss with your class how Wilder showed “Neighbors,” “Weather,” “Hardships in Nature,” “Fun,” etc. how Laura felt, rather than simply telling us. Ask students to think of a time when they were feeling strong emotions, then to write about it I DENTIFY P ROBLEMS AND S OLUTIONS using this “show, don’t tell” method. As students read the books, ask them to look for problems and solutions relating to survival on the frontier. Have them make a list of such W RI T ING A BOUT THE PAST problems and solutions, then ask them to think about how they would Wilder has commented that as she wrote the Little House books, she solve similar problems in the present day. Additionally, have students was surprised by how interesting her life had been. What may seem come up with problems that the Ingallses encounter in the towns of De ordinary to us can be fascinating to a person of another time or another Smet, Walnut Grove, and other places they live. Discuss with the class culture. Have students pick out Laura’s detailed descriptions of daily whether the town problems are different from the frontier problems. activities, such as making cheese or maple syrup. Ask students to choose Are there times when the Ingallses’ solutions seem to make more sense an activity that they do daily and describe it in detail. than the more advanced solutions we use today? 6 7 THEMES M EMORIES As an adult, Wilder thought back to her very early childhood in the Big Woods and wrote detailed accounts of her life. These accounts have H OME AND FAMILY helped people today to truly understand what life was like for pioneers Though the Ingallses live in many different places throughout the in the 1800s. Ask students to find a friend or family member who lived books, Pa often sings, “’Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, in a time period before they were born, and talk about his or her life. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.” Ask students to write Ask students to list the similarities and differences they notice about what the difference is between a house and a home. Ask them to compared to their own lives. describe what makes the Ingallses feel at home, even when they are traveling across the country in a wagon. NATURE In times of hardship or disaster, all the Ingallses pitch in to help. Nature plays an enormous role in pioneer life. Make a list with students Ask students to think of each member of the Ingalls family and describe of the ways that nature helps the Ingallses.