As the autumn air crisps and we head into the colder months, there is nothing quite like gathering the kids around a cozy fire for storytime. But what if your read-aloud time could double as your entire homeschool curriculum? This week, our family dove deep into the breathtaking, frosty world of the Dakota Territory with The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder**. Reading about how the Ingalls family survived the historic blizzards of 1880 sparked so many questions about history, survival, and science that I knew I had to build something bigger. If you are looking to trade dry textbooks for a rich, immersive living book experience, here is how you can transform this classic frontier tale into a rigorous, hands-on 6-week unit study for your middle schooler.
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Mornings:
We start every morning off with our prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance. Below is a video of how we start our mornings.
Don’t have a flag? Grab one HEREand print it out to put up somewhere… you could even let the kids make a flag to proudly display. Amazon also has some little ones like this one HERE and HERE.
Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or topic simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.
🔑 The Long Winter: Teacher Answer Key
Week 5: The Search for Wheat (Chapters 23–28)
- Reading Schedule:
- Day 1: Ch. 23 (The Porterhouse Steak)
- Day 2: Ch. 24 (Not To Be Eluded)
- Day 3: Ch. 25 (White Blizzards)
- Day 4: Ch. 26 (The Perilous Journey)
- Day 5: Ch. 27 (For the Bread of Life) & Ch. 28 (With the Storm)
Language Arts
- Vocabulary:
- Perilous
- eluded
- hoarded
- venture
- desperation
- courageous.
- Discussion Question:
- What motivated Almanzo Wilder and Cap Garland to risk their lives by heading out into the open prairie to find the rumored speculator’s wheat?
- Writing Activity: Write an exciting, high-stakes dialogue script tracking the exact conversation between Almanzo and Cap as they navigate a sudden whiteout on the open trail.
Optional Activities:
Math Word Problem
Problem: Almanzo Wilder and Cap Garland purchase 60 bushels of wheat from a distant settler for $2.50 per bushel. A bushel of wheat weighs 60 pounds.
- If their transport sled can hold a maximum safe load capacity of 1.5 tons (1 ton = 2,000 lbs), can the sled safely carry all 60 bushels in a single trip? Show the mathematical inequalities to prove your answer.
- Upon returning, an aggressive town speculator offers to buy the entire haul from them for a flat sum of $320.00. Calculate Almanzo and Cap’s net profit margin as a percentage relative to their initial investment if they accept his offer.
Optional Activities:
- Beginning Fractions & Decimals by Rock ‘N Learn
- Bubble Pop! Math Challenge Games – Gr. 3‑4
- CoolMath4Kids
- PBS Kids Games
Geography & History
- Topic: Historical trading and price speculation. Analyze why the town storekeeper tried to raise the price of wheat during a desperate food shortage, and discuss the ethics of supply and demand in frontier settings.
Optional Activities:
Science
- Topic: Optical illusions in winter weather. Research how snow blindness occurs and how high winds create total whiteout conditions, completely removing visual horizons and landmarks.
Optional Activities:
- Mystery Science
- All About Life Science Activities
- National Geographic Match the Fact Cards
- National Geographic Kids What Animal Am I Card Game
Life Skills
- Topic: Evaluating risks. Discuss how to properly weigh the potential dangers vs. rewards of an emergency trip before leaving a safe, stable shelter during a storm.
Optional Activities:
- Plain and Not So Plain Home Economics Course (she has other subjects as well)
PE, Health & Safety
- Topic: Cold-weather endurance and winter survival walking. Learn what to do if stuck outdoors in a sudden blinding snowstorm (e.g., finding structural shelter, conservation of core body heat, avoiding freezing wind directions).
Art, Music & Crafts
- Topic: Sled or winter transport modeling. Sketch a structural diagram or assemble a small wooden-stick model of the historical freight sled used by Almanzo and Cap to haul supplies.
- Colorful Wooden Craft Sticks, 200Pcs**
- 200 Pcs Craft Sticks**
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