Tag: descriptive writing

Join us on our latest Little House on the Prairie Adventure as we explore the Silver Lake with Laura and her family and also learn some language art skills along the way!

By the Shores of Silver Lake Adventure: Language Arts Lesson Plans

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog9 Comments

These are divided into weekly work as we like to use Loop Scheduling in our home. We simply work on a little bit and then move on to the next subject area. We have four days of ‘school’ and then the fifth day is used to finish up projects that we have been working, for independent study, or fun activities and field trips. Have fun on your Little House on the Prairie Academic Adventures!

Here are our Lesson Plans For Language Arts

These lessons were made to go along with ‘By the Shores of Silver Lake‘ written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are planning to go through the whole series and I am keeping track of the different topics we are learning about here on my blog. We hope you enjoy these as much as we have! Continue reading “By the Shores of Silver Lake Adventure: Language Arts Lesson Plans” →

On the Banks of Plum Creek Week 6 Lesson Plans

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

Mornings:

We start every morning off with our prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance. Below is a picture of the prayers that we say and a video of the Pledge of Allegiance.

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Not the prettiest example but that’s what we’ve been using for the past few years.

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.

After this we have our calendar time also where we go over such things as the Days of the Week, the months, and some basic math.

d3cbca65-c096-4094-b421-827b79058cc5-4019-000000c2ec08e8e6_file

This one came from Lakeshore Learning.

The younger kids will also be watching some of these videos while I work with the older ones:

We may also use some of the songs found HERE.

And we will be trying out some relaxing background music with Google.

We also like to use this song during our ‘Morning Time’ to help the kids learn the 50 States. 

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.

On weeks where there are several activities listed just choose a couple that interest you the most to work on.

Answer can be found HERE.

Answer Key Password: momsrock

Week 6: Chapters 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 & 34

(The Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn, Going to Town, Surprise, Grasshoppers Walking, Wheels of Fire, and Marks on the Slate)

Here is our lesson plan for the week:

Language Arts

Reading:

Read Chapters 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 & 34

Discussion Questions:

Chapter Twenty-Nine (The Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn):

  • How was the weather changing?
  • What disappeared as the weather got cooler?
  • What did Anna do with the paper dolls? Charlotte?
  • What did Laura find in a puddle? What did she do?
  • How did Pa let them know he was home?
  • What did the girls need? How did Pa handle it?

Chapter Thirty (Going to Town):

  • What did Pa do in town?
  • What did Mary get? And Laura?
  • What did Ma not get? And Pa? Why?

Chapter Thirty-One (Surprise):

  • What did the girls do every day?
  • What did Nellie do that made Laura mad?
  • What new sound did they hear?
  • What new sight did Laura see? What was on it?
  • What gifts did everyone get? What special gift did Laura get?

Chapter Thirty-Two (Grasshoppers Walking):

  • What did Pa make?
  • How was the weather changing?
  • What was hatching? What did they do?
  • What strange thing happened? How long did it last?
  • What did Pa want to know?

Chapter Thirty-Three (Wheels of Fire):

  • What did they plant? When did the old-timers say they should be planted?
  • Where did Pa go? Why?
  • What happened while Pa was gone? Who came to help?
  • What did Ma say about good neighbors?

Chapter Thirty-Four (Marks on the Slate):

  • What did they need to harvest before they froze?
  • How did they harvest them?
  • What did they do with the turnips?
  • How did they keep track of how long Pa would be gone?
  • Did Pa come home when they expected? Why or why not?
  • What sad story did Pa tell them?

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:

Print:  On the Banks of Plum Creek Vocabulary Week Six List

Older Kids:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:**

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

  • Write a descriptive story about a day in the life of your favorite toy.
  • Write a descriptive poem about the weather today.

Other Activity:

Group:

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Math

You may find it easier to buy a Math Workbook to work through as you go along with the study.

** For fun you may try ‘ciphering’ on a slate with a slate pencil.

Group:

Rotate through these activities:

Older Kids:

  • Work on a lesson in your Ray’s Arithmetic Books or other math workbooks.
  • Work on Khan Academy
  • Special Tasks:
    • Use information from p. 208 to calculate how many potential grasshoppers were in each square foot of ground.

Younger Kids:

Geography and History

Memorize the Continents and Oceans using the videos below to help:

1. State Study

  • This week we will study Wyoming.
  • Complete your notebooking pages.
  • Older kids can write a report about the state.

2. Landforms & Mapping

Maps:

Landforms:

  • Buttes and Mesas

  • Volcanoes

3. Bonus

Extra:

We will also be using this People Long Ago Resource Box from Lakeshore Learning to go with our lessons.

People Long Ago Resource Box&nbsp;- Gr.&nbsp;<span style="white-space: nowrap;">1-3</span>

There are also some other resources available here:

Science

1. Pick one or two topics to learn about:

  • Birds

  • Grasshopper Migration

2. Learn about the weather and seasons.

  • Fall

  • Lightning

3. Read:

Extra Activities:

Life Skills

We will be discussing some of the character qualities that are displayed in the book but if you would like to do a separate character study lesson you can download one HERE.

1. Memory Verse

We will be memorizing Psalm 51 during this unit study. Print it HERE.

  • Work on memorizing a verse during the week for a special prize.
    • Verse 12: Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
    • Verse 13: Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
  • Older kids can copy the memory verse down in their notebook.

2. Character

  • Discuss what you learned.
  • What commandment did Laura break?

  • God is good and he takes care of us.
  • How did God give Laura what she had wanted?

– Read Joel 2:25-26

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

  • How does this apply to the story?

Read Proverbs 27:10

Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.

  • Who does this apply to in the story?
  • Who was a good neighbor?

3. Manners

– Read pages 69 through 84 of Emily Post’s Table Manners for Kids and discuss the manners used in each situation below:

  • Where are some places that you must eat quickly?
  • What are some line manners?
  • What are some tips for eating at a cafeteria?
  • What are some tips for eating at a sit-down restaurant?
  • What are some picnic tips?
  • What is a buffet? A potluck?
  • What can make a meal special?
  • Practice these manners when you eat.

4. Fun Activities

5. Bonus Skills — Choose one or two to work on

Practice these until you finish this unit study and then we will move on to new skills.

Emergency Preparedness

Kids Cook Real Food 

Skill Trek

  • Work on at least one task a week.
  • Practice your new skill this week.

Back to the Basics

Learn and practice some traditional skills from the book.

  • Read pages 390-391 (pest deterrents)
  • Discuss what you learned.

Herb Study

Dog Training

We are using Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days as a guide for training our puppy.

  • Discuss what you have learned
  • Practice the techniques with your puppy this week.

  • Discuss what you have learned
  • Practice the techniques with your puppy this week.

Note:

We will also be using:

PE, Health & Safety

1. Nutrition

2. Games/Outdoor Play

Bonus:

Did you know that Square Dancing is a good exercise for helping you to have strong bones?

If you haven’t already signed up for classes have your parents check for a local club near you.

Music, Arts & Crafts

Crafts:

Art:

Music:

You can check out my Pinterest page Little House on the Prairie Crafts for even more crafts and activities.

**BE SURE TO SAVE A FEW SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK FOR YOUR  PORTFOLIO!  TAKE PICTURES OF BIG PROJECTS!

**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.

 –Thank you!

On the Banks of Plum Creek Week 5 Lesson Plans

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

Mornings:

We start every morning off with our prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance. Below is a picture of the prayers that we say and a video of the Pledge of Allegiance.

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Not the prettiest example but that’s what we’ve been using for the past few years.

 

 

 

 

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.

After this we have our calendar time also where we go over such things as the Days of the Week, the months, and some basic math.

d3cbca65-c096-4094-b421-827b79058cc5-4019-000000c2ec08e8e6_file

This one came from Lakeshore Learning.

The younger kids will also be watching some of these videos while I work with the older ones:

 

 

 

We may also use some of the songs found HERE.

And we will be trying out some relaxing background music with Google.

 

We also like to use this song during our ‘Morning Time’ to help the kids learn the 50 States. 

 

 

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.

On weeks where there are several activities listed just choose a couple that interest you the most to work on.

Answer can be found HERE.

Answer Key Password: momsrock

Week 5: Chapters 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28

(Going to Church, The Glittering Cloud, Grasshopper Eggs, Rain, and The Letter)

Here is our lesson plan for the week:

Language Arts

Reading:

Read Chapters 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28

Discussion Questions:

Chapter Twenty-Four (Going to Church):

  • Why was Ma so excited?
  • Describe Ma’s new dress.
  • What mistake did Ma make with the girls’ hair?
  • Did the girls enjoy Sunday School?
  • What was different about the church?
  • What did Pa need? Did he get them? Why or why not?

Chapter Twenty-Five (The Glittering Cloud):

  • What was the weather like? How did it affect the pine boards?
  • What was different about the storm cloud?
  • What did the grasshoppers do?
  • How did Pa try to protect the crop? Was he successful?
  • What are some other ways that the grasshoppers affect them?
  • How did the grasshoppers affect other people?

Chapter Twenty-Six (Grasshopper Eggs):

  • What did Laura see? What did Pa say was happening?
  • Why did Pa say they were better off than others?
  • Why did Pa go to town?
  • Where was Pa going? Why?

Chapter Twenty-Seven (Rain):

  • What was happening around the house?
  • Why did Pa go to Mr. Nelson’s house?
  • What story in the Bible did Ma read? How was it similar to what had happened?
  • What promise had God made? What did Ma say about the promise?
  • How did the rain change things?

Chapter Twenty-Eight (The Letter):

  • What were the girls worried about?
  • What finally came?
  • What did Pa write in the letter?

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:**

Print: On the Banks of Plum Creek Vocabulary Week Five List

Older Kids:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

Choose one prompt below:

  • Write a descriptive paragraph about the locust plague in Egypt.
  • Write about a day in the life of a grasshopper.

**Remember to use the thesaurus to come up with different words.

Watch this video about descriptive writing:

Other Activity:

Group:

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Math

You may find it easier to buy a Math Workbook to work through as you go along with the study.

** For fun you may try ‘ciphering’ on a slate with a slate pencil.

Group:

Rotate through these activities:

School Zone - Math 1-2 Flash Card 4-Pack - Ages 4 and Up, Addition, Subtraction, Numbers 1-100, and More (Flash Card 4-pk)

Older Kids:

  • Work on a lesson in your Ray’s Arithmetic Books or other math workbooks.
  • Work on Khan Academy
  • Special Tasks:
    • If the girls could walk 4 miles per hour how long would it take them to walk 20 miles? 30 miles?

Younger Kids:

Geography and History

Memorize the Continents and Oceans using the videos below to help:

1. State Study

  • This week we will study Kentucky.
  • Complete your notebooking pages.
  • Older kids can write a report about the state.

2. Landforms & Mapping

Maps:

Landforms:

  • Caves

  • Cliffs

3. Bonus

Extra:

We will also be using this People Long Ago Resource Box from Lakeshore Learning to go with our lessons.

People Long Ago Resource Box&nbsp;- Gr.&nbsp;<span style="white-space: nowrap;">1-3</span>

There are also some other resources available here:

Science

1. Pick one or two topics to learn about:

  • Grasshoppers

  • Food Chains

2. Learn about the weather and seasons.

  • Water Table

  • Dust Devils

  • Heat Waves

3. Read:

Extra Activities:

bugs&nbsp;&-insects-instant-learning-center-1

Life Skills

We will be discussing some of the character qualities that are displayed in the book but if you would like to do a separate character study lesson you can download one HERE.

1. Memory Verse

We will be memorizing Psalm 51 during this unit study. Print it HERE.

  • Work on memorizing a verse during the week for a special prize.
    • Verse 9: Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
    • Verse 10: Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
    • Verse 11: Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
  • Older kids can copy the memory verse down in their notebook.

2. Character

  • How did the Ingalls’ family keep the Sabbath?

  • Discuss what you learned
  • What number was the locust plague?
  • How did this compare to what happened in the story?

  • Do you remember what Pa needed to buy in town?
  • Did he buy what he needed?
  • What did he sacrifice his need for?
  • Was he being a good steward of his money?

– Read Psalm 46:

  • Why do you think Laura suggested reading this when you are faced with trouble?

– Read 1 Timothy 5:7-8

And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

  • How did Pa provide for his family?
  • What difficult choice did he have to make?

3. Manners

– Read pages 57 through 67 of Emily Post’s Table Manners for Kids and discuss the manners used in each situation below:

  • What are everyday meals?
  • What are some once a year meals?
  • What are some once in a lifetime meals?
  • How do you know where to sit?
  • What should you do if you don’t like something?
  • What are the magic words?
  • What are some table talk tips?
  • What is small talk?
  • What are some good things to talk about at the table?
  • What are some things to avoid talking about at the table?
  • Practice these manners when you eat.

4. Fun Activities

5. Bonus Skills — Choose one or two to work on

Practice these until you finish this unit study and then we will move on to new skills.

Emergency Preparedness

Kids Cook Real Food 

Skill Trek

  • Work on at least one task a week.
  • Practice your new skill this week.

Back to the Basics

Learn and practice some traditional skills from the book.

  • Read pages 190-194
  • Discuss what you learned.

Herb Study

Dog Training

We are using Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days as a guide for training our puppy.

  • Discuss what you have learned
  • Practice the techniques with your puppy this week.

  • Discuss what you have learned
  • Practice the techniques with your puppy this week.

Note:

We will also be using:

PE, Health & Safety

1. Nutrition

2. Games/Outdoor Play

Music, Arts & Crafts

Crafts:

Art:

Music:

You can check out my Pinterest page Little House on the Prairie Crafts for even more crafts and activities.

**BE SURE TO SAVE A FEW SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK FOR YOUR  PORTFOLIO!  TAKE PICTURES OF BIG PROJECTS!

**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.

 –Thank you!

On the Banks of Plum Creek Week 2 Lesson Plans

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog3 Comments

Mornings:

We start every morning off with our prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance. Below is a picture of the prayers that we say and a video of the Pledge of Allegiance.

a4f356a8-2a6f-4280-abd7-33bce0719b96-4019-000000c2c1f8254c_file

Not the prettiest example but that’s what we’ve been using for the past few years.

 

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.

After this we have our calendar time also where we go over such things as the Days of the Week, the months, and some basic math.

d3cbca65-c096-4094-b421-827b79058cc5-4019-000000c2ec08e8e6_file

This one came from Lakeshore Learning.

The younger kids will also be watching some of these videos while I work with the older ones:

We may also use some of the songs found HERE.

And we will be trying out some relaxing background music with Google.

We also like to use this song during our ‘Morning Time’ to help the kids learn the 50 States. 

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.

On weeks where there are several activities listed just choose a couple that interest you the most to work on.

Answer can be found HERE.

Answer Key Password: momsrock

Week 2: Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12

(Ox on the Roof, Straw-Stack, Grasshopper Weather, Cattle in the Hay, Runaway, and The Christmas Horses)

Language Arts

Reading:

Read Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12

Discussion Questions:

Chapter Seven (Ox on the Roof):

  • What was Mary and Laura’s new chore? Would you like this? Why or why not?
  • Why did Pete and Bright go with the other cattle?
  • What awful thing did Pete do?
  • How did this make Laura feel? How can you tell?

Chapter Eight (Straw-Stack):

  • What tool did Pa use for harvesting wheat? Click HERE for pictures.
  • Why would you not want to play with this?
  • What bad thing did the girls do?
  • Who else could have been affected by their disobedience? How?

Chapter Nine (Grasshopper Weather):

  • What did the girls pick after their chores? Click HERE for pictures.
  • How did they harvest the plums? How did they prepare the plums for storage?
  • What would Mary rather do than pick plums?
  • What season are they in? What was peculiar about the weather?
  • What do you think they meant by ‘Grasshopper Weather’?

Chapter Ten (Cattle in the Hay):

  • Where did Mary and Laura stay while Pa and Ma went to town? Why?
  • Where did Ma get the material for Carrie’s new dress?
  • What happened to the haystacks?
  • How did the girls save the hay?
  • Why had the cattle wandered to their place?

Chapter Eleven (Runaway):

  • Where did Mary and Laura sit to wait for Pa and Ma?
  • What did the girls see when the wagon came into view?
  • What did they think was going to happen? What actually happened?
  • Why did Pa say that had happened?
  • What did Laura say she liked better than cattle?

Chapter Twelve (The Christmas Horses):

  • What did the family have for Thanksgiving dinner?
  • How did Ma feel about the dugout?
  • What did Pa say they would have for the next year?
  • What was Laura worried about?
  • How did Ma describe Santa Claus?
  • What did the girls for Santa Claus to bring? Why?

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:

Print: On the Banks of Plum Creek Week Two Vocabulary List

Older Kids:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

Choose one prompt below:

  • Write about your chores and which ones you like and dislike.
  • Write about a day in the life of Pete.

**Remember to use the thesaurus to come up with different words.

Watch this video about descriptive writing:

Watch this video about descriptive writing:

Other Activities:**

Group:

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Math

You may find it easier to buy a Math Workbook to work through as you go along with the study.

** For fun you may try ‘ciphering’ on a slate with a slate pencil.

Group:

Rotate through these activities:

Older Kids:

Younger Kids:

Geography and History

Memorize the Continents and Oceans using the videos below to help:

1. State Study

  • This week we will study Louisiana.
  • Complete your notebooking pages.
  • Older kids can write a report about the state.

2. Landforms & Mapping

Maps:

Landforms:

  • Rivers

  • Mountains

3. Bonus

Extra:

We will also be using this People Long Ago Resource Box from Lakeshore Learning to go with our lessons.

People Long Ago Resource Box&nbsp;- Gr.&nbsp;<span style="white-space: nowrap;">1-3</span>

There are also some other resources available here:

Science

1. Pick one or two topics to learn about:

  • Animal Groups

  • Insects

  • Bees

  • Response to Fear

2. Learn about the weather and seasons.

  • Spring

3. Read

Extra Activities:

Fun Express Animal Bingo Game For Kids, Animal Recognition, Educational Games For Classroom

Life Skills

We will be discussing some of the character qualities that are displayed in the book but if you would like to do a separate character study lesson you can download one HERE.

1. Memory Verse

We will be memorizing Psalm 51 during this unit study. Print it HERE.

  • Work on memorizing a verse during the week for a special prize.
    • Verse 3: For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
    • Verse 4: Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
  • Older kids can copy the memory verse down in their notebook.

2. Character

  • Did you know that questioning the law or rules can be a sin?
  • Did you know that telling half-truths is a sin?

  • Laura led Mary astray. Why is it so important for us to be careful of what we do?
  • Why should we do what is right?

– Read Proverbs 20:11:

Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

  • How does this apply to Johnny?

– Read Being Selfish

  • How was Laura being unselfish? (Chapter 12)

Being Selfish (Help Me Be Good) by [Berry, Joy]

3. Manners

– Read pages 22 through 31 of Emily Post’s Table Manners for Kids and discuss the manners used in each situation below:

  • How should food be passed around the table?
  • How should you ask for something to be passed?
  • How do you tell the salt and pepper shaker apart?
  • How should you cut food?
  • How should you eat spaghetti?
  • How should you drink beverages?
  • What are some special tips?
  • How should you eat desserts?
  • Practice these manners when you eat.

4. Fun Activities

  • Watch this video on wheat threshing:

5. Bonus Skills — Choose one or two to work on

Practice these until you finish this unit study and then we will move on to new skills.

Emergency Preparedness

Kids Cook Real Food 

  • Work on your next lesson.
  • Help to prepare a meal using your new skills.
  • Freebie Snacks

Skill Trek

  • Work on at least one task a week.
  • Practice your new skill this week.

Back to the Basics

Learn and practice some traditional skills from the book.

  • Read pages 12-13
  • Discuss what you learned.

Herb Study

Dog Training

We are using Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days as a guide for training our puppy.

  • Did you learn any helpful tips?

  • Discuss what you have learned
  • Practice the techniques with your puppy this week.

PE, Health & Safety

1. Food Safety

Health&nbsp;& Safety Theme Box

2. Games/Outdoor Play

Music, Arts & Crafts

Crafts:**

Art:

Music:

You can check out my Pinterest page Little House on the Prairie Crafts for even more crafts and activities.

**BE SURE TO SAVE A FEW SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK FOR YOUR  PORTFOLIO!  TAKE PICTURES OF BIG PROJECTS!

**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.

 –Thank you!

On The Banks Of Plum Creek Adventure: Language Arts Lesson Plans

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog10 Comments

These are divided into weekly work as we like to use Loop Scheduling in our home. We simply work on a little bit and then move on to the next subject area. We have four days of ‘school’ and then the fifth day is used to finish up projects that we have been working, for independent study, or fun activities and field trips. Have fun on your Little House on the Prairie Academic Adventures!

Here are our Lesson Plans For Language Arts

These lessons were made to go along with ‘On The Banks Of Plum Creek‘ written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are planning to go through the whole series and I am keeping track of the different topics we are learning about here on my blog. We hope you enjoy these as much as we have!

You may find it easier to buy a Workbook for your children to work through as you go along with the rest of the study.

Answer Key Password: momsrock

Mornings:

We start every morning off with our prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance. Below is a picture of the prayers that we say and a video of the Pledge of Allegiance.

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Not the prettiest example but that’s what we’ve been using for the past few years.

Don’t have a flag? Grab one HERE and 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.

After this, we have our calendar time also where we go over such things as the Days of the Week, the months, and some basic math.

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This one came from Lakeshore Learning.

The younger kids will also be watching some of these videos while I work with the older ones:

We may also use some of the songs found HERE.

And we will be trying out some relaxing background music with Google.

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.

Week 1: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6

(The Door in the Ground, The House in the Ground, Rushes and Flags, Deep Water, Strange Animal, and Wreath of Roses)

We plan to use this FREE Lapbook to go along with our study.

Reading:

Read Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6

Discussion Questions:

Chapter One (The Door in the Ground):

  • What four states did they travel through?
  • Why did Mr. Hanson want to sell his place?
  • What did Pa trade for the house?
  • How was this new house different from their old house? Click HERE for pictures.

Chapter Two (The House in the Ground):

  • Why was Laura sad?
  • How was the house made?
  • What did Pa bring back from town?
  • How far away was the town?
  • What new animals did they have? Click HERE for pictures.
  • How did Laura feel about them?

Chapter Three (Rushes and Flags):

  • What are Rushes? Click HERE for pictures.
  • What did Laura learn that she could do with the Rushes?
  • What are Flags? Click HERE for pictures.
  • What did the girls do with the Flags?
  • What did Ma say the girls would turn into?
  • What did Pa warn the girls about?

Chapter Four (Deep Water):

  • Where did Pa take the family?
  • What did they see on the way there? Click HERE for pictures.
  • What did Ma warn Laura about?
  • What happened to Laura when she disobeyed?

Chapter Five (Strange Animal):

  • Where did Laura go? Why?
  • What did Laura see? Click HERE for pictures.
  • How did it make Laura feel? How can you tell?
  • What was Laura’s punishment for being disobedient?

Chapter Six (Wreath of Roses):

  • What did Laura like to watch?
  • Why did she not touch?
  • Who was Johnny? How did Laura describe him?
  • Why couldn’t they talk to him?
  • What did Pa bring home? How did he get it?
  • What important lesson did Laura learn?

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:

Print:  On the Banks of Plum Creek Week One Vocabulary List

Older Kids:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:**

We will be making a journal to record some of our pioneer adventures in. The link to the journal is HERE.

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

Choose one prompt below:

  • Write about a time that someone in your family traded something to benefit the family.
  • Write about a day in the life of a butterfly.

**Remember to use the thesaurus to come up with different words.

Watch this video on foreshadowing:

Other Activities:**

Group:

Word Fun

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Week 2: Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12

(Ox on the Roof, Straw-Stack, Grasshopper Weather, Cattle in the Hay, Runaway, and The Christmas Horses)

Reading:

Read Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12

Discussion Questions:

Chapter Seven (Ox on the Roof):

  • What was Mary and Laura’s new chore? Would you like this? Why or why not?
  • Why did Pete and Bright go with the other cattle?
  • What awful thing did Pete do?
  • How did this make Laura feel? How can you tell?

Chapter Eight (Straw-Stack):

  • What tool did Pa use for harvesting wheat? Click HERE for pictures.
  • Why would you not want to play with this?
  • What bad thing did the girls do?
  • Who else could have been affected by their disobedience? How?

Chapter Nine (Grasshopper Weather):

  • What did the girls pick after their chores? Click HERE for pictures.
  • How did they harvest the plums? How did they prepare the plums for storage?
  • What would Mary rather do than pick plums?
  • What season are they in? What was peculiar about the weather?
  • What do you think they meant by ‘Grasshopper Weather’?

Chapter Ten (Cattle in the Hay):

  • Where did Mary and Laura stay while Pa and Ma went to town? Why?
  • Where did Ma get the material for Carrie’s new dress?
  • What happened to the haystacks?
  • How did the girls save the hay?
  • Why had the cattle wandered to their place?

Chapter Eleven (Runaway):

  • Where did Mary and Laura sit to wait for Pa and Ma?
  • What did the girls see when the wagon came into view?
  • What did they think was going to happen? What actually happened?
  • Why did Pa say that had happened?
  • What did Laura say she liked better than cattle?

Chapter Twelve (The Christmas Horses):

  • What did the family have for Thanksgiving dinner?
  • How did Ma feel about the dugout?
  • What did Pa say they would have for the next year?
  • What was Laura worried about?
  • How did Ma describe Santa Claus?
  • What did the girls for Santa Claus to bring? Why?

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:

Print: On the Banks of Plum Creek Week Two Vocabulary List

Older Kids:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

Choose one prompt below:

  • Write about your chores and which ones you like and dislike.
  • Write about a day in the life of Pete.

**Remember to use the thesaurus to come up with different words.

Watch this video about descriptive writing:

Watch this video about descriptive writing:

Other Activities:**

Group:

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Week 3: Chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 & 18

(A Merry Christmas, Spring Freshet, The Footbridge, The Wonderful House, Moving In, and The Old Crab and the Bloodsuckers)

Reading:

Read Chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 & 18

Discussion Questions:

Chapter Thirteen (A Merry Christmas):

  • What did the girls make for Carrie?
  • Where did they get the materials?
  • What was the weather like?
  • What did the girls get in their stockings?
  • What surprise did Santa bring?

Chapter Fourteen (Spring Freshet):

  • What woke Laura up?
  • What was making the noise?
  • What did Laura do?

Chapter Fifteen (The Footbridge):

  • Why did Laura sneak out of the house?
  • What happened to her?
  • Did Ma punish her? Why or why not?

Chapter Sixteen (The Wonderful House):

  • What did they name the horses?
  • What did Laura do when she heard the horses coming? Why?
  • What did Pa bring from town?
  • What do you think ‘a lick and a promise’ means? Click HERE for a definition.
  • What secret did Pa ask the girls not to tell Ma about?

Chapter Seventeen (Moving In):

  • What did Ma think of her new stove? How can you tell?
  • What did Ma make the curtains out of?
  • Where did Ma put her china doll?
  • What did the girls each have in their room? What did they keep in them?
  • What sound made Laura happy?

Chapter Eighteen (The Old Crab and the Bloodsuckers):

  • What did the girls find in the lean-to? How did they feel about it? Is this something that would make you happy?
  • Why did the girls work fast to finish their chores?
  • What did the girls find in the water? What did the girls do?
  • What else did the girls find? Click HERE a picture.

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:

Print: On the Banks of Plum Creek Vocabulary Week Three List

Older Kids:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:**

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

  • Write a descriptive paragraph about the sounds that you hear at night.
  • Write a descriptive paragraph that appeals to the senses.

*Remember to use the thesaurus to come up with different words.

Watch this video on adjectives:

  • Identify adjectives from page 98.

Other Activities:

Group:

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Week 4: Chapters 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23

(The Fish-Trap, School, Nellie Olsen, Town Party, and Country Party)

Reading:

Read Chapters 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23

Discussion Questions:

Chapter Nineteen (The Fish-Trap):

  • How old is Laura?
  • What did Laura not want to do?
  • What did Laura help Pa make?
  • How did the fish trap work?
  • What did they have for supper that night? How did Ma make it?
  • How often did they eat fish?

Chapter Twenty (School):

  • Why did the girls put on their best dresses?
  • What did Ma have for them?
  • How did the girls get to school? How far was it?
  • What did they have on their feet?
  • How did they find the school?
  • What did the boys call them? Why?

Chapter Twenty-One (Nellie Olsen):

  • How did Mary carry the money?
  • What was the money for? What did Pa say about being beholden?
  • What did Willie and Nellie do for their father to fuss at them?
  • How did the girls buy the slate pencil? What do we use now instead of a slate and slate pencil?
  • What games did the children play?
  • What rule did Laura remember that kept her out of trouble?
  • Why was Nellie crying?

Chapter Nineteen (Town Party):

  • Where was Nellie’s house?
  • Did the girls use good manners? Why or why not?
  • Did Nellie use good manners? Why or why not?
  • What happened that caused Laura to be embarrassed?
  • What did Laura have for the first time?
  • What did Ma say about hospitality? What did they decide to do?

Chapter Nineteen (Country Party):

  • What did Ma make for the party?
  • What did Nellie complain about on the way to the house?
  • What lied did Laura tell Nellie about the dolls?
  • What trick did the girls play on Nellie?
  • What did Ma say about the vanity cakes? Who might this have applied to?

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:

Print:  On the Banks of Plum Creek Vocabulary Week Four List

Older Kids:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:**

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

Choose one prompt below:

  • Write a one-page report about vanity.
  • Write a thank you letter to someone for something nice they have done for you.

Watch this video about similes:

  • Identify similes from page 134.

*Remember to use the thesaurus to come up with different words.

Other Activities:**

Group:

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Week 5: Chapters 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28

(Going to Church, The Glittering Cloud, Grasshopper Eggs, Rain, and The Letter)

Reading:

Read Chapters 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28

Discussion Questions:

Chapter Twenty-Four (Going to Church):

  • Why was Ma so excited?
  • Describe Ma’s new dress.
  • What mistake did Ma make with the girls’ hair?
  • Did the girls enjoy Sunday School?
  • What was different about the church?
  • What did Pa need? Did he get them? Why or why not?

Chapter Twenty-Five (The Glittering Cloud):

  • What was the weather like? How did it affect the pine boards?
  • What was different about the storm cloud?
  • What did the grasshoppers do?
  • How did Pa try to protect the crop? Was he successful?
  • What are some other ways that the grasshoppers affect them?
  • How did the grasshoppers affect other people?

Chapter Twenty-Six (Grasshopper Eggs):

  • What did Laura see? What did Pa say was happening?
  • Why did Pa say they were better off than others?
  • Why did Pa go to town?
  • Where was Pa going? Why?

Chapter Twenty-Seven (Rain):

  • What was happening around the house?
  • Why did Pa go to Mr. Nelson’s house?
  • What story in the Bible did Ma read? How was it similar to what had happened?
  • What promise had God made? What did Ma say about the promise?
  • How did the rain change things?

Chapter Twenty-Eight (The Letter):

  • What were the girls worried about?
  • What finally came?
  • What did Pa write in the letter?

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:**

Print: On the Banks of Plum Creek Vocabulary Week Five List

Older Kids:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

Choose one prompt below:

  • Write a descriptive paragraph about the locust plague in Egypt.
  • Write about a day in the life of a grasshopper.

**Remember to use the thesaurus to come up with different words.

Watch this video about descriptive writing:

Other Activity:

Group:

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Week 6: Chapters 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 & 34

(The Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn, Going to Town, Surprise, Grasshoppers Walking, Wheels of Fire, and Marks on the Slate)

Reading:

Read Chapters 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 & 34

Discussion Questions:

Chapter Twenty-Nine (The Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn):

  • How was the weather changing?
  • What disappeared as the weather got cooler?
  • What did Anna do with the paper dolls? Charlotte?
  • What did Laura find in a puddle? What did she do?
  • How did Pa let them know he was home?
  • What did the girls need? How did Pa handle it?

Chapter Thirty (Going to Town):

  • What did Pa do in town?
  • What did Mary get? And Laura?
  • What did Ma not get? And Pa? Why?

Chapter Thirty-One (Surprise):

  • What did the girls do every day?
  • What did Nellie do that made Laura mad?
  • What new sound did they hear?
  • What new sight did Laura see? What was on it?
  • What gifts did everyone get? What special gift did Laura get?

Chapter Thirty-Two (Grasshoppers Walking):

  • What did Pa make?
  • How was the weather changing?
  • What was hatching? What did they do?
  • What strange thing happened? How long did it last?
  • What did Pa want to know?

Chapter Thirty-Three (Wheels of Fire):

  • What did they plant? When did the old-timers say they should be planted?
  • Where did Pa go? Why?
  • What happened while Pa was gone? Who came to help?
  • What did Ma say about good neighbors?

Chapter Thirty-Four (Marks on the Slate):

  • What did they need to harvest before they froze?
  • How did they harvest them?
  • What did they do with the turnips?
  • How did they keep track of how long Pa would be gone?
  • Did Pa come home when they expected? Why or why not?
  • What sad story did Pa tell them?

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:

Print:  On the Banks of Plum Creek Vocabulary Week Six List

Older Kids:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:**

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

  • Write a descriptive story about a day in the life of your favorite toy.
  • Write a descriptive poem about the weather today.

Other Activity:

Group:

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Week 7: Chapters 35, 36, 37 & 38

(Keeping House, Prairie Winter, The Long Blizzard, and The Day of Games)

Reading:

Read Chapters 35, 36, 37 & 38

Discussion Questions:

Chapter Thirty-Five (Keeping House):

  • What did Pa keep busy with?
  • Why did Pa not want to trap the beaver?
  • Where did Pa want to go?
  • What did the girls do while they were gone?
  • What scary thing happened while Pa and Ma were gone?
  • How did the girls handle themselves? How did each help?
  • What rule had the girls broken? Did they get punished? Why or why not?

Chapter Thirty-Six (Prairie Winter):

  • What did Pa do to help find his way back and forth from the stable to the house?
  • What did Pa get in town?
  • What did Pa say was strange? What suggestion did Ma have?
  • How did they keep busy?

Chapter Thirty-Seven (The Long Blizzard):

  • Why did Pa say he needed to go to town? What did Ma say?
  • What chores did everyone do?
  • What chores did Ma do when Pa didn’t come home?
  • Why did Ma put the lamp in the window?
  • What strange thing happened?

Chapter Thirty-Eight (The Day of Games):

  • How did the girls help out while Ma was doing chores?
  • Why was Laura crying?
  • What did Ma suggest instead of lessons?

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:

Print:  On the Banks of Plum Creek Vocabulary Week Seven List

Older Kids:

  • Day One: Write your words three times each.
  • Day Two: Write your words in ABC order.
  • Day Three: Look up definitions and use five of your words in a sentence.
  • Day Four: Test (optional) or Worksheet:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:**

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

  • Write a descriptive paragraph about how Ma might have felt while Pa was away.
  • Write a descriptive paragraph about how Pa might have felt while leaving for work.

Write this video about writing perspectives:

Other Activity:

Group:

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Week 8: Chapters 39, 40 & 41

(The Third Day, The Fourth Day, and Christmas Eve)

Reading:

Read Chapters 39, 40 & 41

Discussion Questions:

Chapter Thirty-Nine (The Third Day):

  • Why do you think the day was so miserable?

Chapter Forty (The Fourth Day):

  • What did Laura think she saw? What was it actually?
  • What did Ma fix for Pa?
  • Why was Pa excited about the cold weather?
  • What did Pa buy in town? How much was it?
  • How did Pa stay safe? How far away had he been?
  • How long had he been gone? What day was it?
  • Why did Pa apologize to the girls? How did the girls react?
  • What did he bring for Christmas dinner?

Chapter Forty-One (Christmas Eve):

  • What did they do on Christmas Eve?
  • How did Pa assign the chores? Who did what?
  • Was Laura upset about the fact that there would be no presents or candy? Why or why not?

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:

Print:  On the Banks of Plum Creek Vocabulary Week Eight List

Older Kids:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:**

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

  • Write a descriptive book report about the story we’ve read. Click HERE for book report forms.
  • Write a descriptive story about how you would feel if you had no presents on Christmas day.

Watch this video about point of view:

Other Activity:

Group:

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Week 9: Finishing Up

Reading:

Finish up any reading. 

Optional: Read Chapter 3 from Laura Ingalls Wilder Country ‘Kansas Prairie Country’.

Additional Reading:

Older Children:

Each child would complete a reading lesson from our McGuffey Primer Books or other reading materials that we chose for the day.

Younger Children:

Younger kids will also be doing one lesson a day from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

We are also working through All About Reading Level Pre-reading with William as he needed something a little different from what we had been doing.

Vocabulary/Spelling:**

Older Kids:

Parents click HERE for the answer key.**see instructions at the top of the page.

Younger Kids:

Handwriting:

Older Kids:

-or-

Younger Kids:

Writing:

We will be using the Writing Activity Station Kit from Lakeshore Learning for some of our lessons.

  • Write a one-page report about Noah Webster.

Other Activity:

Group:

Older kids:

Younger kids:

Bonus Activity:

**BE SURE TO SAVE A FEW SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK FOR YOUR  PORTFOLIO!  TAKE PICTURES OF BIG PROJECTS!

**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.

 –Thank you!

Cover image by Free-Photos from Pixabay