Teacher Guide for APPLESEEDS: Laura Ingalls Wilder

May 2006

Teacher's Guide prepared by: Nancy I. Colamussi, Elementary Education, B.S., M.A. Rocky Point School District, Long Island, New York.

Extended Response: Comprehension & Critical Thinking

The questions below can be used as written, simply answered in complete sentences, or easily transformed into longer essay (ELA) style questions, or even research topics. In any case, have the students support their answers with details from the text or use critical thinking skills to create a thorough and interesting answer. Consider the level of your students when deciding how to use the questions. The questions for each lesson can be found under the article's title below, and the answers for the short response questions are on the last page of the guide.

"Listening to Laura" p. 2-5

Read the article and solve the Math problems below.

1. The article tells how old Laura was in 1874. Use the information to figure out what year she was born.
2. According to the article, how many times did the Ingalls family move?
3. How many miles did Laura and Mary walk to attend school 5 days per week?
4. How many people were in the Ingalls family? Name them.
5. How many languages did Laura's books get translated into?

"Laura's Traveling Life" p. 6-8

Match the title to the correct synopsis on the right.

____1. "By the Shores of the Silver Lake	A. Laura and Almanzo survive freezing blizzards, rainless summers, tornadoes and a fire.
____2. "The Long Winter"	B. Spring arrives and Laura and Carrie go back to school.
____3. "On the Banks of Plum Creek"	C. Laura Ingalls is born, Jan. 1867
____4. "Little House on the Prairie"	D. Laura lives in a dugout and a grasshopper plague destroys the wheat crop.
____5. "These Happy Golden Years"	E. A sudden October blizzard forces the Ingalls family to move to town. They nearly face starvation.
____6. "On the Way Home"	F. Laura teaches in a school 12 miles from home and Almonzo arrives to take her home every weekend.
____7. "Little Town on the Prairie"	G. Laura and Almonzo head south to Missouri, writing in her diary.
____8."The First Four Years"	H. Pa moves the family to Burr Oak and finds a piece of land to homestead in Dakota Territory.
____9. "Little House in the Big Woods"	I. Laura and her family arrive on the grassy prairies of Indian Territory and help Pa build their House.

"Laura's Sister Mary" p. 9

Activity: Rewrite the simple sentences below in the language that Laura might have used to paint pictures for Mary.

1. The sun is setting
2. Ma made dinner.
3. Carrie is drawing a picture.
4. Pa made a new piece of furniture.
5. Jack is playing.

"A Different Childhood" p. 13-15

1. Describe a typical day for a pioneer from sunrise to nightfall.
2. Make a Venn diagram depicting rural life and city life in the 1870s.
3. Why were the seasons so different for city folk and rural folk?

"Did Someone Say, 'Free Land'?" p. 17

1. Who signed the "Homestead Act" and what was it?
2. What were the requirements for owning land?
3. How many acres did settlers claim during the Homestead Act?

"A Writer is Born" p. 18-20

Read the statements below and mark each sentence True or False. If the statement is false, provide the words that would make it true.

_____1. Laura wrote for a farm paper, "The Wisconsin Ruralist", from 1911 until the mid 1920s.

_____2. In 1911, Laura was better known for her prized poultry than her writing.

_____3. At the age of 24, John Case convinced Laura to begin her career as a writer.

_____4. Rose worked with her mother to improve Laura's writing skills and to build her confidence.

_____5. Instead of teaching lessons only about better farming and homemaking, Laura also used her column to teach lessons on life.

"The Rose that Helped Laura Bloom" p. 21-23

1. Explain Rose's career and the effect it had on her mother.
2. What was the best piece of advice that Rose ever gave to Laura?

Activity: Use this advice to brainstorm ideas for an essay. Choose one of the ideas and complete a short essay.

"A School Day with Laura" p. 28-30

Activity: Make a Venn diagram comparing school in the 1800's to present day school. Use the information to write an essay comparing and contrasting the two.

ANSWER KEY:

Laura's Traveling

1. H
2. E
3. D
4. I
5. F
6. G
7. B
8. A
9. C

A Writer is Born

1. False - Missouri Ruralist
2. True
3. False-Age 44
4. True
5. True

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Updated: 11/21/08 10:38 am
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