Little House on the Prairie
Written by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Illustrated by Garth Williams
Published in 1935
Grade Level: 3rd-5th grade
Synopsis: Little House on the Prairie is the third installment of a nine book series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The stories chronicle the life of the author and her family in the Midwestern United States at the end of the nineteenth century. In this installment of the Little House series the Ingalls family, which consists of Charles (Pa), Caroline (Ma), Mary, Laura, and Carrie, leaves their small house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin and head for Kansas. Pa has made the decision to relocate to Indian country due to overpopulation of the Big Woods. Although Ma wants to put off the move until the warm weather arrives, Pa tells the family that they must cross the Mississippi river before the ice cracks.
As the Ingalls move West they make camp in a new place each night. They are faced with storms, flooded land, and overflowing rivers. There are several times that they almost lose the lives of their horses and dog, not to mention their own lives. As the family continues their journey across the prairie, Pa stops the wagon and announces that he will build their house in this exact location, not far from the Verdigris River. While building the house Pa makes friends with Mr. Edwards, a kind neighbor who is also building a log cabin for himself. Mr. Edwards helps Pa and together they finish the cabin.
While the family is getting settled in their new home, there are several sightings of wolves and groups of Native Americans. Pa tells his daughters not to worry because he will always keep their family safe. While become acclimated with the area, Mary and Laura go on many explorations, spending their days chasing snakes and playing in the grass. (I looked at the plot summary at AllReaders.com in order to help me recall this wonderful book from my childhood).
As the Ingalls move West they make camp in a new place each night. They are faced with storms, flooded land, and overflowing rivers. There are several times that they almost lose the lives of their horses and dog, not to mention their own lives. As the family continues their journey across the prairie, Pa stops the wagon and announces that he will build their house in this exact location, not far from the Verdigris River. While building the house Pa makes friends with Mr. Edwards, a kind neighbor who is also building a log cabin for himself. Mr. Edwards helps Pa and together they finish the cabin.
While the family is getting settled in their new home, there are several sightings of wolves and groups of Native Americans. Pa tells his daughters not to worry because he will always keep their family safe. While become acclimated with the area, Mary and Laura go on many explorations, spending their days chasing snakes and playing in the grass. (I looked at the plot summary at AllReaders.com in order to help me recall this wonderful book from my childhood).
Theme/Skill: Often classified as fiction, the Little House series is actually very autobiographical. With an underlying theme of togetherness, hope, and the promise of a good future through hardship and setbacks, Laura Ingalls recalls her childhood in great detail. Perhaps writing an autobiography could be a skill that the students could practice. The process of writing about their own lives would show the students that writing is personal and relevant to each of them. It could also teach them firsthand the process of writing in this genre; chronological order, the collection of memories and facts, interviews, etc.
Pre and Post reading activities: This book would lend itself nicely to interdisciplinary lessons connecting literature to history. Teachers could form many lessons and activities for students to teach them about the lifestyle of people living during the time of the Ingalls family. Topics such as exploration, westward expansion, colonization, and railroads could be introduced. Teachers could also teach lessons and assign projects about the similarities between the life experiences and family relationships of Laura to those of their own.
Assessment: Students would be formally assessed on their autobiographies and visual aids. The students could brainstorm ideas for visuals to accompany their biographies. Together they would decide what should be included, how long presentations should be, and how many life events should be hi-lighted (i.e- moving, divorce, birth of a sibling, etc). Some ideas for students could be to create family trees, timelines, photo albums, birth announcements, a hopes and dreams poster, plus many more ideas.
Reflection: I was first introduced to the Little House series by my mother. She had grown up reading them and wanted me to have the opportunity to to read and fall in love with them as she did. I remember reading them with her; she would read a page, then I would read a page. When we had read all of the books I was almost sad. The stories came alive again through the television series, Little House on the Prairie, which I think is possibly one of the best shows ever to appear on television. I always felt good after watching an episode, just as I had felt good after reading the book. Laura's life was like a great adventure that I wanted to go on. I thought my life was just plain and simple, but now I realize that no life is plain and simple. Laura experienced bumps in the road just as I do. Those bumps are different because of the different time periods that we both grew up in, but nevertheless, Laura made me feel that hope and love was at the other end of every dark tunnel. The books are a great read for boys or girls.
