Sunday, November 29, 2015

Sarah, Plain and Tall: Study Questions {FREE}

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What a sweet, well-written classic. Truly deserving of the Newbery Medal. I don't remember reading this book as a child, but I'm glad I had the privilege of reading it recently in order to write up some questions for my fifth grade daughter.

Here are the questions by chapter. Feel free to click the link and print for yourself. :)

Sarah, Plain and Tall Study Questions

Chapter 1
1. How did Mama’s death affect each character—Anna, Caleb, and Papa?
2. Who is the narrator of this story?
3. How did Anna and Caleb feel about their father’s advertisement?
4. Describe Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton.

Chapter 2
1. What do we learn about Sarah in her letters to the children?
2. How would Papa be able to recognize Sarah when she got off the train?

Chapter 3
1. Describe how each of the characters felt as they anticipated Sarah’s arrival, and tell why you think they felt that way.
2. Describe the gifts Sarah gave to Anna and Caleb.
3. Why do you think Sarah chose those items as gifts?
4. How do you think Sarah felt at the end of her first day in a new place? Why?

Chapter 4
1. Look up images of all the flowers mentioned: paintbrush, clover, prairie violets, roses, bride’s bonnet, seaside goldenrod, wild asters, and wooly ragwort. Which is your favorite and why?
2. Have you ever touched a sheep or a seal? How did they feel? How does Sarah describe seals?
3. What are some hints in this chapter that make the children think Sarah might choose to stay?

Chapter 5
1. Does Sarah like the sheep? How do you know?
2. Thinking about everything you’ve read so far, what are some things Sarah misses about Maine?
3. What was the “dune” that Papa spoke of? Did Sarah like it—why or why not?
4. In your opinion, what do you think Sarah thought was missing from her picture?
5. Any more hints that Sarah might stay?

Chapter 6
1. Describe winter where Caleb and Anna live.
2. If Sarah asked you to describe winter where you live, what would you say?
3. How does Sarah describe the sea?

Chapter 7
1. Who is Maggie? How does she help Sarah?
2. What does Sarah miss?
3. Look up images of the flowers: zinnias, marigolds, wild feverfew, dahlias, columbine, nasturtiums, and tansy. Which is your favorite and why?

Chapter 8
1. When Sarah wrote Papa (Jacob Witting) for the first time she said, “I am strong and I work hard and I am willing to travel. But I am not mild mannered.” Can you give examples from chapter 8 that make these descriptions of her seem pretty accurate?
2. What’s a squall?
3. What did Caleb say was missing from Sarah’s drawing?
4. What are some differences between Sarah and Mama?

Chapter 9
1. Why are Caleb and Anna sad?
2. What made Anna think that Sarah might come back?
3. Why does Sarah decide to stay?
4. Though the book never says exactly, where do you think Papa, Caleb, and Anna live? Why?

Click link to print Sarah, Plain and Tall Study Questions 

My daughter is currently reading Skylark, the next book in the series. You can get the 5-book set on Amazon:

Linked to WFMW, Hip Homeschool Hop, A Little Bird Told Me, Literacy Musing Mondays

*Affiliate link in this post

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

The Fairy's Mistake: Discussion Questions

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The Fairy's Mistake by Gail Carson Levine, the author of the wonderful book, Ella Enchanted, was the second book my daughter and her book club friends read this past summer. It's actually a novella, so it's pretty short - less than 100 pages. It's part of a novella collection, The Princess Tales, but for the book club the girls only read The Fairy's Mistake.

I enjoyed this novella very much! It involves twin sisters, one nice and one not so nice. A fairy "blesses" the nice sister which turns out to be more of a curse, and she "curses" the not-so-nice sister which turns out to be more of a blessing.

You can read through the discussion questions here, and then click on the link to print them if you wish. :) Please note that page numbers may not match up if you read a different version.

Discussion Questions for
The Fairy’s Mistake
By Gail Carson Levine

1.  Think of adjectives to describe the twins, Rosella and Myrtle.

2.  Do you think the mother played a role in Myrtle’s behavior? How so?

3.  What was Rosella’s motive for being kind?

4.  Should good behavior be rewarded? Why or why not?

5.  What should your motive for obedience/kindness be? Read 1 John 5:3. 
Does your answer to this question match up with Scripture?

6.  Why did the fairy’s reward turn out to be more of a curse for Rosella?

7.  What was Myrtle’s motive for wanting to be kind? (p. 9)

8.  How do you know that Rosella wasn’t a greedy person? Give specific examples.

9.  Why did Prince Harold stop to talk to Rosella for the first time? (p. 11)

10. Did the prince really love Rosella like he claimed? What do you think true love should look like? Read 1st Corinthians 13:4-7 for a great example to follow.

11. Why did Rosella agree to marry the prince? Would you have agreed to marry him if you’d been in her shoes?

12. Think of adjectives to describe Prince Harold.

13. Ethelinda was upset that her magic wasn’t working the way it was supposed to. Have you ever said or done anything that you’ve regretted? What were the negative effects of your actions? What should you do when you’ve hurt someone?

14. How was Myrtle able to turn her punishment into more of a reward for herself?

15. Finally, Ethelinda finds a way to help Rosella. What is the plan? Why does Myrtle agree to help? (p.52)

16. Even though the plan worked, do you agree that using deception was the best way to help? Do you have any other ideas that could have helped Rosella?

17. If you were Ethelinda, how would you reward kindness? How would you punish wrongdoing?

18. If you were Rosella, what would you do with all of those jewels?

19. Most fairy tales seem to end “happily ever after.” Why was everyone happy at the end of this fairy tale? Is it really possible to live “happily ever after?”

20. Tell why you did or didn’t like this story.

The Princess Tales, Volume One, is available on Amazon. Thank you for using my affiliate link!

Food Fun

Thanks to help from my sweet friend, Janet, I was able to prepare a fun, fairylicious table full of jewels and nasty little creatures!

We decorated each plate with a rock candy wand. I also made Frosty Fairy Mints at my daughter's request.

A feast fit for Prince Harold.

Rosella's treasure chest full of brightly colored candy jewels. (We used gumballs, sixlets, rock candy, Frozen themed jelly beans, etc.

Sour gummy worms and plastic bugs and such - perfect for Myrtle. 

The girls enjoyed eating jewels and worms. After you read the book, you'll know why I had them pose with their mouths wide open and full of food! ;)

Hope you enjoy the book and free discussion questions. If you missed the first book the girls read for their summer book club, check out Rump: Free Discussion Questions and Activity Ideas.

Linked to: The Homeschool Link-up, Literacy Musing Mondays

Thursday, November 19, 2015

2015 Ornament Reveal {A must-see if your kids love anything Mario}

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One of my all time favorite traditions with my family!! As my kids get older, it gets harder to find and surprise them with the PERFECT ornaments. However, I found these . . . and they were a huge hit!!

Super Mario Brothers 6 Piece Christmas Holiday Ornament Set Featuring Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Toad and Princess Peach - Shatterproof Ornaments Range From 1.5" to 3" Tall

My kids have all enjoyed playing Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros together, so I thought these would be perfect for remembering all the fun times and even bets won and lost over this game. :)

   Lincoln: Luigi & Yoshi       Mullin: Mario & Donkey Kong     Shiloh: Princess Peach & Toad

Awww, and they even decided to hang all of their new ornaments next to each other. :)

If your kids love all things Super Mario, check out these ornaments and more on Amazon! I thought this 6-piece set was an excellent price.

*Affiliate links included in this post for your shopping enjoyment. :)

Monday, November 02, 2015

Stone Fox Study Questions & Activity Ideas {FREE}

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I recently read Stone Fox and wrote study questions and activity ideas for my fifth grade daughter. I choked up at the ending just like I did when I read it in elementary school so long ago. It really is a great book -- I highly recommend it! (Age range: 7-11)

*For this book, I had my daughter read the whole thing before I gave her the questions. It's only 83 pages, so it didn't take that long. I didn't want her to read through the questions, especially since I didn't do them by chapter this time, and spoil the ending.

*I wrote these questions with my 10-year-old in mind, so you may need to adjust some of them for younger children. My daughter completed all three additional activities, and for #2 she chose to write about Samoyeds which was no surprise to me since she LOVES all things dog! (Scroll down for printable link to study questions.)

Stone Fox Study Questions

1. Describe Little Willy’s grandfather and make sure to include his occupation.

2.  What do you think is wrong with Willy’s grandfather?

3. Who is the protagonist?  By the end of the first chapter, what’s the main thing the protagonist wants? (If you don’t know what a protagonist is, look it up!)

4. In chapter 2, how does the protagonist go about accomplishing what he wants?

5. What is Little Willy’s discovery?

6. Why did Willy think his grandfather was sad about money problems?

7. Little Willy is forced into taking care of himself and his grandfather—what are some of his responsibilities?

8. If you were suddenly on your own, what would some of your responsibilities be, and how would you accomplish them?

9. Describe Searchlight. What is her role in the story?

10. Tell about the stranger who showed up at the farm. Why did he come?

11. After Willy realizes the farm could be taken away, how does he try to find a way to help? Be thorough—retrace Willy’s steps in chapter 5. End your answer with what Willy finally thinks is the way to save the farm.

12. Do people encourage or discourage Willy from entering the race? How so?

13. Write a short paragraph describing Stone Fox.

14. Why do you think Willy lied about his black eye? Do you think he should have told the truth? Why or why not?

15. Do you think everyone in the town showed up at the race to see Willy or Stone Fox? Give reasons to support your answer.

16. The first time you read the book, who did you think would win the race?  Why? Were you surprised by the ending? Why or why not?

17. Why do you think Stone Fox let Willy and Searchlight win the race?

18. Do you think Stone Fox would have let Willy win had Searchlight not collapsed? Explain your answer.

Additional Activities

1. On a separate sheet of paper, write a narrative prompt about one of your grandparents. Be sure to include vivid descriptions about things like looks, job, likes/dislikes, where he or she lives, etc. Also tell about what makes him or her special and what kinds of things you like to do together.

2.  (a) Write a short expository essay on why Little Willy is a character who shows great courage. Use examples from the book. Be creative and make sure to grab the reader with your first sentence! The first sentence should make the reader feel curiosity, humor, wonder, sympathy, mystery, fear, sorrow, anger etc. Suggestions for creating a great first sentence: Use a quote, a rhetorical question, a shocking or mysterious statement, onomatopoeia, an opinion, a scenario type statement starting with the words, Picture this:, etc. Make sure your essay has a beginning, middle, and ending.

     (b) OR research Samoyeds, the dogs Stone Fox owned, and write a short paper about them.

3. Wyoming Project: Use poster board or sturdy construction paper to cut out the shape of Wyoming. Use sticker letters or write neatly the name of the state. On your poster board state, draw or cut out and paste pictures of the state flag, state bird, state flower, state tree, important crops, landmarks, and anything else you can think of. Be sure to label all of your pictures. Mark with a star and label where the capital is. Also include somewhere on your state of Wyoming the state nickname and the year it became a state. Do your best to make your project neat and colorful!

Click on link to download Stone Fox study questions.

Here's my daughter's Wyoming project. It was definitely an easy state to cut out! :)

Hope you enjoy the book, and feel free to ask any questions you may have. If you  need the book, please consider using my amazon affiliate link -- thanks!

Linked to WFMW, Mommy Monday Blog Hop, Hip Homeschool Hop, A Little Bird Told Me, Literacy Musing Mondays, Thoughtful Thursdays


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