Little House in the Big Woods Literature Study a Schoolhouse Crew Review
We put our regular Reading Curriculum aside this month to review Little House in the Big Woods Study-Guide by Progeny Press
Little House in the Big Woods Study-Guide is a 54 page interactive literature study ebook with review questions, projects, vocabulary study, and more, centered around the children’s classic book Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Little House in the Big Woods is a children’s classic story of created from the memories of author Laura Ingalls Wilder whose only daughter Rose encourage her to put her memories to paper. It is a book that has been loved and cherished for many years by readers of all ages and the Little House in the Big Woods Study-Guide is designed to help your child really immerse themselves into the time period, learn a lot about what life was like back then, really understand what they are reading and apply Biblical principals to the stories that can be applicable in their lives today. So yes this is a Christian publication.
The Little House in the Big Woods Study-Guide is also interactive. And by that I mean you can type into the PDF so your child can work right on the computer without printing anything until you are ready.
The referenced scriptures in the study guide are from the NIV version but you can use your preferred version (we use the KJV).
The study guide also comes complete on a CD or in a printed book format. We used the PDF download version which you get immediate access to if you purchase that version.
The Little House in the Big Woods Study-Guide is recommended for Grades 4 through 6.
What you get in the Little House in the Big Woods Study-Guide.…
- 15 chapters of questions, activities, puzzles, and more. Spaced out into a 54 page interactive PDF.
- An answer key for the questions included in the ebook and also as a separate file.
- And and additional resources list in the back of the PDF.
How do you use a study guide?
We had actually never ready Little House in the Big Woods (besides the extremely pared down little kid version) so I purchased a copy of the book for The Sweet Peanut to read and I read along with a PDF copy on my Kindle. We read some out loud to each other and some separately on our own (Sweet Peanut is a nightime reader).
With the study guides the author, Rebecca Gilleland, recommendeds that you read the book first before starting the study guide but in the interest of time, while we did start reading a few days before we started the study guide, we were still reading as we worked through the study guide.
Already in our Reading class sessions we work through study questions together on stories that we are reading. Talking about the book and things we noticed. So this was kind of a first, a good one, for The Sweet Peanut to type all her information onto the pages.
Even though my daughter knows a little bit about the author Laura Ingalls Wilder I did read through the Synopsis, and “About the Author“, and the “Background Information” in presentation mode (out loud) so we could talk about the time period and the book in general.
There are a few “Before You Start” activities in the guide. Making a Seasonal Calendar, reading some tall tales from the Wisconsin area and some map work. We had actually read the story ofPaul Bunyan earlier in the school year so we discussed that, looked at it some more and used our wall map to checkout Wisconsin where my best friend lives.
We made our Seasonal Calendar with old magazines and catalogs. Creating a Seasonal Calendar was a good activity to talk about all the special things that we are excited about that happen each month. The 4th of July is Sweet Peanut’s favorite holiday (fireworks). The craft also spurred her on creatively to think a little more about what is special about each month of the year.
Then we started in on the worksheets. I love that they are editable/interactive. I’m all about interactive forms. This meant I didn’t have to print them out and The Sweet Peanut could work on her computer skills. She was also pretty excited to do her homework on the computer.
Each chapter’s work was a chance to dig deeper into the story and think about how other people live, what their hardships might be, how they make the best of a not so great situation and being more content.
We did a few of the crafts and recipes which are always enjoyable for everyone. I love making our own butter and now do it regularly.
How did we like it?
We love the “olden days” as many people call them and really enjoyed doing a study on what has become one my daughter’s favorite books. The questions were well thought out and I especially like the Biblical ones. I’m always amazed at how much my daughter takes these things into heart. She will bring them up days, weeks, months later and I know that it has taken root.
To use a children’s classic to help your child learn the art of reading and understanding what you read. It’s an excellent way to learn.
I love to read historical books. Fiction and non-fiction. Doing this literature study has allowed me to share my love of past times with my daughter. The discussion questions lead to revisiting things like household schedules and chores, respecting parents, and preparing for the seasons to come like the industrious ant. In our household at least reading about littler girls her own age gave the Sweet Peanut an appreciation for all she has and a bit more willingness to help around the home.
I think another good way to use these Study Guides is to assign your child some reading over the summer and then during the school year use the study guides.
I highly recommend you read through the “Notes to Instructor” before starting this study guide. It has valuable information that can help you get the most out of the Little House in the Big Woods Study-Guide. It also includes a list of some other research tools you will want to have on hand as your child works through the Study Guide.
You can find many other Literature Study Guides over at Progeny Press.
