Novel Study: Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie
What's included
10 pre-recorded lessons
10 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentGrading
Grade provided by request at end of class.Class Experience
Ready to join the Ingalls family as they journey across the frontier? In this class, we will follow along with Laura Ingalls through a year in her family's home in the Big Woods and then out onto the prairie where they start a new life as pioneers. This is a self-paced class and has no live meetings. Lectures and any other materials will be posted on the classroom wall for students to watch and complete. This is a 10 week novel study class, where students will read the assigned chapters ahead of time and then participate in the class videos, assignments, and discussions. Each lesson, there will be a video explaining that week's assignments and going over what happened in the chapters they read. Students will also complete and submit assignments each week through the classroom wall or via message to me. In addition to the novel study portion of this class, we will also discuss some of the historical aspects of Laura's story. We will learn about the journey west on the Oregon Trail, how the Homestead Act helped families like Laura's own land, and we will discuss how the viewpoint of the Ingalls family, particularly Ma, on Native Americans is antiquated and incorrect. We will spend time discussing how Native Americans actually lived in the West. Students will be given access to novel study printables that they will need to print for class and for homework. Alternatively, students can use the Kami App to type on the novel study pages on their computer.
Learning Goals
Students will learn about character traits, plot, and themes.
Students will learn new vocabulary.
Students will learn to summarize what they have read.
Syllabus
Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created Curriculum2 Units
10 Lessons
over 10 WeeksUnit 1: Little House in the Big Woods
Lesson 1:
Lesson One
-Read Little House in the Big Woods Ch 1-3
-For the first class, we will spend a portion of the class going over the novel study guide and I will explain how in-class work and homework will be assigned
Lesson 2:
Lesson Two
-Read Little House in the Big Woods Ch 4-6
Lesson 3:
Lesson Three
-Read Little House in the Big Woods Ch 7-9
Lesson 4:
Lesson Four
-Read Little House in the Big Woods Ch 10-13
Other Details
Parental Guidance
The Little House books were written in a time when it was common to discriminate against Native Americans and some of the Little House books do contain racism towards Native Americans. When we come across this in the reading of this series of books, I will be addressing this in the classroom to be sure that the students know that this is racism and does not reflect the way that we think today.
Supply List
Students will need their own copy of the following books so that they can follow along in class and complete the homework reading: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in History from Wilson College
Bachelor's Degree in History from Wilson College
My graduate studies were in American Studies and many of my classes focused on the Civil War, Westward Expansion, and the Industrial Revolution. The time of pioneers moving west is one that I have studied extensively and I feel confident and comfortable teaching about this time period. In addition, I have taught (both in person and on Outschool) classes on the frontier for some time.
Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$8
weekly or $80 for all content10 pre-recorded lessons
10 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
Completed by 5 learners
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Ages: 10-13