|
|
|
Sarah,
Plain and Tall
WRITTEN
BY
Patricia MacLachlan
MacLachlan.
(1985). Sarah, Plain and Tall. New York:
HarperCollins.
Patricia
MacLachlan, who had homes on Cape Cod and in
Massachusetts, says that she was inspired to write
Sarah, Plain and Tall after a family trip to
the prairie where she retraced her family's history
and her birthplace. The contrast of Cape Cod and
the prairie were natural to her.
|
|
|
Activities
for Students
|
|
GRADE LEVELS: 3
through 6
|
|
Summaries
Share
two or more summaries of the novel, such as the
ones that follow. Discuss why each is or is not
effective. What are the elements that make a
summary more effective? What changes might improve
a summary?
1.
Caleb and Anna live with their father in their
prairie home. When their father invites a
mail-order bride to live with them, Caleb and Anna
are fascinated by her, learn to care about her, and
hope that she will stay.
2.
A lonely father places an ad in the newspaper for a
mail-order bride. Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton, who
describes herself as "plain and tall", arrives from
Maine to stay with the father and his two children
in their prairie home.
3.
The children of a widower miss their mother and the
happiness of a complete family. Their father shares
the news that a mail-order bride from Maine is
coming to live with them in their home on the
prairie. Sarah is plain and tall and misses her
home by the sea. Over time, the family learns to
love her, and they help meet each others'
needs.
|
|
Point
of View
Assign students
different characters, and have each relate a
certain event in the story from that character's
point of view.
|
|
Compare
and Contrast
1. Compare Sarah to
Ma in the Little House series by Laura Ingalls
Wilder.
2. Read Patricia
Polacco’s picture book Just Plain Fancy.
Compare that character with Sarah and their
different interpretations of the merits of being
plain.
|
|
Writing
1. Become pen pals
with a missionary, peace corp member, or someone
who has lived in another country. Ask them to share
what adjustments they had to make to their new
lifestyle.
2. Write a song
that Sarah might have sung. Explain how your song
fits Sarah.
|
|
Math
Calculate the
distance from the coast of Maine to the prairie
area of the US in the nineteenth century. Research
the time it took and the cost of traveling at that
time. Use ratio or percentage to compare those
figures to travel time and cost today.
|
|
Research
Research the role
of women in prairie life during the nineteenth
century. Explain how the concept of mail-order
brides came to be.
|
copyright © 2005 Bertie Kingore
All rights reserved. This website is for the informative and
promotional purposes of Dr. Bertie Kingore and Professional
Associates Publishing. No text nor images can be copied
without prior consent. PDF files that can be downloaded off
of this website are only to be used by the individual
teacher in the classroom.
|
|
