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The Little House

Literature Based Unit Study written by Heidi Jasper and Wende
Lapbook items created by Wende and her daughter, Jenni
 

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Lapbook

Transportation Timeline Flap Book	Moon Phase Booklet	Jokes and Riddles
Kinds of Trucks Page with Pocket	Sun mini-book	Evolution of a Car Flipbook
Train Tab Book	Months of the Year Books
Different Kinds of Transportation Tri-fold Book Clip-art for Tri-fold Book (contributed by Kimberly K.)

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Character Study: Stewardship
Discuss how you take care of the home God has given you (upkeep, cleaning, etc.).  How does your student take care of what he has been given?  Why is it important to be a good steward?

Social Studies: Rural Life and City Life
Discuss rural and city life with your student.  You may want to make a list.
Heidi's note--we just discussed what it was like in the book and the difference between our home (city) vs. at Grandma's house (rural) with what we smell, see, hear (and made lists).  City--see lots of cars, houses lining streets, people of different colors and religions, tall buildings, street lights, and flowers growing in planters; smell exhaust, sewers, and asphalt;  hear semi-trucks, sirens, lawnmowers, and planes.  Rural--see cows, fields, deer, flowers growing along the narrow roadway, hawks gliding on the wind, and trees; smell manure, grass, corn, flowers, and hay; hear birds, cows, owls, horses, and tractors. 

A fun go-along may be Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett.

Social Studies: Progress (Transportation)
Progress is described as the gradual development and improvement of civilization. In The Little House we see the progression of the countryside turned to city streets, through the eyes of a house. Do you think the Little House saw this as progress? We have also seen throughout this story the progress that transportation has made throughout history, both in modes of personal and public transportation. As you read through the story with your child, and observe the vehicles on the inside covers, you may want to expand upon the history of these modes.

Transportation Timeline Flap Book

Personal Transportation –
The first wheeled vehicles were invented c.3500 B.C. Various animals pulled these carts. The same basic designs, which were used for thousands of years, can be seen on the first thirteen pages of this story.

On the inside cover of The Little House you can see the progression from horse drawn vehicles to people powered vehicles. In 1839 the first bicycle was invented, called the “velocipede”, which had to be pushed along by the riders’ feet because there were no pedals. By 1870 the first pedaled bicycles were invented, most having extremely large front wheels and tiny back wheels. These then progressed into geared bicycles, and even two seated units called tandem bicycles.

Beginning on page fourteen, the Little House saw horseless carriages. Gottlieb Daimler was the inventor of the first horseless carriage when he attached an engine to an old fashioned coach in 1886. While these horseless carriages transported people where they wanted to go quickly, they were only available to the wealthy. In 1908, Henry Ford developed a car that everyone could afford, the Model T, and the evolution of the automobile would never be the same.

This book was written in 1942. Compare the newest cars in 1942 to the cars that are produced today. Discuss with your child some of the ways they have progressed, i.e. safer, more comfortable, less pollution, faster, etc.

Public Transportation –
As the countryside progressed into a populated city, problems in traveling from place to place presented themselves. These problems were overcome with the introduction of public transportation, also called “mass transit”.

Have your child look at the trolley cars on page 22. Also called “streetcars”, these modes of transportation were very popular in the early 1900’s. Trolleys travel along rails that are built into city streets. Some trolleys still exist today, but people prefer quicker modes of transportation.

On page 24 an elevated train is pictured. Also called “the el”, these rapid-transit systems are built on tracks running above the street level. While early ells were steam powered, causing much dust and smoke, modern versions are powered by electricity.

After the elevated train was running above the Little House, a subway system was installed under the Little House. Has your child ever seen or ridden in a subway? The first city in the United States to ever have a subway was Boston in 1897. It transports large amounts of people in trains through tunnels underground. Like the elevated trains, the subways were first steam powered and are now powered by electricity.

If at all possible, take your child for a ride in a trolley, train, or subway. 

Lapbook Component:  Train Tab Book

Go-along books:  Maybelle the Cable Car by Virginia Lee Burton, Choo-Choo the Runaway Engine by Virginia Lee Burton

Commercial Transportation –
Have your child look through The Little House and identify all the trucks he can find. What is each one being used for? He will find trucks that are hauling groceries, animals, and building supplies. He will find dump trucks, tow trucks, tanker trucks, and flat bed trucks. We all depend on trucks, and the world would not be the same without them. Trucks are built heavier and sturdier than cars. They carry heavy loads, and they need to be dependable because people and businesses are counting on them to deliver products in a timely manner.

The very first trucks were on the road in 1900. Like the first trains and cars, they were powered by steam. They were not very dependable, could not carry heavy loads, and broke down often. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, inventors went to work to create a truck that would be strong and dependable. The trucks would then have large, heavy tires, and were powered by gasoline. It was important to have good, strong trucks as the lives of the people depended on it.

As you travel, have your child pick out the different trucks that are driving on the roads today. How are they different than the ones pictured in The Little House? How many different types of trucks can he spot? Have him keep track using attached sheet, and insert into prepared pocket, as desired.

Your youngest student may enjoy The Truck Book by Bill Gere, a Golden Book about different kinds of trucks.

Lapbook Component:  Kinds of Trucks Page with Pocket

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Language Arts: Classic Story

This book is a classic from 1942.  A classic is a book that has survived the test of time.  You may want to explain this to your student by making (or using what you already have) a time line.  Let your student place your date of birth, his date of birth, and the "birth" of this book on the line.   The visual representation will help him understand what a classic is.  Mention other classics you have read/rowed; you may even want to place them on the time line as well.   Time-Line to Print from FIAR Circle

Language Arts: Personification

If you student has rowed Mike Mulligan and Katy and the Big Snow (both from FIAR Volume I), then he should probably know about personification.  Ask him if he remembers.  If he does, ask him if he can think of an example of personification in this story.  Hey, who is that we see on page 15?  This may be a good time to get your old friends Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and Katy and the Big Snow out and re-visit them.  You can also read Maybelle the Cable Car by Burton.  Ask your student to explain the personification in that story.  You student is probably starting to see a pattern with Virginia Lee Burton and personification!  Certain authors are sometimes known for certain traits.  What other authors is your student familiar with?  What traits are those authors known for? (Dr. Seuss-- rhyme, Patricia Polacco-- storytelling, etc.)
 

Art/Music:  Vivaldi's "Four Seasons"

Discuss the four different seasons (possibly make a list for each).  Allow your student to create a picture that represents each season. with the medium of his choice.  If you want to add in a music connection, listen to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons"...can your student decide which one is which? Discuss why you think which one is spring (fall, winter, or summer).   You may want to complete this lesson after you complete the science lesson.

 

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Math: Counting
Lots of counting opportunities in this book!  Count apple trees, cars, moons, horses, houses, stories (how many each building consists of).

Math:  Calendar Skills
This story is a good opportunity to review calendar skills. The Little House takes notice that day follows day, night follows night, and season follows season. How many days in a week? How many days are in each month? How many days in a year? What season does each of the months fall under? Print out attached mini-folds and have child sort them by season. Fill them out, and glue them in lapbook/notebook, with season headings. I used one side of a sheet of cardstock for each season, had child create her own season headings, and then glue the three mini-folds onto each season. The two pieces of cardstock were then hole-punched and put into notebook.

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Science: The Four Seasons
Discuss the four seasons with your student.  Make a chart and determine which holidays fall in each season.  Have your student add more characteristics to each list on the chart (some ideas: clothing appropriate for the season, weather that is typical of the season, and activities people do during the season). 

You could also print the following clip-art from kizclub and let your student sort it by season and make a seasons collage (add in words and other drawings, clippings from magazines, etc.) 

Spring Clip-Art Color        Spring Clip-Art Black & White
Summer Clip-Art Color     Summer Clip-Art Black & White
Fall Clip-Art Color            Fall Clip-Art Black & White
Winter Clip-Art Color        Winter Clip-Art Black & White

Your older student may enjoy researching why we have seasons.

Science: Moon Phases
From Earth, we can only see one side of the moon (one side is always in shadow) because the moon rotates once on its axis every time it travels around Earth.   The side that we can see seems to change.  However, the moon doesn't really shrink and grow.  The moon reflects sunlight.  The amount of reflected sunlight we get to see in our night sky depends upon the position of the Earth, the moon, and the sun so varying portions of the moon's lighted side face Earth at different times.  The phases include the new moon, crescent moon, half moon, and full moon.   (If your student is too young to understand the above concepts, simply mention that the moon doesn't really shrink.  It appears to shrink because at different times it reflects different amounts of sunlight.)
Your young astronomer may want to watch the night sky for a month and chart the moon (on the nights he can see it) as it goes through its cycle.

Moon Phase Booklet by Wende

Phases of the Moon Demonstration
Label the Moon Phases Diagram
More Moon Information

Extend your Moon Study-- Hands of a Child Moon Project Pack

Make Moon Phase Cookies
Using sugar cookies (circle shaped) and a cup of yellow icing, make each phase of the moon by using the icing to color in the lighted part.  Make the phases in sequence and display them (take a picture!).  Then, gobble up your science fun! 

Science: Sun and other Stars
When the Little House lived in the country she liked to watch the sun rise and set each day, and she liked to watch the stars twinkle each night. Have your child look at pages 2-3, as the sun rises and sets. Explain that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Have child complete this sun mini-book if desired. Does your child know that the sun is a star? It is not the largest star, but it is the star closest to the earth so it seems much brighter than the other stars. In addition to light, the sun provides us with heat and energy. The position of the earth as it rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun is what causes day and night, as well as the different seasons. Read page 30 of The Little House with your child. Why could the Little House only see the sun at noontime? Because it is straight up in the sky at noon. Why couldn’t the Little House see the moon and stars at nighttime anymore? For the same reason you can’t see stars in the daytime. Do this experiment with your child to demonstrate how the light of the sun or bright streetlights can overpower the smaller lights of distant stars or the moon: Go into a dark room and shine a little flashlight on the wall. The light will be bright in the darkness of the room. Now switch on the lights and see what happens to the small light of the flashlight. The larger light overpowers the smaller light. That is why the little house couldn’t see the beauty of the nighttime sky anymore as the city lights were overpowering.

A good book to read about the sun is Sunshine Makes the Seasons by Franklyn M. Branley from the Read-and-Find-Out series.

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More Ideas:

Rabbit Trails
The Industrial Revolution
Study the sun (sunrise, sunset, sun facts)

Library List
Homeplace by Ann Shelby (ties in to first page of The Little House); great for genealogy study!
The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons

Other Resources
Ch. 4 (The Little House) Exploring the Environment Through Children's Literature by Butzow