Little Class in the Big Woods

Time: 10:45 - 12:45 

Mentors: D.D. Black, Gina Amodt, Lora McLaughlin

Class Fee: $50 fall semester 

Ages: Prescholar 10 - 12 

Class Description: 
 

Join us for a fun, hands-on, year long adventure through "The Little House in the Big Woods" book series! As this book series does such a beautiful job at teaching the importance of community, family & service, we will also be reading a chapter each week in class out of the book "Love Does for Kids" by Bob Goff. This book offers such fun inspiration for love-in-action. We will be giving a fun "Love Does" service challenge each week for pre scholars to complete during the week. Our "Little Class in the Big Woods" is for pre scholars ages 10-12. However, pre scholars that are a little younger or older that need/want & are ready for this class are welcome to join us. The values, principles, skills & lessons we learn from these books will benefit & bless your prescholar for a lifetime! We are excited to share this class with you!

 

Each week in class:

*Prayer & pioneer era game/ song/dance (15 min.)

*Prescholar presentation to share what they learned from an  “I wonder…” they had from that week's reading (5 min.)

*Debrief of last week's "Love Does" challenge & read chapter in "Love Does for Kids" by Bob Goff for upcoming week's challenge. (10 min.)

*Homework shares & review chapters read at home. Get prizes! (35 min.)

*Hands on learning/activity/experience directly from that week's reading! (45 -50 min )

*Next week's homework review, get new vocabulary word  & cleanup. (5 - 10 min.)

 

Week to week reading & homework schedule (1st semester):

 

***For the first day of class, prescholars need to have read: Chapters 1-6 in Little House in the Big Woods

 

Week 1 (Aug. 15th )

*Sign up for a presentation on  an “I wonder…” you  have from the week’s reading that you signed up for.  THE DATE I CHOSE IS ________________

*Sign up to bring a snack. Something from the books would be great! THE DATE I CHOSE IS ________________

*Read chapters 7-14 in Little House in the Big Woods & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the weeks reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

 

Week 2 (Aug. 22nd )

*Read chapters 1-9 in Farmer Boy & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

Week 3 ( Aug. 29th )

*Read chapters 10-17 in Farmer Boy & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

Week 4 ( Sept. 5th )
*Read chapters 18-24 in Farmer Boy & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

Week 5  ( Sept. 12th )

*Read chapters 25-29 in Farmer Boy & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

*Write an opinion paper: “I like or disliked this book, because...”

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

 

Week 6  ( Sept.  19th )
*Read chapters 1-7 in The Little House on the Prairie & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

Week 7  (  Sept. 26th )
*Reading chapters 8-15 in The Little House on the Prairie & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

Week 8  ( Oct. 3rd )

*Read chapters 16-23 in The Little House on the Prairie & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

 

Week 9 ( Oct. 17th )
*Reading chapters 24-26 in The Little House on the Prairie & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

*Write an opinion paper: "I would like or dislike to live on the prairie like Laura's family & this is why..."

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

Week 10  ( Oct.  24th )

*Read chapters 1-13 in On the Banks of Plum Creek & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

 

Week 11 ( Oct. 31st )
*Reading chapters 14-25 in On the Banks of Plum Creek & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

Week 12  ( Nov. 7th )

*Read chapters 26-36 in On the Banks of Plum Creek & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

 

Week 13 ( Nov. 14th )
*Reading chapters 37-41 in On the Banks of Plum Creek & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal. 

*Write an opinion paper: "My favorite thing we learned/did this semester was..."

* For two prizes: Write your  thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.

Week 14  ( Nov. 21st )

*No homework.

 

End of semester reward requirements:
There are lots of important tools, resources & helpful items that individuals & families needed to thrive in the big woods & on the prairie. We will be learning about many of these throughout the semester. As the pre scholars complete each semester's requirements, they will earn one of these items for their own! PLUS, they will receive an invitation to our special end of semester reward party based around this series. It will be an event they don't want to miss! If pre scholars earn the "Above & Beyond" award, they will receive an additional "tool" to help equip them in their own "big woods" adventures!

 

Class requirements:

• Read books: (*In order to read all of the books in this original series, we will be reading around 100 pages a week - some weeks a bit more & some weeks a bit less. *Note: The print is larger and there are many  illustrations.)

 

Little House in the Big Woods (1st sem.)

Farmer Boy (1st sem.)

Little House on the Prairie (1st sem.)

On the Banks of Plum Creek (1st sem.)

By the Shores of Silver Lake (2nd sem.)

The Long Winter (2nd sem.)

Little Town on the Prairie (2nd sem.)

These Happy Golden Years (2nd sem.)

The First Four Years (2nd sem.)

 

• 1 Presentation on an “I wonder…” from weekly reading (per semester)

• 3 Writing assignments (per semester)

• Define 1 vocabulary word each week in *commonplace journal. Each week's vocabulary word will be given in class (per semester). (*These will be given to pre scholars the first day of class.)

• Complete weekly homework each week: 

 

To choose one prize out of the prize box each week, do the following:

 

*Complete the assigned homework for the week. (You will see this in the week to week schedule. This will include the assigned reading chapters, a vocabulary word to define at home & write definition found in commonplace journal & a short opinion paper on select weeks.) 

 

To choose two prizes out of the prize box each week, also  do the following:

 

*Write your thoughts, “I wonder…”  questions or your favorite part of  this week’s reading in your commonplace journal. You will be able to share this in class if you want to!

 

*Copy a quote from any book into your commonplace journal. 

 

Above & Beyond Award at the end of the semester:

Complete all class requirements AND both of the  additional commonplace journal entries every week!