Chapter 1- Sarah Plain and Tall

Chapter Summary-
The first chapter begins with a introduction to Caleb and his sister Anna. We find out their mother died when Caleb was born, and now the children live with there father Jacob Witting, and their two dogs on the prairie. Caleb asks Anna about the day she was born. Anna tells him the story the best she can remember. Caleb knows that his mother sang beautiful songs. The children's father tells them some interesting news. He has placed an advertisement for a wife -- a new mother for Caleb and Anna. They were surprised. They were also surprised when they received a response. Papa reads the letter from Sarah. Sarah sounds kind. Papa sends a letter back and asks if Sarah sings.

What we will cover this Chapter- 
History and Geography- Kansas, Prairies
Science- Babies and Human Development
Science- Rocks, 3 types
Language Arts- (writing, vocabulary, making connections)

History and Geography- (Kansas, Prairies)
Even though the author dosen't tell as exactly where Anna and Caleb live. We can guess they live in on a prairie in Kansas.  Lily and Aj completed a worksheet about Kansas and watched a video.

Science- Babies and Human Development
In chapter 1 Anna tells Caleb about when he was born. We took some time and discussed how babies develop before they are born. We read a book about how this happens.

Science- Rocks, 3 types
On page 4, Anna Turns the bread dough she has been kneading out onto a marble slab on her table. We learned what type of rock marble is. We also wanted to know what other kinds of rocks there are. This chapter was the perfect opportunity to learn about rocks, (Where are they from? and How are they formed?) Lily and Aj decided to use a rock tumbler over the next couple of weeks to learn how to smooth rocks. (I will post the results later.) They also read books, completed 3 work sheets and watched a video about rocks form Bill Nye the science guy.

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Language Arts- (writing, vocabulary, making connections)

 The kids started a journal. After reading the first chapter they had to complete questions about the chapter, look up vocabulary words and describe the main characters of the story. They also made predictions, wrote chapter titles, asked question, and  made connections about the story. (I used www.teacherspayteachers.com for the journal paperwork)

Thanks for reading! 

Hope you enjoyed our activities.