Thursday, June 26, 2008

Sarah, Plain and Tall


Sarah Plain and Tall is a historical fiction book written by Patricia MacLachlan. There are no illustrations. The book was published in 1985 by Harper. Potential activities and lessons include having students search for bird nests with hair woven in them, writing an advertisement for a spouse. (What qualities would one look for in a mail-order spouse?)

This story is about a mail-order bride who moves in with a family, who eventually grows to love her. Sarah misses her old home and when she takes the wagon into town one day, the family becomes concerned that she will not return.

Publisher: HarperTrophy, 1987, c1985

Lexile Number: 560

This title is the 1986 Newbery winner.

(Cover image : Follett Library Resources, http://flr.follett.com)

Reflections include thinking of the qualities of a good person – a good spouse. It would also be interesting for students to put themselves in Sarah’s (or a member of the family) place and write their expectations and fears.

Lesson Connection : GPS: ELA5R1 The student demonstrates comprehension and shows evidence of a warranted and responsible explanation of a variety of literary and informational texts. Critical Component: For literary texts, the student identifies the characteristics of various genres and produces evidence of a reading that:a. Identifies and analyzes the elements of setting, characterization, and conflict in plot.b. Identifies and analyzes the structural elements particular to dramatic literature (e.g., scenes, acts, cast of characters, stage directions) in the plays read, viewed, written, and performed.c. Identifies and analyzes the similarities and differences between a narrative text and its film or play version.d. Relates a literary work to information about its setting (historically or culturally).f. Identifies and analyzes the author’s use of dialogue and description.g. Applies knowledge of the concept that theme refers to the message either implied or stated, that the author wants us to derive from a selection. i. Makes judgments and inferences about setting, characters, and events and supports them with elaborating and convincing evidence from the text.

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