Sarah, Plain and Tall Project
Dear Parents,
We have been reading Sarah, Plain and Tall as a class and will finish our reading in Reader's Workshop tomorrow.
This morning students chose a final project to enhance their experience reading this core literature book.
Choices for the project include:
- Examine Sarah, Plain and Tall for information about characters and settings (such as the ages of the children) which Patricia Mac Lachlan leaves out of the story. In a classified ad for the Lost and Found column of the newspaper, outline these missing facts and details.
- Anna doesn't tell us very much about what Sarah looks like. Construct a mental image of Sarah Elizabeth Wheaton, and paint/sketch/draw her portrait.
- Make a diorama showing the interior of the barn and its animal and human occupants during the squall.
- Why does Sarah decide to stay? Choose three reasons, and, in a letter to William Wheaton, support your conclusion with evidence from the story.
- Assemble a group of ten songs for Sarah to teach to Caleb and Anna. Put your collection into a book to give as a Christmas present to the Witting family.
- Because Anna is the narrator of this story, we see and understand only what she sees and understands. Decide how Sarah, Plain and Tall would be different if it were told from Papa's point of view. Rewrite one chapter of the story from Papa's point of view!
Ask your child which project they chose and encourage them to brainstorm what they will do for the project. We will spend some time on our projects this week in Reader's Workshop, but some of the work may need to be finished at home.
Students who chose to construct a diorama will need to bring in their own materials to work on their project at school, and will most likely complete most of the project at home.
If schedules are tight at home, you may want to consider encouraging your child to choose a new project that can be completed with more class time.
Projects will be completed by Friday, November 21st!
Best,
Ms. Meghan Turner
PS: We have been studying biomes in science. Ask your child to think about the setting of Sarah, Plain and Tall and see if they can tell you the name of the biome where the story takes place!
