Swiss Family Robinson Unit – Chapter 4
Chapter Four entitled Settling Down, continues the unit study of the Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
For a complete copy of The Swiss Family Robinson online, check out http://www.ccel.org/w/wyss/swiss/swiss.html.
Suggested Vocabulary:
archery
approbation
vociferous
phlegmatic
aloe
jasmine
vanilla
prudence
salmon
allegory
Suggested Questions:
1. Even though the boys sprang awake, looking for something to do, why did father tell them to rest? Do you think he had valid reasons?
2. One of the activities that is in this chapter was where father suggested naming their new geographical points. Do you think this was a smart decision? Give your reasons for your answer.
3. What are some of the homemade items that the family made in this chapter and what purpose did they serve?
4. What are some of the names of the family’s pets or wild animals that they had turned into pets? After the pet’s name, tell what kind of animal it was and one special attribute of the animal.
5. What was so special about the plant that Ernest discovered?
6. What lesson did father teach the boys about the plant that Ernest discovered? [Answer: He asked them how the family should be thankful for the discovery of the potatoes. He went further to show them that as nice as it is to “say” thank you, its even more important to follow through and “show” your thankfulness by obedience.]
7. Name some of the other discoveries that the family made in this chapter.
8. What is a naturalist? What is a botanist?
9. How did father help Ernest to overcome one of his bad habits? What was the bad habit and why was it so bad?
10. What strange beast did father and Ernest run into while returning to Falconhurst?
11. How was Fritz trying to act maturely when Ernest got a lot of praise for the prizes he brought back with father?
Suggested Activities:
1. Learn about the sport of archery.
2. Do some activities from the archery unit study at http://www.easyfunschool.com/article2136.html.
3. If you had to go about naming your local geographical points the way that the Robinson family did, what would you name various neighborhood points?
4. Using the narrative that you have read thus far in the book, create a map of the land the Robinson family landed on.
5. Investigate and research about the plants that the family discover in this chapter: potato, pineapple, jasmine, aloe, vanilla, Indian fig, etc.
6. Become a naturalist or botanist and investigate the various plants and animals in your area of the country and what use you could put them in if you were ship wrecked or stranded there with no modern conveniences.
7. Investigate how gunpowder and shot are made.
Online Lessons:
http://www.suhsd.k12.ca.us/mvm/netlinks/1swiss/1swiss.html
Island Survival
http://www.penguinreaders.com/downloads/0582426642.pdf
Teach With Movies
Sites You May Find A Good Resource:
Swiss Family Robinson Fan Site
