Swiss Family Robinson Unit – Chapter 6
Chapter Six entitled An Addition to Our Fleet, 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.
I’m adding a note here that will be true of all of the parts of this unit study. There are several versions of The Swiss Family Robinson. This started back to its original publication some 200 years ago when it was written originally in German. There are various translations and even alternate endings. The edition that I am using was published in 1968 by Classic Press, Inc. in Santa Rosa, California. Other editions may be different. There are several modern versions that have removed all references to prayer and God which are so prevalent a theme in the original work. You may use this unit as a guide, and if your edition of The Swiss Family Robinson is slightly different, simply adjust it to meet your needs.
Suggested Vocabulary:
insuperable
pineapple
exploration
expedition
Iguana
Guava
Suggested Questions:
1. After figuring out how to provide bread for the family, father starts to again think of everything that has been left on the ship. Why do you think this is?
2. What was the compromise that mother and father made with regard to the boys going with father to the boat? Why do you think compromising is a good idea in most circumstances?
3. Why did father begin to feel he would never be able to make use of the little boat they had discovered in pieces in the hold in a previous chapter? Did he come up with a plan?
4. What was brought back to Tentholm that first trip with the three older boys?
5. What had mother been up to while father and the three older sons had spent their days on the ship?
6. What was father’s purpose in keeping his sons active in athletics and other activities?
7. What was causing the coconuts to come down after Ernest wished for one? What was the “hideous creature”?
8. What were some of the other discoveries they made on their expedition?
9. How did father capture the iguana?
Suggested Activities:
1. If you were stranded on an unfamiliar island and could plant a garden, what would you plant? Design a garden to scale and show what and where you would plant your choice of fruits and vegetables. How would you take care of and water your garden?
2. Draw a series of pictures that show father and the boys building the little boat and how they removed it from the ship’s hold.
3. Participate in some of the athletic activities that father had the boys doing. You can do this on your own or with a group.
4. Try and make your own lasso.
5. Draw a scene that shows what was throwing the coconuts down at Ernest in this chapter.
6. Learn about the kind of crabs that live in coconut trees. How big can they get? What do they look like? What do they eat? Do they live in the trees all of the time, or only when they are after food?
7. Try a guava or guava product, such as juice or preserves.
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
