Swiss Family Robinson Unit – Chapter 8
Chapter Eight entitled The Rainy Season, 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:
grafting
cicatrize
cicatrix
gourmand
conjecture
reservoir
superfluous
onager
interstice
grouse
flax
Suggested Questions:
1. Father was explaining the different between wild and tame trees to Jack, in the beginning of this chapter. What do you think is the difference between wild and tame trees?
2. In the book, mother’s only complaint of the tree house was that she disliked scaling the ladder. She asked father to find an alternative. What did father come up with?
3. Explain in detail, the process father and the boys went through to build their solution to the problem in question two, above.
4. Who did they have to evict before they could continue with their plan?
5. How long did it take father and the boys to construct their staircase?
6. How were the animals made to be useful to the Robinson family?
7. What kind of training did the animals require and why do you think this is so?
8. What animal surprised them by coming home? What did it bring with it?
9. After the a couple of major projects were completed in this chapter, the Robinson family turned to storing their winter provisions. What kind of things did they store?
10. The Robinson family, to their chagrin, could not live in their tree house during the heavy rains. Why do you think this is so?
11. Where did the Robinson family move once the rains began?
12. What do you think were some of the problems that the Robinson family had when they had to move down to their stables during the rainy season?
Suggested Activities:
1. Learn about grafting trees. If possible, take a fieldtrip to a orchard or tree farm and see a demonstration of tree grafting.
2. Locate and/or try recipes where one of the ingredients you use are the fruit that the Robinson family would eventually harvest from their avenue of fruit trees.
3. Research bees, honey bees, and the uses for honey.
4. Make a candle from bees wax. Compare how a beeswax candle burns to how a regular wax candle burns. What is the difference(s)?
5. If you had to store all of the food for your family for the winter, what would you store and how much?
6. Research the flax plant and what it is used for and how.
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
