Swiss Family Robinson Unit:
Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven entitled An Unwelcome Visitor, 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:
putrefying
cogwheel
mattock
voracity
antediluvian
boa constrictor
maw
undulation
galvanic
circumspection
epitaph
Suggested Questions:
1. What was the dirty job that the Robinson family need to finish up at the beginning of this chapter?
2. What did father use in place of glass in the windows for the cave?
3. The boys had the idea to make something for their mother’s traveling comfort. What was it? [Answer: a woven sedan chair that would be carried by the buffalo and the bull]
4. Who was the unwelcome visitor?
5. What tragedy occurred because of the unwelcome visitor?
Suggested Activities:
1. Draw a picture of the rowing machine that father built.
2. Continue to study whales, in particular, their skeletons and how they are dissimilar to those of fish.
3. Try your hand at basket weaving. Many baskets can be made using grass and/or pine needles that have soaked to keep them pliable.
4. Study the habitats and life cycle of the boa constrictor.
5. Write the epitaph for Grizzle in your best handwriting.
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
