HORSE AND OX POWER

PRE- OR POST-TRIP ACTIVITY

Reading and Vocabulary Exercise
Teacher Worksheet

FARMER BOY - LAURA INGALLS WILDER:
Chapter Nine: Breaking the Calves (The Homeplace)

Synopsis: Nine year-old Almanzo spends time training his team of young oxen. He teaches them to wear a yoke and haul small loads, but he runs into trouble when he tries to hitch a ride with them on his sled.

Themes

• Although Almanzo enjoys working with his oxen, his time with them is not play. Many leisure activities for children in the 19th century doubled as teaching situations to foster work and life skills.
• Almanzo is careful to be patient and kind in training the oxen. Farm animals are not pets, but farmers did maintain affectionate and respectful working relationships with their animals.

Vocabulary Words

1. yoke
2. bows
3. nubs
4. chore
5. haw
6. gee
7. frisky
8. heft
9. sternly
10. whoa

Students may use the accompanying worksheet to define the vocabulary words in the passage. They should read over the words prior to starting the chapter and then look for the words as they are reading. Students should attempt to guess the word's meaning from context clues and write their guess on the first line. After finishing the passage, they should look the definitions up in the dictionary and write them on the second line. This could work well as a paired or group activity.

FARMER BOY VOCABULARY WORKSHEET

Chapter Nine: Breaking the Calves

Read each word to yourself before starting the chapter. Look for the words as you read through it. When you find one of the words try to guess its meaning from context clues. Write down your guess in the first space. After you've finished reading the chapter, look up the definitions of any you weren't sure about. Write the definition in the second space provided.

1. yoke
  1st Guess ____________________________________________________
  Definition ____________________________________________________

2. bows
  1st Guess ____________________________________________________
  Definition ____________________________________________________

3. nubs
  1st Guess ____________________________________________________
  Definition ____________________________________________________

4. chore
  1st Guess ____________________________________________________
  Definition ____________________________________________________

5. haw
  1st Guess ____________________________________________________
  Definition ____________________________________________________

6. gee
  1st Guess ____________________________________________________
  Definition ____________________________________________________

7. frisky
  1st Guess ____________________________________________________
  Definition ____________________________________________________

8. heft
  1st Guess ____________________________________________________
  Definition ____________________________________________________

9. sternly
  1st Guess ____________________________________________________
  Definition ____________________________________________________

10. whoa
  1st Guess ____________________________________________________
  Definition ____________________________________________________