We use cookies to make your experience better. To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent to set the cookies. Learn more.
Swiss Family Robinson Study Guide
The Story of Progeny Press from Rainbow Resource on Vimeo.
A Christian Classic! A Swiss family is traveling to a new colony when their ship sir> blown off course in a six-day storm and runs aground near an uninhabited island. The father, mother, and their four sons escape the wrecked ship and make their way ashore to find that they are the only survivors of the wreck. Salvaging what resources they can from the wreck, the family begins carving out a solitary existence on the island, uncertain when or if a rescue ship will ever arrive.
Despite dangerous animals, torrential monsoons, and the loneliness of isolation, they face all their hardships with energy, ingenuity, and the knowledge that God is always with them.
Teacher's Note: Swiss Family Robinson was originally written in the German language in Switzerland by Johann David Wyss. It was then translated in 1813 by Isabelle de Monto lieu and then subsequently translated into English by William H. G. Kingston, first published in 1879. Over the years there have been many versions of the story with episodes added, changed, or deleted. We have written the guide based on the Yearling edition published by Random House containing 44 chapters. Any other edition may be numbered or chaptered differently, and the content may be slightly different.
Through Johann David Wyss' imaginative and fascinating adventure, students will learn:
- About the Author: Learn about Johann David Wyss.
- Vocabulary words used throughout the novel, utilizing a variety of activities to stimulate retention and growth.
- Literary Techniques: Characterization, cause and effect, synonym, antonym, allusion, in context, dictionary, anthropomorphism, simile, metaphor, understatement, foreshadow, paraphrase, point of view, conflict, protagonist, antagonist, complications, resolution, theme, literary contrivance.
- Moral Lessons and Character Values: God's help, prayer, contentment, Sabbath, work, provision, pride, strength, optimism, pessimism, perseverance, independence, honor parents, encouragement.
- Activities and Writing Assignments: Research papers, geography, discussion groups, sailing, botany, journaling, shipwreck project, art, field trip, movies.
- Suggestions for Further Reading: We include a wonderful reading list of more books by the same author(s) and other books and movies that tie in with, or are similar to, Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss.
All of the unit lessons are written from a Christian worldview!
Please note that a brief synopsis of many of the books included here are provided in our Library Builders section. Study guides for the same book are often available from several publishers, so we found it more efficient to give a description of the book only once.
Among the many companies that offer a literature guide or study guide to use with a novel, Progeny Press does a beautiful job incorporating scripture into their literary analysis. I like how their guides begin with more basic comprehension questions and evolve into more challenging questions that encourage deeper thinking. Think of it as moving from who, what and where into the how and why's. With Progeny Press, students are asked to draw comparisons between the literature they are reading and the Bible. Your student will use their own Bible in their preferred version.
New to literature study guides? They are an independent and flexible option for adding a literature component to your language arts. As your student reads a novel, the guide provides a framework, something like a workbook. The guide might suggest each learner read chapters 1 and 2, then answer some questions. Students answer directly in the guide. From a parent's viewpoint, this is a time saver! You can set a schedule if you like, or just open their guide and ask them a question! Students love talking about what they are reading, whether they like it or not. Parent educators get a sense of the investment in the book each child has based on their remarks. In addition, parents could easily develop and add some deeper questions into an essay too.
Progeny Press has many titles to choose from. The age groups overlap in places because, well, that is not an exact science, is it? One student may read a book at age 10 and another at age 14. The age groups help a parent determine if the novel's content is likely appropriate for a child's age. Reading comprehension and literary analysis are an important component of any ELA year. A typical number of novels with guides is 4-6 a year, or 2-3 per semester. Some novels may take only a couple weeks to complete, while others take up to 8 weeks. Guides are currently available as softcover books, PDF format on CD-ROM, or PDF downloads available directly from the publisher at (progenypress.com). The guides are reproducible within one classroom or family.
Each guide includes:
- a concise synopsis of the book
- information about the book's author
- background information pertinent to the story
- suggestions for activities relating to the subject matter
- introduction of literary terms
- vocabulary exercises for each section of reading
- comprehension, analysis, and application questions for each section of reading with discussion of related Biblical themes
- a complete answer key and suggestions for further reading
Uses the W.H.G. Kingston translation. Guide includes first sentence of each chapter section to allow for variation.
Product Format: | Softcover Book |
---|---|
Brand: | Progeny Press |
Grades: | 6-8 |
ISBN: | 9781586093532 |
Length in Inches: | 10.625 |
Width in Inches: | 8.25 |
Height in Inches: | 0.1875 |
Weight in Pounds: | 0.4 |