Sarah, Plain and Tall is a tale set in the late 19th century. It is about a widowed
midwestern farmer with two children, Anna and Caleb. The farmer advertises for a wife.
When Sarah arrives she is homesick for Maine, especially for the ocean which she misses
greatly. The children fear that she will not stay, and when she goes off to town alone,
young Caleb, whose mother died during childbirth, is stricken with the fear that she has
gone for good. But she returns with colored pencils to illustrate for them the beauty of
Maine, and to explain that, though she misses her home, "the truth of it is I would miss
you more." The tale gently explores themes of abandonment, loss and love.
Sarah Plain and Tall
Chapter 1 Vocabulary
hearthstones
horrid
wretched
feisty
rascal
advertisement
energetic
dusk
slab
Sarah Plain and Tall
Chapter 2 Vocabulary
enclosing
pesky
shingles
stall
peer
braid
flounder
Draw a picture of each of the following vocabulary words.
Yes, I can braid hair . . .
He catches flounder and sea bass and
bluefish.
I am enclosing a book of sea birds so you
will see what William and I see every day.
You are loud and pesky.
My house is tall and the shingles are gray
because of the salt from the sea.
One morning, early, Papa and Caleb and I
were cleaning out the horse stalls and
putting down new bedding.
"What's that?" asked Caleb excitedly,
peering over Papa's shoulder.
Sarah Plain and Tall
Chapter 3 Vocabulary
Use the following words in the blanks below.
slick
hitched
fetch
bonnet
windbreak
flax
Chapter 4 Vocabulary
1.
a cracking noise
2.
a meal made of meat and vegetables
which have been simmered
a. paddock
b. rustle
c. stew
3.
an enclosed area used especially for
pasturing or exercising animals, particularly
horses
Chapter 5 Vocabulary
coarse
charcoal
dune
mica
canvas
pitchfork
Click to select
1. Sarah likes to draw with
2. The sand dune sparkled with bits of
3. The wool on the sheep felt
4. Papa used a
.
Click to select
Click to select
Click to select
.
in Sarah's hands.
to pile up the hay.
Click to select
5. A
is a hill of sand formed by the wind, usually in desert
regions or near lakes and oceans.
6. The hay was covered with
Click to select
to keep the rain from rotting it.
Chapter 6 Vocabulary
tumbleweeds
gullies
collapsed
startled
killdeer
sputter
Draw a picture of each vocabulary word. Use the sentences to help you with their
meanings.
The wind blows the snow and brings
tumbleweeds and makes the sheep run.
Sarah and I watched Caleb jump over rock
and gullies, the sheep behind him.
He collapsed next to Sarah.
"Shoo, cows," said Sarah as the cows
looked up startled.
I sand like a buck filled with water and
came up sputtering.
And I could hear a killdeer in the field
Chapter 7 Vocabulary
dandelions
primly
whickering
banty
Enter into the box on the left, the letter of the correct match on the right.
For mark, press or click Tab.
1.
snorting or neighing
2.
formally, pricisely, or properly
3.
a type of weed with a yellow flower
4.
small type of chicken
a. dandelions
b. whickering
c. banty
d. primly
Chapter 8 Vocabulary
weary
overalls
squall
pungent
huddled
milled
eerie
Enter into the box on the left, the letter of the correct match on the right.
For mark, press or click Tab.
1.
uneasy or frightening
2.
grouped close together
3.
tired or exhausted
4.
moved about aimlessly
5.
sharp or keen
6.
a type of pants
7.
storm
a. weary
b. overalls
c. squall
d. pungent
e. huddled
f. milled
g. eerie
Chapter 9 Vocabulary
groom
sly
crossly
scuttling
stern
wailed
1. When the work was done, he took her out into the fields, Papa riding Jack who was
Click to select
, and Sarah riding Old Bess .
Click to select
2. And with a whisper to Old Bess and a
climbed up in the wagon and drove away.
3. "Hush up, Caleb," I said
Click to select
word to Jack, Sarah
.
4. Seal stepped around them and leaped up on the fence to
Click to select
herself.
5. Sarah's chickens
Click to select
along behind me.
6. Sarah put her arms around him, and he
Click to select
into her dress.