Sarah, Plain and Tall

Author: Patricia MacLachlan

Copyright: 1985

Publisher: Harper & Row

MacLachlan, P. (1985). Sarah, plain and tall. New York: Harper & Row.

Reading Level: 4

Lexile Measure: 560L

Genre: Historical Fiction

Description: Mid 19^th century, farm life, coping with death, new experiences and change, grief, and loss.

Delivery Suggestion: Small groups.

Summary: Calab and Anna, from Kansas, have been living without a mother for a long time. Unfortunately, Calab doesn’t remember his mother because she died a day after Calab was born. Anna truly misses her mothers singing and tells Calab about how mom and dad use to sing all the time. However, since their mother passes, their dad does not sing at all. After a long time of constant grieving, their father places an ad for a “mail-order” bride to come live with their family in Kansas. Luckily, a woman named Sarah from Maine comes to be a part of their family. However, Sarah misses her brother, her aunts, and the sea. Calab and Anna worry that Sarah will not stay with them.

Electronic Resources:

Sarah's Song This resource provides viewers the opportunity to listen to the song Sarah sings; view the music notes, and the lyrics. This can be a form of intervention for a student below reading level or it can be used successfully for all students to get a better understanding of how the song sounds.

Kansas and Maine Students can use this resource by looking for differences between Kansas and Maine. They can get a better understanding of what Sarah is missing back at home and how the two locations differ.

Vocabulary: Troublesome, fogbound, pesky, hitch, tumbleweeds, treaded.

Teaching Suggestions:

-Use this book to supplement a geography or history lesson and discuss life in the mid 19^th century on a westward farm.

-Use this book to discuss feelings and possible hardships with loss and grief from death.

-Use this book to discuss family dynamics and the roles of family members during the mid 19^th century versus now.

Comprehension Strategies:

Before Reading: A large part of this story is about family and family dynamics. In small groups, come up with a definition of the word family. After finalizing your definition, look up the words meaning in the dictionary. Compare your group’s definition with the dictionary’s definition. Amongst each other, discuss your family’s dynamics and the roles of individuals at home.

During Reading: There are four seasons during this story. Write a poem about what happens to the family and Sarah during each season. Create an illustration with each poem as well. Display these works around the classroom and provide students with the opportunity to read their fellow classmates poems and examine their illustrations.

After Reading: From Sarah’s point of view, compose a letter to her brother and her aunts about her new family and life on the farm.

Writing Activity:

Create an illustration of an object that is found in the sea. For example, a seashell or a starfish. Look back into the story and list what Sarah loved about the sea. Write a paragraph about three different items on the list and why Sarah loved them. Place your completed paragraph on the object that you had created. Allow students to read their paragraphs aloud and show their illustrations.