These Happy Golden Years
by Laura Ingalls Wilder · Little House series · Grade 4-6 · Ages Ages 8-12
Laura Ingalls is growing up on the prairie and takes her first job as a teacher to help her family. She must be brave in a new place while still treasuring home, school, friends, and buggy rides with Almanzo Wilder.
Key vocabulary
A wide, open area of grassland with few trees. The Ingalls family lives on the prairie.
A home and land where a family settles and works. Pioneers often built homesteads far from towns.
A small building where children go to learn. In Laura’s time, many grades learned together in one room.
Saying something aloud from memory or for a lesson. Students might stand and give a recitation in class.
A vehicle that slides over snow instead of rolling on wheels. Horses can pull a sleigh in winter.
A small carriage pulled by a horse. People used buggies to travel before cars were common.
A kind of cotton cloth, often with a small, colorful pattern. Dresses and aprons could be made from calico.
Able to do things on your own and make your own choices. Laura learns to be more independent as she grows up.