Chapter 12

Guiding Questions

• What fall activities were described in Chapter 12?
• How did Ma make straw hats?
• What is squash? How many different kinds of squash can you name?
• How did Ma make hulled corn? In what ways did they eat it?
  • Hulled corn is also called hominy. It is corn that has had its hull removed by soaking lye in water.
• How did Ma think johnny-cake got its name?
• Why did Pa say he was "all for progress"?

Figurative Language

Identify the types of figurative language used in the following passages:

• Along the rail fence the sumac held up its dark red cones of berries...
• Laura was scampering and chattering like the squirrels...
• All this machinery made an enormous racket, rackety-banging and clanging.
• The hole looked like the separator's mouth, and it had long, iron teeth. The teeth were chewing.

Vocabulary

Explore chapter vocabulary with the visual dictionary.

Extensions

• Watch this video (0:44) to see how the horse-powered thresher works.
• Try braiding straw the way Laura describes.