1. Text Little House in the Big Woods Unit 1

2. I. Title Little House in the Big Woods is the first of the eight volume series and Laura Ingalls Wilder's first children's book. It’s the story of Laura and her family and how life was for them in their log cabin deep in the woods.

3. Picture of a Little House in the Big woods

4. II. Author Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in Pepin, Wisconsin, in Feb. 7,1867. Her early life was spent constantly moving from place to place. They traveled through thick woods, over barren prairies, through the swollen Mississippi, and over icy waters all in their covered wagon. They moved from Missouri, to Kansas, to Wisconsin, to Minnesota, to Iowa and finally settled in De Smet, South Dakota, where her father claimed a homestead ( 家宅 ). When Laura started writing her classic “Little House” book series in 1932,

5. she had no idea of creating fame for herself or the places where she had lived. She wrote simply to preserve tales of a lost era in American history, the pioneer period she vividly recalled from her growing-up years on the Midwestern frontier in the 1870’s and 1880’s. When Laura completed her eight-volume series in 1943, she had achieved a lasting and substantial literary picture of pioneer life as she had experienced it in Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

6. In 1954 the American Library Association established the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in her honor and Wilder was the first recipient. The award is now given every five years to the author who has made a substantial contribution to children's literature. Most recently it was presented to Virginia Hamilton, who was also the first black author to win the Newbery Medal. Wilder died in Feb.1957 in Mansfield of a stroke. After her death, children all over the world continue to read and enjoy her books.

7. Laura’s eight-volume series: Little House in the Big Woods (1932) Farmer Boy (1933) Little House on the Prairie (1935) On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937) By the Shores of Silver Lake (1939) The Long Winter (1940) Little Town on the Prairie (1941) Those Happy Golden Years (1943) A weekly television series, Little House on the Prairie, which was based loosely on Wilder's books, began in 1974 and ran for many seasons.

8. III. Background Information Westward Movement in America ( 西进运动 ) Westward movement in America carried settlers across America, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The westward movement began in the early 1600's with European settlements along the Atlantic Coast of North America. It continued until the late 1800's. By that time, the western frontiers of the United States had been conquered.

9. An abundance of land and other natural resources lured America's pioneers westward. The pioneers struggled westward across hills, mountains, and prairies on foot, on horseback and in covered wagons. Some of them looked to the west for wealth or adventure. Others sought to improve their social position or increase their political power. Wilders’ father was one of those pioneers.

10. For almost 300 years, the westward movement influenced American history. The frontier was more than a place on a map. It was an experience that shaped many American institutions and ideas. The frontier environment presented challenges that produced creative solutions. The frontier experience promoted democracy and also encouraged the development of certain "American" characteristics. As jacks of all trades, pioneers became inventive and self-reliant. In addition, frontiers offered opportunities for success to those who worked hard.

11. As a result, pioneers tended to be optimistic about the future and concerned with material wealth. Boastfulness and self-confidence emerged as frontier traits as well. Unfortunately, the pioneers also became extremely wasteful because they lived among such plentiful natural resources. Pioneers cut down vast areas of forests, lost large amounts of gold and other minerals in careless mining operations, and exhausted the soil. The continual pursuit of a better life made Americans more restless than their European ancestors.

12. IV. Structure Part 1 (para.1-5) – Pa was away from home, trading his furs for necessities. Part 2 (para. 6-32) – Ma & her daughters encountered a big bear but got home safely. Part 3 (para 33-35) – Pa was back home safe & sound

13. V. Text Analysis wilderness – an unsettled, uncultivated region left in its natural condition 荒野 ( 地 ) What are the essential factors in telling a story? The five Ws: who, what, when, where, and why. thaw – melt eave – projecting overhang at lower edge 屋檐 trade – give in exchange for sth. else trap – catch in or as if in a trap pack – fold, roll or combine into a bundle strap – fasten or secure with a strap

14. personification – A figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form. 拟人，人格化, 给无生命的东西或者抽象的东西 赋予人的个性或绘以人的形象. Hunger sat shivering on the road. 饥饿站在路上颤抖. Flowers danced about the lawn. 花儿在草地上翩翩起舞.

15. Simile ( 明喻 ) – an explicit comparison between two things of a different kind of quality, usually introduced by “like”, “as”, “as if” or “as though”. (1) Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine. (2) He is as brave as a lion.

16. Why was it better for the father to take a gun with him? To protect himself from animals (danger). Why was Ma worried? Because she worried about her husband’s safety.

17. parallel – having identical or equivalent syntactic constructions in corresponding clauses or phrases 排比 Why is parallel structure used? For emphasis. Conversion – It is the formation of new words by converting words of one class to another class, i.e. by turning words of one part of speech to those of another part of speech without changing the spelling of the words. E.g. trade, trap, pack, milk, button, light

18. (1) Noun → Adj. danger (n.) danger (adj.) zone (2) Noun → Verb face (n.) face (v.) the difficulty (3) Verb → Noun He is a cheat. He is a coach. (4) Adj. → Noun 1) Partial Conversion: They don’t have plural form but can have articles. e.g. the rich, the poor, the unemployed, the Chinese, the Danish 2) Complete Conversion: It can have plural form but it can’t have articles in front of it. e.g. There’s only one black in our class but in their class three blacks. (5) Adj. → Verb Empty the drawer. You wrong me. (6) Adv. → Verb down a plane, near the shore, back the car (7) Noun → Adv. Arrive home. Go north. (8) Num. →Adv. We’d better make a plan first.

19. Why were Laura and Ma surprised to see the dark shape of Sukey, the brown cow, standing at the barnyard gate? Because Sukey shouldn’t be there. He should be in the barn. Why did Laura begin to cry? Because she worried about Sukey’s safety. Why was Ma trembling and began to laugh a little? Because she was frightened indeed but she had to pretend to be calm so as to encourage her daughter.

20. VI. Writing Style (1).1 st - person narration (2). figure of speech: simile, parallel, personification

21. VII. Reading Skills VIII. Homework: (1) Fast Reading (2) Home reading (3) Preview Unit 2