Unit Study on The Ox-Cart Man
Homeschooling Literature-Based Lesson Plans for All Subjects
Unit studies or classical, literature-based education lessons often begin with a rich text such as The Ox-Cart Man [Puffin, 1983]. The story is a simple tale of a New England farmer and his family who prepare excess products on their farm for sale in the city. The ox-cart man himself walks to the nearest town and sells everything including the ox and cart, purchases a few items and returns home to begin the process again.
The book began as a poem by Donald Hall and various drafts of the poem are available at the University of New Hampshire Library online. In its final form, the 40 page book includes folk art style illustrations by Barbara Cooney.
Unit Study for Social Studies Lesson
Ox-Cart Man provides many opportunities for building a social studies lesson. The examples of New England life and farm life in the 18th century demonstrate differences between then and now. The work of the entire family makes the trip to the city possible and lessons examining the work divided by gender and age would be appropriate.
Lessons on geography beginning with maps from the 18th century or a study of the state of New Hampshire tie in nicely to the book. Children might become interested in the amount of handwork and crafts completed by the family members and lessons on sewing, spinning, weaving, carving, and cooking would all be appropriate. Interested students might enjoy further information on the process of turning wool into cloth.
Science Lessons Taken from The Ox-Cart Man
Science is everywhere in this text, most notably in the changing seasons and the work appropriate for each season. A lesson on the making of maple syrup, the science behind the changing leaves, and the science of weather and snow all can begin with examples from the text. Interested children might wish to pursue a study of bees and honey making. A visit to a farmer’s market and a discussion on the seasonality of different produce also brings science alive in a delicious and memorable way.
Math Lessons and Literature-Based Study
Math and reading can mix and a book such as The Ox-Cart Man offers places to reinforce the learning of math and math’s connection to life. A graphing exercise can be made comparing the types of work completed by each member of the family. Lessons including money are particularly appropriate and although money values are not discussed, the process of selling goods and buying other goods demonstrated in the story could spark a fun family activity of a home store or family vegetable stand. Constructing a calendar based on the information given in the book and preparing a similar family calendar of seasonal family activities is a way to include calendar skills into the lesson.
Art Lessons Taken from The Ox-Cart Man
Examining and discussing the folk art illustrations is a good beginning for the youngest students. Discussing the possible media used and the details included or left out of the art might spark interest in the child for drawing in a similar way. Comparing and contrasting other folk and colonial artwork provides students with a broader understanding of the art style. The weaving and carving discussed in the book provide other points of entry. Perhaps a child will wish to learn to weave or sew or carve.
Literature and Reading Lessons
While reading, students may notice the line structure and repetition of certain words. Students might compare stories to poetry and even write a poem of their own. Parents might ask content or comprehension questions while reading or look up and discuss new vocabulary words. While the text itself is beyond the reading level of most kindergarten or primary aged children, they will understand the language and content when read to and this provides an excellent opportunity for discussion and guided inquiry.
Taken as a whole, The Ox-Cart Man is a rich text providing countless lessons and projects including many subjects.
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