Finding Details
Name 2 household chores that colonist women in the 1700s had to do during autumn.
Harvest fruits and vegetables
Pick pumpkins
Dry and store corn
Peel, core, boil apples for apple butterSalt or smoke meat from hogs
Candle-dipping
What is the main idea of this text?
Housekeeping chores done by women in colonial America
Look at these sentences from paragraph 2:
"Spring was time to pluck feathers from the geese."
"The geese didn't like giving up their feathers."
Based on the clues, what do you think "pluck" means? What does it look like?
pulled out, picked
Why do you think it was important to preserve fruits by drying them and making sweet jams?
Fruits would go bad after awhile.
Dried fruits and sweet jams last longer than fresh fruit.
Fruit doesn't grow during the winter.
When did colonist women and girls look for wild plants?
a. spring
b. summer
c. fall/autumn
d. winter
b. summer
Look at the first paragraph of the passage:
"Imagine a time without washing machines."
Does this sentence tell us the main idea?
No.
"-ist" is a suffix that tells about a person.
A "scientist" is a person who studies science.
A "novelist" is a person who write novels, or books.
What is a "colonist"?
A person who makes a colony or lives in a colony.
Why did feathers get plucked off geese before the winter?
So that pillows and mattresses could be stuffed to keep the colonists warm during cold winter months.
Describe the process of candle-dipping in sequence. (First, Next, Then, Last)
First, tie several or many strings along a wooden rod.
Next, dip the strings into tallow over and over many times.
Then, do many dippings so that it is thick.
Last, candles are thick enough to use.
Look at the introduction box. Is the main idea in the introduction box? If so, what is the sentence?
Yes, it says "Read this report about housekeeping chores in colonial America."
Which is a synonym for "preserved" as used in this sentence?
"Women and girls preserved as much food as they could for the winter months, when nothing would grow."
a. disposed or threw out
b. saved or protected
c. prepared
b. saved or protected
The context clues are "as much food as they could" and "when nothing would grow". This shows they had to save and protect food for later.
Why was winter a time for indoor work?
It was too cold outside to work outdoors.
There are few things to harvest during winter months because most fruits and vegetables grow during other seasons.
Colonist women and girls had to put a stocking or basket over an animal's head in the springtime. Which animal was it?
Goose
Where can you find the main idea of this passage?
a. first sentence of the passage
b. last sentence of the passage
c. title
d. introduction box
e. b, c, and d
e. b, c, d
The main idea can be found in the last sentence, title, and introduction box.
The first sentence is just to get the reader's attention.
"clipped from sheep in spring"
It shows that fleece is the soft fur or covering on sheep.
Depends on what can be harvested.
Depends on the weather and what can be done inside or outside.
Preparing for the following season.
When did fleece get clipped from sheep?
a. winter
b. spring
Spring
What is the main idea of paragraph 2?
Paragraph 2 is mostly about the housekeeping chores colonial women and girls did during the springtime.
What is "tallow"? What do you think it looks like?
Tallow is melted beef fat.
(Varied answers are acceptable if they make sense.)
Make an inference about why women and girls were responsible for chores instead of the men.
Women might not have been allowed to have jobs or work in the same jobs men had in the 1700s.
People used to think household chores were only for women.