Sarah, Plain and Tall Homeschool Literature Study Guide

Students should identify concrete details Anna observes or recalls: the absence of her mother's singing is one of the most important — Anna remembers a particular song but Caleb does not because he was too young. Students may also note the emotional quiet in the house, the way Anna watches her father, or the sense that something ordinary is simply gone. For the second part, students should reason about point of view: Anna is old enough to remember her mother and young enough to feel the loss keenly; she is also the narrator's lens, so readers learn about the family's grief through her specific memories. Accept any response that shows the student has connected a detail to Anna's perspective.

Students might mention the flat, open land; the wide sky; the distance between neighbors; the wind; the lack of trees; or the sea-like quality of the grass. They should attempt to connect a detail to a mood — for example, the emptiness of the landscape might feel lonely, which matches the family's grief, or it might feel open and full of possibility. Either interpretation is valid if the student supports it with a detail from the text. This question targets setting analysis, while the main question targets character and point of view.

Students should move beyond a list of objects and consider what Sarah contributes emotionally or practically: she brings stories and descriptions of the Maine sea, new songs, a directness that surprises the children, her cat Seal, and a lively curiosity about the prairie. A strong answer will point to a particular scene — for example, Sarah describing the color of the sea, or her interaction with the children and animals — and explain what that moment adds to the household's atmosphere. The key insight is that Sarah brings the outside world (especially Maine) into a home that has felt closed and quiet.

Students should recognize that 'plain and tall' is Sarah's own self-description and is intentionally modest or even self-deprecating. Evidence of a fuller character might include her humor, her boldness in answering the advertisement, her love of the sea, her honesty with the children, or her immediate engagement with the farm and animals. The goal is for students to practice reading beyond a character's self-report to what their actions reveal. This follow-up tests character inference, while the main question tests comprehension and textual evidence.

Many moments are available: Sarah's coloring of the landscape with chalk or her care with colors drawn from nature can signal her longing for the sea; a character's silence or a song sung or interrupted may signal grief or hope; the weather on the prairie — a coming storm, for instance — can mirror emotional tension. Students should name the moment, name the feeling they infer, and explain the connection. There is no single correct answer; credit any response where the student makes a reasoned, text-based inference and names a craft technique (action, image, or weather/nature detail).

Students who predict Sarah will stay might cite her increasing comfort with prairie life, her interactions with the children, or a specific action she takes at the end of Chapter 7 (driving the wagon to town alone and returning — a pivotal moment that shows her choice). Students who predict she will leave might cite her expressed homesickness or her descriptions of the sea. Both predictions are defensible if supported, though the text's tone tilts toward hope. This question practices prediction and evidence-gathering, while the main question practices inference and craft analysis.

Sarah tells the children directly that she would miss them if she left, and she uses the word 'home' in a way that signals her decision. Students should identify this declaration or the actions surrounding it. For the second part, students should connect this moment to earlier evidence: Sarah's growing ease on the prairie, her learning of new skills (such as managing the horses or learning to drive), her emotional investment in the children and in Jacob, and the earlier trip to town in Chapter 7 that foreshadowed her agency and commitment. A strong answer shows that the ending feels prepared rather than sudden.

At the start, Anna is watchful, sad, and fearful — she guards her memories of her mother and worries about what the family lacks. By the end, Anna shows signs of cautious hope and acceptance of Sarah as a new presence (not a replacement) in the family. Students might point to early scenes of Anna observing quietly and contrast them with later scenes where Anna interacts more openly with Sarah, or they might note Anna's shifting feelings about the possibility of Sarah leaving. The cause of change is Sarah's consistent honesty, care, and willingness to stay. This review question targets character arc across the whole novel, while the main question targets resolution and narrative craft within the final chapters.