PENGUIN READERS

Teacher’s notes LEVEL 3 Teacher Support Programme

Swiss Family Robinson

Johann Wyss Chapter 4: Father and Fritz spend two nights on the ship
collecting more things. They tie barrels to the animals
(a pig, a donkey, and some sheep and goats) to take them
ashore.
Chapter 5: Mum finds a perfect spot across a river for a
new house. There are huge trees and it is cool so she thinks
of a tree house. They build a bridge and cleverly take their
animals across.
Chapter 6: The children help Dad to make a rope ladder
with bamboo steps. The chickens liked it. They also make
a bow and arrows to save the gunpowder in case they meet
dangerous men.
Chapter 7: They use the donkey to pull more wood. They
About the author
make the floor of the tree house on two thick branches
Swiss Family Robinson was published in 1813 and it is
and hang a sail from a higher branch as a roof.
sometimes attributed to Johann Rudolph Wyss. In reality,
the story was actually written by his father, Swiss pastor, Chapter 8: They go back to the tent for some more
Johann David Wyss in order to entertain and instruct his supplies. They find potatoes in a bag but father persuades
family. Like the father in the story, Johann David had them to plant them instead of eating them. The boys get
four sons, and with the didactic nature of much of the some salt from rocks near the sea.
book, and explicit details on how to use the natural world Chapter 9: Mr Robinson makes a sledge to carry heavy
to improve man’s lot, the book reflects its origins as a things, but is sorry he didn’t bring more from the ship.
self-help survival handbook. They will probably be on the island for a very long time.
Many years after Johann David had written the story, one Chapter 10: On their second journey to the ship, the
of his sons, Johann Rudolph, persuaded his father to allow Robinsons bring plants and objects which will help them
him to re-write and publish the book. on the island. Now they have to build a hut for the tools
and for the animals.
Summary
Chapter 11: The Robinsons start work in their garden
When the Robinson family are shipwrecked on an
very early. They need bamboo to protect their garden and
uninhabited desert island, they find a new world of
to make huts for their animals. They must go to the other
adventure and knowledge. As they learn to cope with the
side of the island. The river will carry the bamboo down
many problems of life on the island, they become even
to where they live.
closer as a family.
Chapter 12: When the family goes up to the river, they
Chapter 1: The Robinsons’ ship hits some rocks after
take the dogs with them. This is a mistake because when
a bad storm. However, they decide to spend the night
they see a herd of buffaloes, the dogs start barking. The
on the ship. The next day, the children (Fritz, Ernest,
boys have to shoot down one of the buffaloes because the
Jack and Frank) explore the ship, find useful things and
family are at risk of being attacked. They catch two young
animals and they make a boat.
buffaloes. This is good because the buffaloes will give
Chapter 2: They arrive on the island the next day. They them milk and pull the plough. The number of animals
make a tent with sailcloth and beds with grass. They find (pigs, dogs and chicks) grows and the donkey mates a
shellfish and use the shells as spoons to eat soup. They also wild donkey. Now the family need more food for all these
save the corn to sow later. animals.
Chapter 3: They explore the island to look for people. Chapter 13: In winter, life on the island is very harsh: the
They find a variety of plants, sugar cane, coconuts and rain never stops and the family are always wet. The house
gourds to make utensils. One of the dogs kills a monkey on the tree is no longer as comfortable as before and there
and the children take its baby to the tent.

c Pearson Education Limited 2008 Swiss Family Robinson - Teacher’s notes  of 3

 PENGUIN READERS
Teacher’s notes LEVEL 3 Teacher Support Programme

Swiss Family Robinson

is little food left so they have to kill a few of their animals. While reading
The family have a very bad time. 2 Discuss: (p. vi) Ask students to comment on other
books they have read involving a family facing a
Chapter 14: Winter is over and the family look for a difficult situation.
cave to live in; they don’t want to go through the same 3 Write: (p. 1) Ask students to write some of the
experience next winter. They find a suitable cave full of questions that the children might ask before going to
salt. Then Mrs Robinson makes clothes for the boys with sleep. Then ask students to get into pairs and use the
questions to role play a conversation between a son
plants.
and the father.
Chapter 15: Years go by and the children grow older. Fritz
After reading
wants to visit the parts of the island he has never explored 4 Group work: Remind students that the family had
so he builds himself a canoe. problems bringing the animals from the ship. Ask
students if they have ever heard the story of the wolf,
Chapter 16: In his exploratory journey, Fritz finds pearl-
the goat and the cabbage. If they have not, read out
bearing oysters, which will make them rich and another the problem situation.
shipwrecked person who has been stranded for a year on a You are on a ship which is wrecked on some rocks. There
small island nearby. One day, a ship comes to rescue Jenny. is a wolf, a goat and a cabbage – don’t ask me why!
There is a boat which can take you to the beach, but it is
Chapter 17: In the end, two of them, Fritz and Jenny, very small: it will only take you and one of the animals
leave the island, but the rest of the family decide to stay. or the vegetable. But you need to take them all. You
know that wolves like to eat goats and goats like to eat
Background and themes cabbages so you can’t leave the wolf with the goat or the
goat with the cabbage. This means you must take the
The idea for the story was clearly taken from the earlier
goat first. At least you know the wolf won’t eat the
classic, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. The author pays cabbage.
tribute to his source in the title of his own book but the Then ask students to solve the problem in groups. If
influence of the original goes much deeper than merely they find it too difficult, read out the next part of the
the basic plot line. Many of the incidents in the original problem and ask students to solve it.
You have taken the goat to the beach, and returned to
are exactly mirrored in this story: the visits to the sunken
the wolf and the cabbage. But you still have a problem.
ship at the beginning, the building of various houses, the If you take the wolf to the other side now, and come back
planting of crops, learning to live with nature, and finally, for the cabbage, the wolf will eat the goat. If you take the
the meeting with another human being. cabbage to the other side now, and come back for the
wolf, the goat will eat the cabbage.
With a modern perspective, it is sometimes remarked
that the family know a great deal about survival on a Chapters 4–5
tropical desert island, considering that they come from a Before reading
land-locked temperate country in Europe. But in reality, 5 Pair work and guess: In pairs, ask students to read
the title of the next chapter and make a list of the
ordinary people at the time the writer is describing, knew things they might find in the ship. They share them
a great deal more about nature than the average person with the class.
does today, and were considerably better at DIY.
While reading
6 Discuss: (p. 9) Father says that “it’s always a good
Discussion activities idea to prepare for the future.” Ask the class as a
Chapters 1–3 whole to discuss this and give examples of how you
can prepare for the future.
Before reading
1 Discuss: Ask students to discuss the following in After reading
small groups. If you could choose four other people 7 Check: Get the students to go back to their lists from
i.e. doctor, lawyer, priest, carpenter, to be shipwrecked activity 5 and see if they were right.
with on a desert island, who would they be? Each 8 Discuss: Ask the class as a whole to discuss the
group must agree on their list and have reasons for following: Is the tree house a good idea? Why/why
choosing each person. Elicit the lists from each group not?
and the reasons then decide which list is the best.

c Pearson Education Limited 2008 Swiss Family Robinson - Teacher’s notes 2 of 3

 PENGUIN READERS
Teacher’s notes LEVEL 3 Teacher Support Programme

Swiss Family Robinson

Chapters 6–8 After reading
Before reading 17 Pair work: Ask students to work in pairs. Mr
9 Guess: Ask students to read the titles of the three Robinson believes taking the dogs was a mistake.
chapters and decide if the family could finally make Ask the students to get into pairs and discuss why.
the tree house. They must account for their answers. Get them to discuss whether making huts for all the
animals, including the pig and the donkey, was also a
While reading mistake.
10 Pair work: Ask students to work in pairs and use 18 Group work: Put students into groups to answer
these words to explain how they made a rope ladder. these questions:
Clue: They didn’t use one of these things! a Was Mr Robinson right or wrong when he
bamboo nails sticks thick rope thought the family were ready for winter?
thin rope wood b How did they find answers to some of their
problems?
After reading Get each of the groups to share their opinions with
11 Pair work: Ask students to make a list of the things the whole class.
father says they should do to plan for the future. Chapters 14–15
Chapters 9–11 Before reading
While reading 19 Guess: Ask the students to read the title of
12 Pair work: (p. 21) Ask students to work in pairs. Chapter 14 and predict what the chapter is about.
Mr Robinson says, “Why didn’t I think of other, Get them to compare a Tree House with a Cave
more important things?” What important things didn’t House.
he bring on his journey to the ship? While reading
After reading 20 Pair work: (p. 43) Ask students to work in pairs and
13 Discuss: Get the students to answer the following compare the Robinson boys.
questions: Chapters 16–17
a What new animals came to the family?
b How did the new animals arrive?
After reading
21 Role play: Ask the students to role play the
c How could the new animals help the family in the
conversation when Jenny arrives on the island. Get
future?
students to work in groups of six, four boys and two
Ask them to consider the pros and cons of having
girls.
brought the animals from the ship (e.g. the monkey,
22 Pair work: Get students to work in pairs. Ask them
the chicks, the donkey etc.).
to answer these questions about the end of the story:
14 Write: Ask the students to write the ‘to do list’ the
a In what way was Jenny important in the end of
family prepare after Mr Robinson comes back from
the story?
the ship.
b Who stayed on the island?
Chapters 12–13 c Who left the island?
Before reading Extra activities
15 Guess: Ask the students to predict what happens to 23 Remember: Ask students which practical skills from
the family when they go up the river. Will they bring the book they can still remember.
the bamboo down the river? Is that an easy way to do so?
Vocabulary activities
While reading For the Word List and vocabulary activities, go to
16 Discuss: (pp. 32–33) Get the students to discuss how www.penguinreaders.com.
the Robinsons get ready for the rainy season. Ask
them to make a list of the things they do to be ready
for winter.

c Pearson Education Limited 2008 Swiss Family Robinson - Teacher’s notes 3 of 3