Roaring Rapids School – Self-Study Lesson 48

1. 🎧 Listen for the Big Idea (First Listening)

Step 1: Listen one time without reading.

• What time is it when Mary finds Jake in the kitchen?
• Why is the table covered with crumpled paper?
• What do Jake and Mary decide to offer Jim and his family?

2. 📖 Read for Meaning (Second Listening)

Step 2: Listen again while reading the story text.

• Find one sentence that shows Jake is very tired.
• Find one sentence that explains why Jim lost the farm.
• Find one sentence that shows Mary wants Jake to give practical help.
• Find one sentence that gives Jim hope for a new beginning.

3. 🧾 Vocabulary List (Key Words from the Story)

4. 🔁 Key Phrase Practice (Repeat Aloud)

• “I know what needs saying.”
• “I just don’t know how to say it.”
• “You’ve written half a forest.”
• “Most of it deserved to stay trees.”
• “Maybe the Lord has forgotten us.”
• “Maybe it was meant for Jim.”
• “He simply needs another beginning.”
• “Tell him Christ hasn’t forgotten him.”
• “Then prove it.”
• “You wrote what was true from your heart.”

5. ❓ Comprehension Questions

1. What wakes Mary at the beginning of the chapter?
2. Where does Mary find Jake?
3. How long has Jake been trying to write the letter?
4. What different greetings has Jake scratched out?
5. Why does Mary say Jake has written “half a forest”?
6. What was Jim doing when he was seven years old?
7. Why did Jake give Jim his share of the family farm?
8. What hardships caused Jim to lose the farm?
9. Which sentence in Jim’s letter troubles Jake most?
10. Why had Mary once thought Jake was leaving her and the ranch?
11. Where did Jake finally ask Mary to marry him?
12. What ranch had Jake once hoped to buy for himself and Mary?
13. Why does Mary think the Circle J may have been meant for Jim?
14. What does Mary mean when she says, “Then prove it”?
15. What does Jake promise Jim about payment for the ranch?
16. What lesson does Jake learn about writing what sounds right and writing what is true?
17. What will Jake do with the discarded pages?

6. 🗣 Speaking Prompts (Record Yourself if Possible)

• Why is Jake’s letter difficult for him to write?
• How does Mary help Jake without writing the letter for him?
• Why is Jake honest when he says he cannot explain every hard providence?
• What is the difference between kind words and practical help?
• How does the Circle J offer give Jim dignity and hope?
• What does Jake mean when he says he was trying to write what “sounded right”?
• Can actions sometimes communicate more than words? Give an example.
• Why might a person in trouble need both encouragement and assistance?

🎧 Optional: Record yourself and listen again.

7. ✍️ Writing Task (5 Sentences)

• Option A: Summarize Chapter 48 in 5–10 sentences.
• Option B: Explain why Jake could not answer Jim’s letter at first.
• Option C: Explain Mary’s advice: “Tell him Christ hasn’t forgotten him. Then prove it.”
• Option D: Write a short supportive letter to someone who needs a new beginning. Include one honest sentence, one hopeful sentence, and one practical offer of help.