Click for print document

I. Vocabulary: Define and use in a sentence.

1. Breeches (p.2)
2. Ransacked (p.8)
3. Palisade (p.13)
4. Lame (p.14)
5. Musket p.15)
6. Sentry (p.16)
7. Indentured (p.22)
8. Blacksmith (p.99)
9. Sabbath (p.121)
10. Pox (p.151)

II. Questions to Discuss:

1. Why was the Fort at No. 4 built?
2. Describe how the Fort’s location made it a target for Indian raids.
3. What happened to English captives taken by Native Americans?
4. The term “savage” is used throughout the book by colonists, what is Phineas Stevens’ opinion of that term and how does Rebecca’s opinion of it change? (p.153)
5. Why does Isaac consider the Abenaki his “true family”?
6. If your family lived at the Fort, do you think they would have left for safer land? Why or why not?
7. If you were Isaac, would you have returned to the Abenaki or waited for your relatives from New York? Explain your answer.

A Peek into the Past

1. Before the American Revolution, how many New England colonists were taken captive?
2. What effect did English settlers have on Native Americans?
3. What did the French and Indian War teach the colonists about themselves?

III. Extended Research Options

1. Visit the Fort at No. 4 website at www.fortat4.com and gather information about the capture of the Johnson family. How does this novel add to your understanding of the Johnson’s experience?
2. Write a summary of the major historical events that happened in New England in the 1750s.
3. Write a biography of Captain Phineas Stevens from Fort at No. 4.
4. Write a report on how taking captives affected the lives and economy of the English, French, and Native Americans
5. Sketch a picture of No. 4; label the Great Chamber, all the houses and the Connecticut River.
6. Read Susanna Johnson’s full account of her captivity in A Narrative of the Captivity of Mrs. Johnson (A Heritage Classic, 1990).
7. Write a report about the major events and historical figures of the French and Indian War (1754-1763).
8. In what ways does this fictional novel help you learn about historical events and people?