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Contents

Teacher's Guide to Farmer in the Sky
by Robert A. Heinlein


book cover



Contents:


Recommended reading levels: Heinlein’s young adult or “juvenile” fiction appeals to readers of many ages, from early middle-school readers to adults, and much of his earlier work can also be read by young adults although they were originally marketed to older readers. For use in the classroom, Farmer in the Sky is probably most appropriate for readers in grades 5-10. Farmer in the Sky has been listed on several recommended reading lists for children and young adults, including The Golden Duck Awards for Excellence in Children’s Science Fiction recommended reading list (http://www.goldenduck.org).


Biographical information on Robert Heinlein:


Robert Anson Heinlein is considered to be one of the best, if not the best, writers of science fiction of all time. He was a prolific, commercially and critically successful, and, at times, controversial contributor to the genre. He was born in Butler, Missouri, on July 7, 1907, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1929. Heinlein served in the Navy until 1934, but was forced to retire because of tuberculosis. After a few failed business and political ventures, he decided to try writing and sold “Lifeline,” a short story, in 1939 to Astounding Science Fiction, which was a “pulp” magazine. These were periodicals published on cheap (pulp) paper that catered to popular tastes for genre fiction (mystery, romance, detective, adventure, horror, and science fiction). He was a regular contributor to science fiction pulp magazines for the first several years of his career. He hit his stride as a novelist after World War II, publishing fourteen “juvenile” novels aimed at the young adult market as well as many novels for adults. Some of his most popular works are Double Star (1956), The Door into Summer (1957), Stranger in a Strange Land (1961), The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966), and Time Enough for Love (1973), and four of his novels won the Hugo Award, which is presented at the annual World Science Fiction Convention. Heinlein wrote the screenplays for two movies: Destination Moon (1950) and Project Moonbase (1953), and two of his novels have been adapted into films: The Puppet Masters (book, 1951; film, 1994) and Starship Troopers (book, 1959; film, 1997). His novel Space Cadet (1948) also inspired the television show Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (1950-1955). Heinlein died in Carmel, California, on May 8, 1988. For more biographical details, see the following articles:


Suggested class activity: Have your students read the information on Heinlein above before they begin the book.


For further information on Heinlein and his work:

Background: Heinlein wrote Farmer in the Sky in 1949, and it was serialized and condensed as Satellite Scout in Boys’ Life magazine in 1950. Scribner’s published it in hardcover in 1950.


Plot Summary: Heinlein set his story just after the year 2050, about one hundred years from the time he was writing. Bill Lermer is living in the San Diego area with his widowed father George, an engineer, when George announces that he will be emigrated to Ganymede, a moon orbiting the planet Jupiter. Bill is unhappy that George plans to leave Bill behind on Earth to finish his education so George decides to take him along. Four days before they leave, George informs Bill that he is getting married to Molly Kenyon and that Molly’s daughter Peggy will therefore become Bill’s stepsister. The new family takes to the space shuttle Bifrost to the spaceship Mayflower for the sixty day voyage to Ganymede. Bill and Hank Jones, a boy he knew from the Boy Scouts, are allowed to visit the control room of the Bifrost. Aboard the Mayflower, Bill is assigned to bunk in a compartment with nineteen other boys and attends a school that is organized on board. Bill and Hank also organize a troop of Boy Scouts on the Mayflower, and Peggy helps organize a troop of the Girl Scouts. Fifty-three days after departure, a meteor hits the ship, creating a hole in the hull in Bill’s compartment. Bill plugs the hole with his old Boy Scout uniform and a pillow until a permanent repair can be made. When the Mayflower arrives at Ganymede, the passengers are shuttled to Leda, Ganymede’s town, via the shuttlecraft Jitterbug. Peggy becomes sick immediately. George gets a job as an engineer in Leda and rents a small apartment for them, but Peggy does not recover. After deliberating, they decide not send her back to Earth in the hope that she will eventually get better. Bill joins the Ganymede Boy Scout troop. The Lermer family is assigned a piece of land with which to build their farm, where they meet their next door neighbor, Johann “Papa” Schultz. Bill is hired as a farm hand by Mr. Schultz, and Bill and George start working on their farm in their spare time and build a house and a barn. After a time, the Lermers, including Peggy, move to the farm. Bill becomes a full-time farmer, but George keeps his engineering job part-time, while Peggy improves somewhat. One day, there is an alignment of the Sun, Jupiter, Ganymede, and the other three largest moons of Jupiter, Europa, Io, and Callisto, and the entire family goes outside to watch it. Unfortunately, the alignment causes a massive earthquake which wrecks the house and severely injures Peggy. Bill, George, and Molly put Peggy in a stretcher and attempt to walk to Leda, where there is the only hospital. Although they are eventually rescued, Peggy dies, along with about two thirds of the other colonists and almost all the livestock. The Lermers initially decide to return to Earth, but change their minds and rebuild the farm. George and Molly have twin boys. Bill decides to return to Earth to attend a university, but in the meantime he hires out as a cook on a survey expedition. While exploring with his old friend Hank, they discover alien artifacts. Bill comes down with appendicitis and is rushed to the hospital in Leda. While recovering, he decides that Ganymede has become his home and not return to Earth for more formal schooling.



Characters:



CHAPTER SUMMARIES


Chapter I—Earth


  1. Where has Bill’s Boy Scout troop been hiking at the beginning of the chapter?
    1. Yosemite
    2. Death Valley
    3. The Redwood forests
    4. The High Sierras
  2. A new spaceship was just been commissioned. What is its name?
    1. Enterprise
    2. Discovery
    3. Mayflower
    4. Millennium Falcon
  3. Ganymede orbits what planet?
    1. Jupiter
    2. Mars
    3. Saturn
    4. Venus
  4. Where did Bill’s geography class go on its field trip?
    1. Hawaii
    2. Antarctica
    3. Alaska
    4. Greenland

Answers: 1-d, 2-c, 3-a, 4-b



Chapter II—The Green-Eyed Monster


  1. How many pounds of belongings is Max allowed?
    1. None
    2. 57.6 pounds
    3. 100 pounds
    4. There is no limit
  2. What is the status of Bill’s accordion?
    1. Bill has to leave it behind.
    2. He takes it, but it counts as part of his weight allowance
    3. It qualifies as a “cultural asset” and does not count as part of his weight allowance.
    4. He smuggles it on board the ship.
  3. How did Molly, George’s new wife, meet George?
    1. She was a draftsperson in George’s engineering firm.
    2. They met through an on-line dating service.
    3. They live in the same apartment building.
    4. They met in a bar.

Answers: 1-b, 2-c, 3-a



Chapter III—Space Ship Bifrost


  1. Bill’s friend Duck Miller sees him off at the space port and gives him what gift?
    1. A book to read
    2. A pound of chocolate
    3. A DVD
    4. A magazine
  2. Which space shuttle does Bill and his family take?
    1. The Bifrost
    2. The Icarus
    3. The Daedalus
    4. The Challenger
  3. Bill is uncomfortable that morning. Why is that?
    1. He has the flu.
    2. He overate the night before.
    3. He did not sleep the night before.
    4. His Boy Scout uniform is too warm for the desert.

Answers: 1-b; 2-a; 3-d



Chapter IV—Captain DeLongPre


  1. Why is Captain DeLongPre famous?
    1. He was an Olympic champion.
    2. He single-handedly busted a gang of space pirates.
    3. He set a space speed record.
    4. He was the first person to walk on Mars.
  2. What ship is still under construction?
    1. The Star Rover III
    2. The Enterprise
    3. The Millennium Falcon
    4. The Discovery
  3. When Bill and Hank visit the control room, the pilot and copilot are drinking coffee. What did they use to hold the coffee?
    1. Styrofoam cups
    2. Mugs with their names on them
    3. Plastic bags with nipples on them
    4. Bottles

Answers: 1-b, 2-a, 3-c



Chapter V—Captain Harkness


  1. What is Noisy’s punishment?
  2. What is the woman’s punishment?
    1. Imprisonment for ten days
    2. She becomes a full-time dishwasher for the duration of the trip, which will be sixty days.
    3. A fine of $10,000
    4. Probation

Answers: 1-Since he refused to wait for lunch, he is sentence to eat and drink only bread and water for ten days. 2-b.



Chapter VI—E=MC2


  1. What happens if a repair to the main engine is necessary?
  2. How many view ports are there and where are they located?

Answers: 1— Mr. Ortega, the chief engineer, will make the repair and quickly die of radiation poisoning. 2—There are only four view ports, and they are located in the floor of the outermost deck.



Chapter VII—Scouting in Space


  1. Which one of the following is NOT the name of one of the three Boy Scout Troops?
    1. Baden-Powell
    2. Saint George
    3. Aguinaldo
    4. Junipero Serra
  2. Which of the following is NOT one of the merit badges attainable on board the Mayflower?
    1. Hydroponics
    2. Ballistics
    3. Beekeeping
    4. Astrogation

Answers: 1-b, 2-c



Chapter VIII—Trouble


  1. What does Noisy do to Bill a few days later?
  2. What happened to Bill’s Boy Scout uniform?

Answers: 1- Noisy beats Bill up. 2—It was ruined, so Bill cut off the merit badges and had the rest incinerated.



Chapter IX—The Moons of Jupiter


  1. What is the name of the spaceship that shuttles to and from the surface of Ganymede?
    1. The Enterprise
    2. The Millennium Falcon
    3. The Discovery
    4. The Jitterbug
  2. Who is the captain of the spaceship?
    1. A woman named “Captain Hattie”
    2. A Scotsman named “Scottie”
    3. An African named “Lando”
    4. An American named “Han”

Answers: 1-d, 2-a



Chapter X—The Promised Land


  1. In the hydroponics sheds, Bill sees plants tagged “M-G” and “N.T.”. What do they mean?
  2. What does Bill discover about merchandise imported from Earth?
  3. What is the name of the town?

Answers: 1—“M-G” stands Mutation-Ganymede, which means they are special mutations adapted to conditions on Ganymede. “N.T.” stands for Normal Terrestrial, which means they are the same plants grown on Earth. 2—They are too expensive for him to buy. 3—Leda.



Chapter XI—“Share Croppers”


  1. When can the new arrivals expect to start building their homesteads?
    1. Five months
    2. Twenty-one months
    3. Three years
    4. Five years

Answers: 1—b



Chapter XII—Bees and Zeroes


  1. Where does the Ganymede colony get its oxygen for humans and animals?
  2. Where does the colony get its heat?
  3. Where does the colony get carbon dioxide for plants?
  4. Where does the colony get soil for farming?
  5. What is the penalty for stepping on a bug?

Answers: 1—by melting ice; 2—the power plants generate heat; 3—by melting dry ice; 4—grinding up rocks; 5—a stiff fine.



Chapter XIII—Johnny Appleseed


  1. What is the name of the oldest Schultz daughter?
    1. Susan
    2. Sally
    3. Gretchen
    4. Leah
  2. What kind of apple does Papa give Bill?
    1. Winesap
    2. Stark’s Delicious
    3. Rhode Island Greening
    4. Rome Beauty
  3. What are the chairs made from?
    1. Wood
    2. Fence posts
    3. Plastic
    4. Oil Drums

Answers: 1-c; 2-a; 3-d



Chapter XIV—Land of My Own


  1. What is “pay dirt”?
  2. The absence of what item makes farming easier?
  3. Why is dynamite cheap?
  4. Who supervises the application of the “pay dirt”?
  5. Why is Ganymede susceptible to earthquakes?

Answers: 1—concentrated soil cultures with the bacteria, fungi, and microscopic worms conducive to the growth of plants; 2—There are no weeds on Ganymede; 3—Dynamite can be manufactured on Ganymede; 4—Papa Schultz; 5—Ganymede is close to Jupiter and its gravity field. In addition, melting the ice caps to generate an atmosphere redistributed the moon’s mass.



Chapter XV—Why Did We Come?


  1. At what temperature does water boil on Ganymede?
  2. Why are there no bees?
  3. What song does Bill play on his accordion one night?

Answers: 1—140 degrees Fahrenheit; it boils at 212 degrees at sea level on Earth. 2—Normal bees cannot fly in Ganymede’s low air pressure. 3—The Green Hills of Earth.



Chapter XVI—Line Up


  1. How often does this alignment occur?
    1. Once every 200,000 years
    2. Every year
    3. Every seven hundred and two days
    4. Every Christmas
  2. What happens to the cow?
    1. Nothing
    2. She is rescued along with the others.
    3. She freezes to death.
    4. George cuts her throat.
  3. What happens to the chickens and rabbits?
    1. Nothing
    2. They are rescued.
    3. They are left to fend for themselves.
    4. Bill and George put them down before leaving.

Answers: 1—a; 2—d; 3—c



Chapter XVII—Disaster


  1. How many people died as a result of the earthquake?
    1. 24,000
    2. zero
    3. 37,000
    4. 6,000
  2. How many people lived on Ganymede before the earthquake?
    1. 24,000
    2. one million
    3. 37,000
    4. 6,000

Answers: 1—a; 2—c



Chapter XVIII—Pioneer Party


  1. How many people now live in Ganymede?
    1. 45,000
    2. 10,000
    3. 33,000
    4. Zero. The colony has been abandoned.
  2. What is the name of Bill’s specialty as a cook?
    1. Beef Wellington
    2. Chernobyl Chili
    3. Omnibus Stew
    4. Sassafras Spaghetti

Answers: 1—a; 2—c



Chapter XIX—The Other People


  1. How many legs does the artifact have?
    1. 38; nineteen on each side
    2. two
    3. four
    4. six
  2. What happens when Hank tries to pick up one of the crystals?
    1. It sings.
    2. It projects a hologram of a damsel in distress.
    3. It breaks apart and cuts Hank's glove and hand.
    4. It expands into a fortress.

Answers: 1—a; 2—c



Chapter XX—Home


  1. When the scientists study the artifacts, what deduction do they make about the aliens who made them?
    1. They had no eyes.
    2. They were humanoid.
    3. They had three sexes.
    4. They came from Mars.
  2. What does George want Bill to do?
    1. Stay on their farm on Ganymede
    2. Move to Callisto
    3. Return to Earth and attend a prestigious university
    4. Become a space pilot

Answers: 1—a; 2—c



Suggestions for more extended papers/projects, which allow students to reflect on major themes in the book as a whole:



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