Amish Culture in Lancaster Pennsylvania Worksheet for 9-Year-Olds

Instructions

Read the passage about the Amish people of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Then, complete the activities that follow to see what you have learned!

Life in Amish Country

In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, live a group of people called the Amish. The Amish choose to live a "plain" and simple life that is very different from the world around them. Their life is centered on their faith, family, and community.

One of the first things you might notice in Lancaster is the transportation. Instead of cars, the Amish travel by horse and buggy. You can often hear the clip-clop of horse hooves on the road. This helps them stay close to their homes and community.

Amish homes are also different. Many do not use public electricity. This means they don't have things like TVs, computers, or video games. They use lamps powered by gas or batteries for light. This simple way of living helps them spend more time talking and working together as a family.

Amish children go to a special kind of school. Many attend a one-room schoolhouse where students of all ages learn together from a single teacher. They study reading, writing, and math. School ends after the 8th grade. After that, they learn practical skills like farming and woodworking for boys, and quilting and homemaking for girls.

At home, many Amish families speak a special language called Pennsylvania Dutch, which is a dialect of German. They learn English at school so they can speak with their non-Amish neighbors, whom they call "English." A famous example of the Amish community working together is a barn raising, where hundreds of people gather to build a whole barn for a neighbor in just one day!

Activity 1: Fact Fill-In

Use the words from the word bank to complete each sentence. The words are in bold in the reading passage!

1. Instead of a car, an Amish family uses a ______________________________ for transportation.
2. A ______________________________ is a wonderful example of the Amish community helping a neighbor in need.
3. Amish children often learn with students of different ages in a ______________________________.
4. The special German dialect spoken by many Amish people is called ______________________________.
5. To live a simpler life, many Amish homes do not connect to public ______________________________.

Activity 2: True or False?

Read each statement. Circle TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if it is incorrect.

1. Amish people use cars and computers every day.
   TRUE       FALSE
2. Amish children usually finish school after the 8th grade.
   TRUE       FALSE
3. A "barn raising" is a type of party with music and dancing.
   TRUE       FALSE
4. The Amish believe in the importance of family and community.
   TRUE       FALSE
5. The main form of Amish transportation is the bicycle.
   TRUE       FALSE

Activity 3: Match the Meanings

Draw a line from the word or phrase on the left to its correct description on the right.

Activity 4: Think About It!

Imagine you spent a day with an Amish family without any electricity. What is one fun thing you could do together? Describe it below.

Answer Key

Activity 1: Fact Fill-In

1. horse and buggy
2. barn raising
3. one-room schoolhouse
4. Pennsylvania Dutch
5. electricity

Activity 2: True or False?

1. FALSE
2. TRUE
3. FALSE
4. TRUE
5. FALSE

Activity 3: Match the Meanings

1. B. A simple way of living without modern technology.
2. D. The vehicle a horse pulls for travel.
3. A. The language many Amish speak at home.
4. C. A school with all grades learning together.

Activity 4: Think About It!

Answers will vary. Examples could include: playing board games, reading books by lamplight, helping with farm chores, baking, telling stories, playing outside, going for a buggy ride.