A Little Princess: Lesson Plans

Many schools allow children to sign up for one of several books and study it in small groups during reading time. I believe this book could work well in this format. A surprising must-have material for literature discussions? The humble Post-It note! Children may be asked to look for passages that address particular discussion questions -- or they may be asked to mark passages they themselves find interesting.

A Little Princess could also be explored by a homeschooling group. Generations of moms have fond memories!

Background: Sometimes people have trouble communicating because the words they choose mean different things to different people. Exploring the word princess is an opportunity to also explore different perspectives.

To Sara, being a princess means conducting oneself with dignity and kindness, and being generous with the less fortunate -- even when it seems that very few people are less fortunate. This may be very different than our perceptions of what it means to be a princess. Then again, it may match some student's perceptions. To some little girls, a princess represents all things good!

Activity and Discussion: Be a word detective! Determine what different characters believe about princess. Mark references with sticky notes and bring them to discussion.

Extension: Select another word -- some other noun that has taken on different connotations -- and explore them.

The teacher (or parent) can introduce this activity by reading (and thinking) aloud about Ms. Minchin: What is she like, and how do we know? The author notes that Miss Minchin tells all parents their daughter's are beautiful and promising. She speaks very differently about Sara to her sister than she does to Mr. Crewe. What inferences can be made?

The children can be character detectives and mark (with sticky notes) passages that tell about important characters, for example, Sara, Ms.Minchin, Becky, Ermengarde. Then, in a group, they can compose a topic sentence and a few supporting sentences about one character.

Children can also look for (and mark with sticky notes) passages that show character change. Some characters (like the milder Minchin sister) change a good deal during the story; others remain static.

Background: At her hungriest, Sara finds a coin and buys rolls, but gives them to a beggar child who appears even hungrier than she is. The woman who owns the bread shop is so moved by Sara's generosity that she decides to be like her. She takes the beggar child inside -- Anne -- in and raises her as an apprentice. At the end of the story, Sara comes back to the store to share of her re-found wealth. She meets up again with a much happier Anne -- and learns how her earlier act of generosity had traveled on.

Activity: Toss a ball with a group of children. Everyone should try to toss first to someone who hasn't had the ball. Eventually there will be repeats and the ball will get back where it started. Explain: Often when we are kind to someone, they are motivated to spread kindness on. It's like the movement of a ball. Often the act does come back to the sender -- though not in quite the "The diamond mines were real after all!" manner of A Little Princess.

Invite children to look for others who need an act of kindness. They should be kind -- and write about it on a small sheet of paper. Collect the papers in a jar, and later look for connections. Do any of those acts of kindness make a chain?

Discussion: To what extent does kindness foster kindness? (This can be a tricky question to answer. Real life doesn't have the fairy tale element of A Little Princess and some kindness is never repaid.)