A Little Princess

Objective

Students will listen to and understand the opening chapter of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, identify key story details (characters, setting, and Sara's personality), and practice making inferences about characters based on what they say and do.

Materials

• Printed or projected copy of Chapter 1, "Sara," from A Little Princess (provided text)
• Whiteboard or chart paper and marker
• Paper and pencil for each student (for the exit ticket)

Warm-up (~5 min)

• Write the title A Little Princess on the board along with the author's name, Frances Hodgson Burnett.
• Ask students: "If you had to travel far away to a new school and could bring only one thing with you, what would it be?" Take 2–3 quick answers aloud.
• Tell students that today's story is about a young girl named Sara Crewe who travels from India to a new school in London, and that she loves books more than almost anything.

Main Activity (~25 min)

1. Read Aloud (15 min): Read Chapter 1, "Sara," aloud to the class (or have strong readers take turns reading paragraphs). Pause at these natural stopping points to check understanding:
2. After Sara and her father arrive in the cab: Ask, "Where is Sara coming from, and where is she going?" (India, to Miss Minchin's school in London)
3. After Sara describes not wanting to leave her father: Ask, "How does Sara feel about going to 'the place'?"
4. After Miss Minchin calls Sara "beautiful": Ask, "Does Sara agree with Miss Minchin? What does Sara think about herself instead?"
5. After Captain Crewe describes Sara as gobbling up books "like a little wolf": Ask, "What does this tell us about Sara?"

1. Class Discussion (10 min): On the board, create two columns: What Sara is like and Evidence from the story. As a class, fill in details such as:
2. Sara is thoughtful/dreamy ("always dreaming and thinking odd things")
3. Sara loves books ("she liked books more than anything else")
4. Sara is honest/observant (she doesn't believe Miss Minchin's flattery)
5. Sara is imaginative (she names a doll she doesn't even have yet — Emily)
6. Sara loves her father and doesn't want to leave him

Wrap-up / Exit Ticket (~10 min)

Have students answer the following questions on a sheet of paper (can be discussed aloud first, then written independently):

1. Where did Sara travel from, and where is she going to live now?
2. Name one thing Sara says or does that shows she is a thoughtful, imaginative girl.
3. Why doesn't Sara believe Miss Minchin when she calls her "beautiful"?
4. Who is Emily?

Collect the papers as students finish, or have volunteers share their answers aloud with the class.

If Time Remains

Ask students to imagine they are Sara arriving at Miss Minchin's school for the first time. Have them write or say aloud 2–3 sentences describing what they notice about the house (using details from the story, such as the "hard and polished" hall, the square-patterned carpet, and Miss Minchin's "large, cold, fishy eyes") and how those details make Sara feel about the school.