Literature Unit Study Ideas for Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (31 Days of Literature Unit Ideas)

Like many great classic books I often share, I can remember the first time I was immersed in the story of Anne of Green Gables. I liked Anne at once. Who wouldn’t? I’ve read it multiple times now and have read the others in the series. It’s one I like to read aloud. And even though the main character is a girl, boys can enjoy the story as well. 

This post is part of the 31 Days of Literature Unit Study Ideas series. You can find links to all of the books in the series here. You can get this literature unit study as well as 44 others and lots of great literature unit study resources here in my free ebook The Ultimate Book of Unit Studies for Literature Lovers.

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About the book…

Anne of Green Gables features Anne Shirley, an orphan who shows up at a small railway station in Prince Edward Island, was meant to be a boy. At least that’s what Matthew and Marilla, the bachelor and spinster brother and sister who are adopting her thought. But the adoption agency sent a twelve-year-old girl instead. And, while Matthew and Marilla are kind-hearted people, the whole point in the adoption was to get a helper for Matthew who is getting too old to handle the farm at their home of Green Gables. And so they mean to send her back. But Anne’s indomitable spirit and spunk quickly capture their hearts, even Marilla who tends to be strait-laced and stodgy at times.

The book is all about Anne and her many adventures, with each chapter almost telling a separate story of Anne and her new family and friends. Many young girls find themselves looking up to her as a hero for her courage and spirit. And even boys will enjoy the hilarity of some of the scrapes Anne finds herself in.

Throughout the unit study…

When I’m using a longer chapter book as a unit study, there are several things I like to do. I have students keep a notebook where they can put any notes they take as well as anything I print out from online. I like to have them note the main events in each chapter as well as a list of main characters as they are introduced in the story.

Things to discuss…

• Anne has led a very difficult life. Discuss how the situations she’s lived in has shaped her character.
• The bane of Anne’s existence is her bright red hair. Do you have anything about your appearance that bothers you like Anne’s hair?
• Anne has long looked for a kindred spirit, and she is sure that Diana Barry will be that even before she meets her. Do you have a kindred spirit? What do you think Anne means when she says that?
• Talk about reasons why Matthew and Marilla wanted to send Anne back and reasons why they wanted to keep her.
• Do you think Anne has good reason to hate Gilbert Blythe who becomes one of her least favorite people…for now?
• What is your favorite Anne adventure and why?
• What is your least favorite Anne adventure and why?

History and culture connections…

• Anne of Green Gables takes place in Canada in the early 1900s. Read this timeline to find out what was happening in Canada during the time period. Record a few facts in your notebook.
• Read this page from Science for Kids to learn more facts about Canada.
• Find more facts about Canda on the Canada Geographic site.
• And this video has ten facts about Canada.
• Learn about the Canadian national anthem– O Canada- here and listen to the song.
• Learn details of Prince Edward Island here.

Science connections…

• On this website, you can learn more about all of the animals native to Prince Edward Island. Choose an animal to research further and click on it. Record information about the animal in your notebook.
• You can learn more about animals on Prince Edward Island as well as plants found there on this website.
• Learn about Canada’s various biomes and the plants and animals that live there on this site. Record facts about the various biomes in your notebook.

Language arts connections…

• Anne of Green Gables consists of stories about Anne and her transition into the family at Green Gables. Keep a timeline of stories. Draw a blank timeline. For each chapter write a brief description Anne’s story in that chapter. At the end of the book, you’ll be able to look back and find out when each story occurred.
• Anne is an interesting character. Use the character map found on this page to analyze Anne’s character.
• Anne of Green Gables is composed of different stories of Anne’s life and adventures. Use one of the stories to complete a plot diagram of the story. Read, Write, and Think has a great interactive diagram you can fill in online and print out.
• Creative writing: In chapter ten, Anne gives an apology to Mrs. Lynde that has become a classic passage from the Anne books. Write your own apology to Mrs. Lynde in this situation.

Other resources…

• Anne of Green Gables audible edition is located here.
• Where the Brook and River Meet is an excellent full unit study based on the Anne of Green Gables series. It offers all subjects- except for math- and can be used for grades 2-6. We used this when my oldest was a 6th grader, and she thoroughly enjoyed it.
• Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter and Me is more a book for mom or a high school reader, but I still wanted to mention it because I reviewed it recently and loved it. The author and her daughter were both adopted and so have always shared a special bond with Anne Shirley. As well as being a very touching book, it offers lots of great back story information about Lucy Maud Montgomery and the Anne books.

Booklist…

• You can find a Kindle collection of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s works for only $1.99 here. It contains the Anne books as well as other novels and short stories.
• The Kids Book of Canada by Barbara Greenwood
• The Kids Book of Canadian History by Carlotta Hacker
• The Kids Book of Canadian Geography by Briony Penn
• Spirit of Place: Lucy Maude Montgomery and Prince Edward Island by Francis W.L. Bolger

You can get this literature unit study as well as 44 others and lots of great literature unit study resources here in my free ebook The Ultimate Book of Unit Studies for Literature Lovers.

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