Summer Book Club: The Secret Garden Novel Study 4th and 5th Grade

Let's read and discuss The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This novel study will focus on the powerful story of healing, the power of our thoughts, nature, personal growth, and friendship. 

This class will meet 1 time a week for 6 weeks. Students are expected to read the chapters before coming to class.

During class, we will review the key events and details from the chapters, analyze the characters, and answer reading comprehension questions. We will discuss the setting, theme, mood, tone, vocabulary, dialect, point of view, and symbolism. 

Students are encouraged to refer to specific parts of the text when answering questions. We will also practice making inferences and predictions based on textual evidence. 

We will also do some close readings during class. Students will be invited to read aloud. We will analyze how certain scenes and quotes impact the theme, setting, and plot of the novel.

Optional multiple choice reading comprehension quizzes via Google Forms will be posted in the Outschool Classroom after class each week. Students will receive immediate feedback and are invited to take the quiz as many times as they like. 



Class Schedule 

***Read BEFORE Class. After our discussion in class, take the Google Forms Quiz.***


Week 1: Background Information & Chapters 1-5


Week 2: Chapters 6-9


Week 3: Chapters 10-13


Week 4: Chapters 14-18


Week 5: Chapters 19-23


Week 6: Chapters 24-27 & Whole Book Discussion



Sample Class Agenda

Greeting & Ice Breaker 

Reading comprehension questions about key events and details 

Character analysis of Mary 
- Why is she selfish? 
- What does she want most?

Compare and Contrast Mary and Martha 
- How are they different? 
- How are they alike?
- Mary is from a wealthy family. Martha is from a poor family. Why is Martha happy even though her life is quite difficult? Why is Mary sad even though she lives a privileged life?

 Describe the setting
- Compare and Contrast Mary's home in India with her new home in England
- What do you think it would be like to live at Misselthwaite Manor?



Discuss the Yorkshire dialect. 
- What is a dialect? 
- Why are they important to study?


Point of View
- How would Chapter 4 be written if it were from Martha's perspective?
- What do we learn about Mrs. Medlock when we read about picking up Mary in London from her perspective in Chapters 2 and 3?


Mood and Tone
- How does the mood change when Mary moves from India to England?
- How do the author’s descriptions make you feel about Misselthwaite Manor?
- What words does the author use to show that Martha speaks in a friendly tone? 
- Which of the words below best describes the first 5 chapters of the book? Explain.
 serious, adventurous, sad, suspenseful, funny, thoughtful


Making Inferences and Predictions
- Why do you think Mary feels so lonely and unhappy when she first arrives at Misselthwaite Manor?
- What clues in the story help you infer how her past may have affected her feelings?
- What do you think might happen next in this story? Why do you think this?


Discussion and Making Real Life Connections 
- Imagine you could ask any character from the novel a question. Who would you choose? What would you ask this character?
- Have you ever had to move to a new place? What was it like? 
- Which character is most similar to you? Explain why you think so.


 Students can read the book in print, a digital version, or listen to the book on audio. 

Some students benefit from listening to the book on audio while reading along with a digital or print copy of the book.  You can even access the book for free on Project Gutenberg. Do what works best for your child.

If you find that your child is struggling to keep up with the pace of the class, let me know and I will work with you to adjust the pace of the course. Individual tutoring is also available upon request to help students who need extra support. 

The picture used for the cover photo of this class was created using the AI feature on Canva called Magic Media.