The Secret Garden

By

Frances Hodgson Burnett

A Novel Study
by Nat Reed
 The Secret Garden
By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Table of Contents

Suggestions and Expectations 3

List of Skills 4

Synopsis / Author Biography 5

Student Checklist 6

Reproducible Student Booklet 7

Answer Key 76

About the author: Nat Reed was a member of the teaching profession for more than 35
years. He was a full-time instructor at Trent University in the Teacher Education Program
for nine years. For more information on his work and literature, visit novelstudies.org.

Copyright © 2013 Nat Reed

Revisions Completed in 2025
All rights reserved by author.
Permission to copy for single classroom use only.
Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only.
Not for public display.

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 The Secret Garden
By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Suggestions and Expectations

This curriculum unit can be used in a variety of ways. Most chapters of the novel study focus
on two chapters of The Secret Garden and are comprised of four different sections:

• Before You Read

• Vocabulary Building
• Comprehension Questions
• Language and Extension Activities

A portfolio cover (p.7) as well as a Checklist (p.6) are included so that students may track of
their completed work.

Every activity need not be completed by all students.

Links with the Common Core Standards (U.S.)

Many of the activities included in this curriculum unit are supported by the Common Core
Standards. For instance the Reading Standards for Literature, Grade 5, makes reference to

a) determining the meaning of words and phrases. . . including figurative language;

b) explaining how a series of chapters fits together to provide the overall structure;
c) compare and contrast two characters;
d) determine how characters … respond to challenges;
e) drawing inferences from the text;
f) determining a theme of a story . . . and many others.

Themes which may be taught in conjunction with the novel include the Yorkshire Moors;
importance of friendship; perseverance; magic; positive thinking; finding beauty in the midst
of ugliness; self-acceptance; family and family responsibilities; the power of love.

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 The Secret Garden
By Frances Hodgson Burnett

List of Skills

Vocabulary Development

1. Locating descriptive words/phrases 9. Use of singular/plural nouns

2. Listing synonyms & antonyms 10. Using content clues: analogies
3. Identifying/creating onomatopoeia 11. Identifying parts of speech
4. Use of capitals and punctuation 12. Determining alphabetical order
5. Identifying syllables 13. Identification of root words
6. Listing compound words 14. Identifying / creating alliteration
7. Identifying/creating similes 15. Identifying anagrams
8. Identifying/creating personification 16. Identifying sarcasm

Setting Activities

1. Summarize the details of a setting

Plot Activities

1. Complete a 5 W's Chart 5. Write a synopsis

2. Identify conflict in the story 6. Predict an outcome
3. Identify cliffhanger 7. Complete a Sequence Chart
4. Identify the climax of a novel 8. Identify foreshadowing

Character Activities

1. Determine character traits 3. Relating personal experiences

2. Meeting a challenge concepts 4. Compare two characters

Creative and Critical Thinking

1. Research 5. Conduct an interview

2. Write a newspaper article 6. Create a journal entry
3. Write a letter to a friend 7. Write a Book Review
4. Complete an Observation Chart 8. Create Found Poetry

Art Activities

1. Design a cover for the novel 3. Create a Storyboard.

2. Draw a picture of a flower 4. Create a collector's card

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 The Secret Garden
By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Synopsis
When orphaned Mary Lennox comes to live at her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire
Moors, she finds it full of mysterious secrets. There are nearly one hundred rooms, most of
which are locked, and the house is filled with creepy old portraits and suits of armor. Mary
rarely sees her uncle, and perhaps most unsettling of all is that at night she hears the sound of
someone crying down one of the long corridors.

The gardens surrounding the odd property are Mary's escape and she explores every inch
of them - all except for the mysterious walled-in, locked garden. Then one day Mary discovers
a key. Could it open the door to the garden? (The Publisher)

Author Biography
Frances Hodgson Burnett

Born in Manchester, England on November 24 1849, Frances

Eliza Hodgson was the eldest daughter in a family of two boys
and three girls. As a young girl, she would scrawl little stories
on sheets of old notebooks, as she was unable to afford proper
writing materials. In 1865 the family moved to Tennessee
where they lived in a log cabin and the teenage Frances set
up a little school. She began submitting stories to women's
magazines and soon became quite a successful writer. In
1873 she married Dr. Swan Burnett and they had two sons --
Lionel, born 1874, and Vivian, born 1876 -- but the marriage
was not a happy one. Her younger son, Vivian, clamored for
something to read, so Frances wrote "Little Lord Fauntleroy"
and modeled the main character after him. In 1890 tragedy struck when her eldest son,
Lionel, died of influenza. Frances and Swan separated and finally divorced in 1898, and
she went on to remarry Stephen Townshend. Frances moved to Long Island, New York in
1901 and there began to write her two most famous stories -- "A Little Princess" and
"The Secret Garden", inspired by her poor childhood and her love for gardening. Frances
Hodgson Burnett died on 29 October 1924. [http://www.imdb.com]

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 The Secret Garden
By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Student Checklist

Student Name

Assignment Grade / Level Comments

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 The Secret Garden

By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Name:

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 The Secret Garden
By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Chapters 1-2

Before you read the chapter:

Every good novel needs an interesting protagonist (the novel's main character). In Chapter
One we meet a character that you will probably instinctively dislike. Why is it unusual for an
author to create a protagonist who is not likeable? What might be the danger of doing this?
How might it be a good idea?

Vocabulary:
Match each word with its definition by drawing a line to the answers.

1. passion a. a one-story home

2. fretful b. obvious
3. appalling c. ruin
4. bungalow d. impudent
5. implore e. meaning
6. desolation f. causing dismay or horror
7. affectionate g. a gown or dress
8. contrary h. strong feeling
9. intention i. fond of
10. frocks j. frustrate
11. discomfit k. irritable
12. apparent l. beseech

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 Questions

1. Describe the setting of Chapter One..

2. Think of four appropriate words to describe the personality of Mary Lennox.

3. How effective do you think Mary's parents were at raising her? Support your answer
with examples from Chapter One.

4. Why hadn't Mrs. Lennox gone to the hills two weeks previously? What was the result?
What does this tell the reader about her?

5. Why had Mary been completely forgotten and abandoned for a time?

6. Mary's nurse had been called Missie _______________________.

7. What made Mary's stay with the family of the English clergyman difficult?

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8. What upsetting pieces of news did Basil tell Mary about where she was going to live
and with whom?

9. Her uncle's name was _______________________________.

10. Describe the personality of Mrs. Medlock.

11. What did Mrs. Medlock tell Mary about her uncle's past that intrigued Mary? Why do
you think she found this so interesting?

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 Language Activities

A. India
Europe is merely powerful; India is beautiful. (Savitri Devi)

The Secret Garden opens in the country of India. At the time that the events
of this novel took place there were several thousand people from the United
Kingdom living in India, which was part of the British Commonwealth of Nations.

What do you know about this fascinating country?

Using resources in your school library or on the Internet, research at least a half-dozen
interesting facts about India. This might pertain to its natural resources; important
occupations of its people; animal life native to the area; culture; food; recreation; etc.

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B. The author seems to enjoy using alliteration – a literary device where
the author repeats the same consonant sound at the beginning of several
words in close succession (especially words beginning with the letter s).

An example from Chapter Two is: “'Humph,' muttered Mrs. Medlock”.

Using your imagination, create your own examples of alliteration from
the following topics. Each example must contain at least three words.

The squabble of
two raccoons

The chirp of a robin

Your own topic

C. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

One of the most revered individuals ever to hail from India was
Gandhi. Do a further investigation of this important figure and
briefly describe below what he accomplished for the people of
India, and also the mistakes he made as a public figure.

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D. 5 Ws and an H.
Choose an event from this section that you thought was really important and/or exciting.
Using facts that you gleaned from reading about this event, fill in the balloons below,
summarizing what you learned.

WHO? WHAT?

WHERE?
WHEN?

HOW?
WHY?

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E. Tell (and Draw) it Like it Is
Use the three boxes to tell and show the beginning, middle and ending of these chapters.

Beginning Picture Beginning:

Middle Picture Middle:

Ending Picture Conclusion:

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