These prompts can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before or after reading the novel.

Personal Response Prompt: We’re All March Sisters

One of the enduring aspects of this novel is the distinct personalities of each sister (and Laurie) that grow and change as the characters move into adulthood. Choose the March sibling (Laurie is an honorary March in this case) that you most closely identify with and write a paragraph comparing their traits to the ones you see in yourself.

Teaching Suggestion: This breezy assignment is designed to let students celebrate the empathetic connection between themselves and literature.

Post-Reading Analysis: The Value of Struggle

Early in the novel, the girls talk about their “castles in the air,” the futures they want for themselves. Jo, Amy, and Meg end the novel discussing those same dreams, and along the way they’ve had to deal with struggle, sacrifice, and compromise in order to find happiness. How does the end of the book reflect the values that Marmee tried to instill in her daughters with regard to struggle and sacrifice?

Teaching Suggestion: Many students, especially younger students, struggle to see the ending of the novel as a satisfying conclusion—they want Jo and Laurie together, or they want Beth to live, or they want Jo to become a famous writer.