Little Women Lesson Plan

What do we learn about each of the four March sisters in this first chapter?

Each of the four March sisters has a distinct personality that will guide them through the rest of the novel. As such, it's important that students learn what makes each character unique early on. Alcott is quick to characterize them in this first chapter.

It may be helpful to boil each character down to one or two bullet points, at least at this early point in the novel. Meg is the pretty one who loves fancy things; Jo is the tomboy who wants to be a writer; Beth is the quiet angel who wants nothing but to play the piano; and Amy is the most superficial girl, preoccupied with being pretty and...