Penguin Readers Factsheets
Level 2 – Elementary
Teacher’s Notes
Anne of Green Gables
by L. M. Montgomery
Summary
At the beginning of the story, Anne is eleven years old and is an
orphan. She is going to a new home called Green Gables, the
home of Matthew and Marilla, a brother and sister, neither of whom
married. Anne comes to help with work on the farm and she grows
up there, in a small rural village in Canada, among friends and
neighbors during the 1800s.
Anne’s ways often get her into trouble as a young girl, but after
each incident, there is a happy ending. Amusing episodes include
what happens when Anne bakes a cake, when she dyes her hair
green and when she gets into trouble on a boat.
She grows up loved by her adoptive parents, and loving them
too. She goes to college and becomes a teacher. Matthew and
Marilla grow old, then Matthew dies. Anne is able to return to the
village to teach at her old school and take care of Marilla. When
she finds out that she has gotten the teaching job because of
Gilbert, a boy she has hated since they were both at school
together, she no longer hates him and they finally become friends.
About the author
Lucy Maud Montgomery was born on November 30, 1874 on
Prince Edward Island, eastern Canada. Her mother died when she
was 21 months old, and she was raised by her grandparents. Her
father remarried in 1887. Her great-uncle was Sir William
Mackenzie, famous builder of the Canadian National and Canadian
Pacific railroads.
Montgomery lived on Prince Edward Island until she married the
Reverend Ewen Macdonald in 1911. They then moved to north
Ontario and had three children. She wrote a dozen novels there,
many of them about Prince Edward Island, including Anne of
Green Gables which was written in 1908. Even Prince Edward
itself became famous. It was an immediate success and has been
widely translated. Other books that followed are Anne of Avonlea,
Chronicles of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, and Anne’s House of
Dreams. She also wrote poems.
© Pearson Education Limited 2002
Anne of Green Gables
Background and themes
Today, Prince Edward Island is the smallest and most densely
populated province of Canada. Its capital is Charlottetown.
Montgomery was born in Cavendish, on the northern shores of the
island. In the late 1800’s, the people living on this rocky island were
farmers or fishermen. Anne of Green Gables gives a good picture
of rural society in Canada in the 1800s.
Anne of Green Gables has been translated into fifteen
languages and has been made into a movie and video. People
love the character of Anne, the other people in the story, and the
descriptions of the place itself.
Anne of Green Gables is partly autobiographical. Like Lucy
Montgomery, Anne enjoys reading and becomes a teacher, and
most of the stories about her take place on Prince Edward Island.
Both Anne and Montgomery lost their mothers.
The story describes the adjustments people make in order to
live happily with one another. Anne learns to adapt to her new life
with her adoptive parents, and they learn to live with a child.
Anne hates the color of her hair. A neighbor mentions it when
Anne first arrives. The new boy at school, Gilbert, calls it ‘carrots’.
Later she tries to change the color, but it goes horribly wrong and
turns green. Accepting what one looks like is part of growing up.
The relationship between Marilla and Matthew and Anne
changes. They have brought her up and given her a happy home.
As she grows independent of them, they need her more and more.
This is most obvious after Matthew dies. Marilla becomes tired, she
has difficulty with her eyes, and money is a problem. Anne
becomes the strong one.
For a long time, Anne does not like Gilbert. She is not fair to him
and is blind to the kind of person he really is. He rescues her from
a boat accident and asks to be her friend, but she says no. He is
never put off, however. When they are both grown up and a
teacher is needed in her old school, Gilbert lets Anne take the job
so that she can stay and look after Marilla. Anne finally realizes that
he is a true friend.
Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 2 – Elementary
Teacher’s Notes

Chapters 4–7
Communicative activities
1 There are several stories in these chapters (Anne’s Hat, The
Missing Brooch, Gilbert, Diana Comes to Tea, Minnie May
The following teacher-led activities cover the same sections of text
has Croup, Anne Makes a Cake). Ask the students to choose
as the exercises in the back of the Reader. and supplement those
the one they liked best and tell what they liked about it. If one
exercises. Further supplementary exercises, covering shorter
story is the most popular, can the students suggest why?
sections of the book, can be found on the photocopiable Student’s
Activities pages of this Factsheet. These are primarily for use with 2 Ask the students to trace Anne’s feelings through chapter 3.
class Readers, and, with the exception of pair/groupwork (She is excited to know about her future, she cries when she
questions, can also be used by students working alone in a self- hears that she can stay, she is angry with the neighbor, then

Anne of Green Gables

access center. upset at being sent upstairs, and so on.) They should work in
pairs going through the book, and write down a list. As a
ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK class, they can build up a vocabulary list to describe feelings.
1 This activity is appropriate after the “Before You Read” Chapters 8–11
activity 2 at the back of the Reader. The story Anne of Green
1 Race
Gables is about a girl who is an orphan. Ask the students to
As a warm-up exercise, ask the students in groups to find the
think about how different life is for an orphan. Ask: How is life
pages on which are the words concert, dye, examination, and
harder for an orphan? In what way does an orphan become
poem. The group that finds them all first wins.
stronger? and strengthen a person’s character? Has life got
better for orphans since the 1800s? 2 Anne is growing up in these chapters. Ask the students to
pick out the clues in the story narrative to support this.
2 Ask the students if they know the story and why they think it
is so popular.

ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION Glossary

Chapters 1–3
It will be useful for your students to know the following new words. They
1 Students work in pairs or small groups. They should make a are practiced in the “Before You Read” sections of exercises in the back of
list of the things that happen in these chapters. (The the book. (Definitions are based on those in the Longman Active Study
Cuthberts were expecting a boy. They return to the Dictionary.)
orphanage. The first meeting with Mrs Lynde.) Ask each
Chapters 1–3 island (n) land with water all around it
group to describe in their own words one of these events.
buggy (n) a small carriage pulled by a medicine (n) usually a drink, when you
As an extension activity, they can also suggest a different horse are ill, to make you better
ending to one of the events. For example, ask students to carrot (n) a long orange vegetable minister (n) a leader in some churches
imagine one of the following situations and predict what will heart (n) it pushes blood around the slate (n) a piece of flat rock used in
happen next. Say: Imagine that the Cuthberts return Anne to body making roofs
the orphanage. What will happen to Anne do you think? rude (adj) when someone speaks or vanilla (n) part of a plant, used in ice
behaves badly to you; the opposite of cream and cakes
Imagine that Anne never apologizes to Mrs Lynde. What polite Chapters 8–11
will happen next, do you think? surprise (n) a feeling when something concert (n) when musicians, singers,
Ask one of the students from each group to read out a doesn’t happen as you think it will and others play for people
short description of what they think will happen. Encourage Chapters 4–7 dye (v) to turn hair, or cloth into another
the students to use the word “maybe”. brooch (n) pretty things that you put on color
your clothes examination (n) a big test to find out
2 Students work in pairs. Each pair selects a different dialog cordial (n) a sweet drink made from how much you know about a subject
sequence. They can choose dialogs from page 2, between fruit and sugar poem (n) a piece of writing in short
Matthew and Anne when they first meet; from page 7, croup (n) a very bad cough that lines, which often has words that sound
between Anne and Marilla; between Anne and Mrs. Lynde, children can have similar at the end of the lines
page 10; between Matthew and Anne after Mrs. Lynde has drunk (adj) when you have had too
left, page 12; and between Anne and Mrs. Lynde after Anne much beer or wine
has apologized, page 13. The students read the parts out
after they have read them until they know them well. They
may also simplify the text, or make their own dialog using
phrases, words, and sentences from the book. They then
read and/or act out their dialogs to the rest of the class.

© Pearson Education Limited 2002 Published and distributed by Pearson Education

Factsheet written by Rose Hill
Factsheet series developed by Louise James
Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 2 – Elementary
Student’s activities

Anne of Green Gables

by L. M. Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables

ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK Chapter 3
1 Look at the cover for two minutes, then put the book away. Match the sentences.
Complete these sentences quickly. (a) You can stay
(a) The title of the book is ... (b) You’re a very rude woman
(b) The author is L.M. ... (c) That child is very wild.
(c) The girl looks ... (d) Please go and say sorry
(d) The time of year is ... (i) to Mrs Lynde.
2 Using the Introduction in the front of the book, answer these (ii) You’ll have a lot of trouble with her!
questions about the author. (iii) and you’re fat!
(iv) at Green Gables.

Photocopiable
(a) Is Anne of Green Gables the author’s first book?
(b) When was the book written? Chapters 1–3
(c) How old was the author when her mother died? Make up questions to go with the following answers, using
(d) What job did she have for three years? When?, Why?
(e) What was the name of the newspaper that Montgomery Example
worked for? Mrs Lynde liked to sit by the window because she could see
( f ) What is a minister? what was happening.
Why did Mrs Lynde like to sit by the window?
ACTIVITIES WHILE READING THE BOOK
(a) Matthew went to the station in the afternoon.
Chapters 1–3 (b) Anne wanted to stay at Green Gables because it was her home.
Chapter 1 (c) Anne went to church, she put flowers in her hat.
Are these sentences right or wrong? (d) The morning after Anna was rude to Mrs Lynde.
(e) Anne loved Green Gables because it was her home.
(a) It was a day in summer when the story starts.
(b) Matthew Cuthbert went up the road in the buggy in the Chapters 4–7
morning. Chapter 4
(c) Mrs. Lynde thought it was a good idea to bring a strange Use the words before, after, and when to complete the sentences.
child into the house.
(d) When Matthew arrived at the station there was only one (a) _____ Anne went to church, she put on her new hat.
person there. (b) _____ Marilla was sick, Anne went by herself to church.
(e) The child talked and talked on the way home. (c) _____ Anne saw the flowers, she put them on her hat.
( f ) Matthew didn’t like the child talking all the time. (d) _____ church, Anne ran back home.
(g) When the orphan girl went to bed she cried and cried. (e) _____ do Anne and Marilla go to church?

Chapter 2 Chapter 5
1 Answer these questions. With another student make two lists, one of things you can find
out about Diana and the other of things you can find out about
(a) Why is Chapter 2 called “A Sad Story”? Gilbert. For example, what are their ages, what do they look like?
(b) Does Anne say her life is sad? You can use the picture on page 19 to help you.
(c) In the picture on page 8, who says, “Can I really stay
with you at Green Gables?” Chapter 6
(d) Why does Marilla decide not to let Anne go to Mrs. Find the mistakes. There is one mistake in each sentence.
Blewett? (a) The bottle of fruit cordial is on the table.
2 Write the correct numbers. (b) Diana drank six glasses of cordial.
(c) Anne drank four glasses of cordial.
(a) Matthew Cuthbert was ___ years old.
(d) Mrs. Barry said that Anne was a big, bad girl.
(b) It was ___ kilometers to White Sands
(e) Diana ran in through the door. Her face was very red.
(c) Anne was ___ in March.
(f) Minnie May was very sick and died.
(d) Mrs. Thomas had ___ children.
(e) Mrs. Hammond had ___ children.

© Pearson Education Limited 2002

Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 2 – Elementary
Student’s activities

Chapter 7
Put the words in the right order to make the story.
cried smiled beautiful happy excited unhappy
Anne was _____ because Mr. and Mrs. Allan were coming to tea.
She was _____ because the table looked _____. Mrs. Allan put
the cake in her mouth. Mrs. Allan _____ but then she looked
_____. Anne _____ in her room.
Chapters 4–7
Chapter 11
Which one of the words in italic is right?
(a) Anne enjoyed/hated her time at Queen’s College.
(b) Anne did very well/badly in her examinations.
(c) Gilbert Blythe can/can’t go to college, because his father
doesn’t/does have the money.
(d) Matthew was having problems with his heart/face.
(e) Marilla has to sell/buy Green Gables.
Chapters 8–11

Anne of Green Gables

Find a matching sentence for each of these words.
Describe in about four sentences each, what is happening in the
(i) brooch pictures on pages 27, 31, 33, 36 and 38.
(ii) cordial
(iii) croup ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK
(iv) drunk
1 Choose six pictures and write sentences to describe what is
(v) medicine
happening. For example, on page 3, the sentence can be
(vi) vanilla
“ ‘There’s a mistake,’ he thought.”
(vii) wine
2 Write about your childhood. Compare your childhood to
(a) Ice cream and chocolate taste good when this is in it.
Anne’s. Talk about where you lived, who your best friend was,
(b) How someone feels when they drink too much wine.
and any funny things that happened.
(c) Medicine can make it better.
(d) It is made with fruit and water. 3 Write a few sentences about what Marilla and Matthew did for
(e) When we are ill we drink this and we get better. Anne. Then write about how Anne changed their lives.
(f ) We put this on a coat, dress or blouse.

Photocopiable
(g) A drink which is usually red or white.
Chapters 8–11
Chapter 8
What happened first? Put the sentences in the right order.
___ (a) She stayed home for several weeks.
___ (b) Anne fell down.
___ (c) They played outside.
___ (d) Diana had a party.
___ (e) Then, Anna climbed to the top of the house.
___ ( f ) Her face was white.
___ (g) They had tea.
___ (h) She could not walk.
___ ( i ) They climbed up a tree.
Chapter 9
1 Answer these questions.
(a) What was Marilla thinking about when she walked
home?
(b) Why was Marilla angry when arrived home?
(c) Why didn’t Anne come home?
(d) Where was she?
(e) What had gone wrong?
( f ) What two things did Anne do about it?
2 What do you think about Anne’s behavior toward Gilbert after
he finds her in the river? Why is she like that? Talk with
another student about this.
Chapter 10
Are these sentences correct? Answer with “yes” or “no”. Change
the wrong answers.
(a) Marilla couldn’t make Anne any more dresses because her
eyes hurt her.
(b) Anne wanted to go to Charlotte’s college in Queenstown.
(c) Gilbert was friendly to Anne, but she did not speak to him.
(d) Anne thought she hated Gilbert now.
(e) Mrs Lynde told Marilla that she had been wrong about Anne.
( f ) Anne thought that the examinations were very easy.
(g) Anne and Gilbert were the best out of one hundred students.

© Pearson Education Limited 2002 Published and distributed by Pearson Education

Factsheet written by Rose Hill
Factsheet series developed by Louise James