A complete literature study built around Elizabeth George Speare's Newbery Medal novel, with colonial American history, two hands-on projects, three differentiated essay tracks, and a Bible study drawn from the story's own tensions. 100+ pages.

Speare wrote The Witch of Blackbird Pond as a novel about what communities do to people they can't categorize, and Kit Tyler is a girl who refuses to be categorized. She arrives in 1687 Puritan Connecticut from the warmth of Barbados, with seven trunks of silk dresses and no practical skills, and promptly jumps into the river to rescue a child's doll. The community is immediately suspicious. The guide follows Kit closely through the next year of her life. And woven through all of it, the slow, involuntary accumulation of love that turns a foreign place into home.

The teaching guide leads students through navigating the cultures of colonial times and walking with the characters through the nuances of their story.

The historical background, writing and hands-on projects, geography activities and more lead you and your student into Kit's world.

The guide includes student write-on pages throughout, with full parent answer keys for every question. Questions are numbered to match, so working independently or alongside your student is equally straightforward.

What's Included

The Complete Parent & Teaching Guide:

• Seven sections covering historical background, chapter-by-chapter reading units, character profiles, themes, writing projects, enrichment, and final assessment
• Seven chapter-by-chapter reading units covering all 21 chapters, each with Comprehension, Literary Analysis, and Going Deeper questions, all with full parent answer keys
• Character profile pages for Kit, Hannah, Nat, Mercy, Judith, Uncle Matthew, and Prudence, each with a key quote, profile fields, character arc questions, and answer key, plus literary analysis activities
• Four themes with fill-in evidence tracking tables and discussion questions, plus a Bible study from Matthew 5:43–48 applied directly to the novel
• Three differentiated essay tracks, each with thesis builder, evidence organizer, and structure guide, plus two creative projects
• Two hands-on projects rooted in the novel's world, plus a geography table, five history research topics, four art connection activities, seven book pairings, and a colonial cooking recipe
• Three unit evaluation options, to fit each student and learning style
• Essay and project rubrics

Student Write-On Pages (integrated throughout):

• Write-on response lines for every reading unit question, theme discussion, essay planning page, and quiz
• Character profile fields and arc questions formatted for student responses
• Relationship web activity pages
• Final debrief reflection page

FAQs:

Do I need anything else to use this guide? Just a copy of the novel, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. Everything else is included.

Are the student pages separate, or integrated into the guide? Student write-on pages are integrated throughout the single guide file. Print the full guide as your teaching copy; print or assign the response pages as your student works through each section.

Can I use it with more than one child? Yes. The guide is licensed for single-family use or single co op classroom use - print response pages for each child as needed.

What grades is it best for? Grades 5–9, with three differentiated essay tracks so you can teach two grade levels from the same book. The four-week pacing is recommended for most families; a six-week deep-dive schedule is included for older students.

Is this part of a series? Yes - it's part of the Elizabeth George Speare Collection, alongside the Bronze Bow study guide (grades 6–10) and the Calico Captive study guide (grades 5–9). All three are available individually or as a bundle.