Instant Resources for The Purple Jar by Maria Edgeworth!

Whether you're looking for a short story to pair with the novel you're teaching, or you need a 2- to 3-day sub plan to use with the stories in your textbooks, Prestwick House Instant Short Story Packs go beyond basic comprehension to help students learn how to analyze literature. 

Each downloadable pack addresses key skills through 5-10 standards-based analysis questions by guiding students through a series of scaffolding graphic organizers and in-class activities. 

This Instant Short Story Pack for The Purple Jar by Maria Edgeworth includes:

• Scaffolding graphic organizers and in-class activities
• Standards-based objectives
• Introduction and pre-reading notes
• Complete short story text
• Rigorous analysis questions
• Detailed teacher's answer guide

About The Purple Jar

“The Purple Jar,” Maria Edgeworth’s most famous short story, was originally published in 1796 in a collection of morally instructive stories for children called The Parent’s Assistant. She later included it in a similar collection called Early Lessons (1801).

In addition to her stories that were intended to teach moral lessons, Edgeworth was known for humorous—but biting—satires of contemporary society, especially her culture’s attitudes toward women, their education, and their positions as adult human beings.

Because “The Purple Jar” was written for children, it is not an overly complicated tale, but because it was published over two centuries ago, it does not sound like a modern children’s story.

If you research the story, you are likely to find a wide range of interpretations, some of which you might find ridiculous. You should know that you are not obligated to accept anyone else’s take on a story you’ve read—especially if the other reader’s evidence is questionable.

This instructive little tale provides an excellent opportunity to learn or to practice effective interpretation and discussion. It offers much more than a surface meaning.