A Teaching Guide for
Strip in new captions for: fern, oxeye daisy, polkberry (rt), melon, mushroom, mushroom, bat, mouse, honeysuckle.
n the GardenIwith Dr. Carver
by Susan Grigsby, pictures by Nicole Tadgellpublished by Albert Whitman & Company
978-0-8075-3630-8
Teacher’s guide written by Susan Grigsby
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Pre-reading VOCABULARYWORDS Listedbelowaresomevocabularywordsthatyourstudentsmaynotbefamiliarwith.Pronounceeach wordforthestudentsanduseitinasentence.Askthemtotryandinferthemeaningfromthecontext inthestoryorfromtheillustrations.Actout,asagroup,theverbsandtheactionsthenounsmighttake. Frompages22and24,severaldeliciouswordsaredefined,allofwhichpertaintofertilesoil.
Page3: mule Page10: basking
Page11: transplant Page21: nutritious
Page22: loam(afertilesoilofclay,sand,anddecomposed(rotting)plantmatter) mulch(decayingleaves,bark,orcompost) muck(fertilewastematter,suchasthemuddyslimeinaswampormanure) compost(decayedorganicmatterusedasplantfertilizer) fertilizer(asubstanceaddedtosoiltoincreasefertility) nutrients(substancesthatprovideessentialnourishment) Page24: humus(theorganiccomponentofsoilthatcomesfromdecayingplants), spadedandhoed,plots
Page31: burr,tendril,darting
DISCUSSION Dr.CarverworkedtohelppeopleimprovetheSouthernsoilandmaximizetheircropyields. UsingVennDiagrams,discusswiththestudentsthequestionsbelowandcomparesimilaritiesand differences.Onediagrammightfocusontheneedsofplantsandpeopleandtheotheronthesources thatfulfillthoseneeds.
1. Whatdoplantsneedtobehealthy?Whatdopeopleneedtobehealthy?Whichneedsareshared andwhicharedifferent?
2. Wheredoplantsandpeoplegetthethingstheyneed?Whathappensiftheycan’tgetthose things?Whatmightcauseoneofthesethingstonotbeavailable?
3. WhatdoyouthinkthatDr.Carvermeantwhenhesaidthatweshouldlistentotheplantstofind outwhattheyneed?
4. HowdidSallyknowwhattherosebushneeded?Whatcluesdidsheobservetofigurethisout?
5. Whataresomewaysthatyoumightknowifaplantneededoneofthethingsthatwelistedin ourdiagram?Whatcouldyoudotohelp?
NationalScienceEducationStandards:C3OrganismsandEnvironments Bloom’sTaxonomy:CriticalThinkingQuestioningStrategies
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ACTIVITIES DANDELIONSANDSEEDDISPERSALCONNECTIONS
Background Information: AnexcellentsiteforelementaryplantscienceisTheMissouriBotanicalGarden’sBiologyofPlants Website:http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/main.html
Includedonthatsiteisasectiononseeddispersalwherestudentscanwatchthelifecycleofthe dandelionandseeapictureofaburr:http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/seed.html
SEED SEARCHExplore:Gooutsideonaseedhunt.Howmanydifferentseedscanyoufind?Canyouidentifyhowthey
travel?Whatplantsdidtheycomefrom?Tryplantingsomeincontainersintheclassroom.
DANDELION DANCE Creative Movement:Havestudentsactoutthelifecycleofthedandelionasanarratorleadsthem
throughthechangesovertimeandwithweather.
NationalScienceEducationStandards:C1theCharacteristicsofOrganisms;C2LifeCyclesofOrganisms
PLANTAPOEMONPAPER Thename‘dandelion’comesfromaderivationoftheFrenchfortoothofthelion-dentdelion. Whatothertooth-relatedwordshave‘dent’inthem?
Lookatthejaggedleavesofthedandelion.Whatothernamescouldyouinventforthisplant bycomparingtheappearanceofitsleaves,flower,orseedheadtosomethingelse?
Reviewtheuseofcomparisonsmadewithmetaphorsandsimiles.
Brainstormalistofdescriptionsforthedandelionandwriteagrouppoem. Thenaskstudentstowritetheirownpoemaboutaplant. Hereareafewdandelionmetaphorstogetyoustarted:
Ablazingsunshiningintheyard Apackoflionsinvadingthegarden
Aglobeofsnow,fragileandstill Awindstormofstars/swirlingintheair
LanguageArts:Useofmetaphorandsimile;WritingPoetry
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OBSERVING THE NATURAL WORLD Thequotation,“NATUREISOURGREATESTEDUCATOR”,appearsinSuggestionsforProgressive andCorrelativeNatureStudy,writtenbyDr.Carverin1902.Thefollowingactivitiesarerootedin Dr.Carver’ssuggestionsforteachersfromover100yearsago.
STOP,LOOK,LISTENGooutsidetotheschoolyardorapark.Haveeachstudentfindaplacetositandaskthemtostaythere
quietlyfortwentyminutes,observingtheplotofearthbeforethem.Provideregularorcoloredpencils andaskthemtosketchthedifferentthingstheyseeintheirspot.Askthemtonoteinwritingthesounds theyhearandtheactivitiesandscentsthattheyobserve.
Anotherday,focusononesubjectsuchasleaves,stems,orflowers.Askthemtodrawasmanydifferent kindsastheycanfind.
TOATTACHTOSOMETHINGANAME,ISTOMAKEITYOUROWN Aftertheobservationactivitiesarecompleted,havethestudentsuseidentificationguidestolabelwhat theydrew.Lookatthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweendifferentplants.SeetheMaking a Garden with Reused TreasuresActivityforideasonlabelingyourschoolyardplants.
THENATURALWEB Dr.Carversaidthateverythingin natureisconnected.Focusonalocal naturalhabitatandnativecreatures, includingthosethatarenocturnal.
1.Brainstormwiththestudents alistofplants,creatures,and otherelementsoftheirnaturalhabitatsuchastrees, grasslands,andponds.
2. Dividethelistamongyourstudentsandaskeachtoanswerresearchquestionsabouttheirtopic andtodrawit.Yourstatedepartmentofconservationmightprovidereferencematerials.
3. Usingalargewall,hangthestudents’workandaddsoil,sunandpeople.Connectthepages withyarn,creatingthestringsoftheweb.Whatdotheythinkshouldgoatthecenteroftheweb? Iseverythingconnected?Arepeopleapartofthisweb?Whichlinesarefoodchains?What happensifonelinkisremoved?Alternativewebidea:Letthestudentsstandwiththeirpicture andformawebwithyarn.
NationalScienceEducationStandards:C1theCharacteristicsofOrganisms;C3Organismsand Environments;F4ChangesinEnvironments
THENATURALWEB Dr.Carversaidthateverythingin natureisconnected.Focusonalocal naturalhabitatandnativecreatures, includingthosethatarenocturnal.
1.Brainstormwiththestudents alistofplants,creatures,and otherelementsoftheirnaturalhabitatsuchastrees, grasslands,andponds.
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VEGETABLE GARDEN MATH InNatureStudyandGardeningforRuralSchools(1910),Dr.Carverencouragedteacherstouse gardeningasameanstoteachmathconcepts.
Createyourownsamplestoryproblemswithyourclassbasedongardeningsituationssimilartothose notedbelow,utilizingthemathskillsyouwishtoassess.
Thenaskyourstudentstocreatetheirownstoryproblemswithanswerkeys,tosharewiththeir classmates.Ifyouareabletobuildaschoolgarden,letthestoryproblemsserveaspracticefor planningouttheschoolgarden.
Evenifyoucan’tplantaschoolgarden,havevegetableseedpacketsavailableforthestudentstoread andapplytheplantinginstructions.
BUSHBEANPROFITS Apacketofbushbeanseedscost$2.95.Youhavetospendanadditional$16.00ontoolsandfertilizer. Ifyoucangrow100plantsfromthispacketandeachplantproducesonepoundofbeans,howmany poundswillyouharvest?Ifthebeanssellfor$1.00apound,whatwillbeyourprofit?
PLANTINGTIME Yourseedpacketwilltellyouthelengthoftimefromplantinguntilharvest.Identifytheestimateddate forthelastspringfrostinyourregion(whichtellsyouwhenit’ssafetoplant).Ifyourbushbeanstake 58daysfromplantingtoharvest,onwhatdatewilltheybereadytopick?
PLANNINGAGARDEN Usingpaper(plainorgraphpaper)andcoloredpencils,layoutarectangulargardenplotxfeetbyyfeet. Identifyascaleforthestudentstousesuchas1-inchequals1-foot.Allowtwo-footbordersaroundthe garden.Theseedpacketswilltellyouhowfaraparttoplantboththeseedsandtherows.Howmany differentplantswillyougrow?Howmanyofeachvegetablewillyouplantinthisgardenplot?Make acolorkeyshowingthedifferentvegetablesyouwillplant.Identifythescaleyou’veused.
CommonCoreStateStandards/Mathematics:Describingsituationsandsolvingproblemswiththefouroperations;Lengthmeasurement; Timeandmoney;Shapes. CommonCoreStateStandards/LiteracyinScience:Synthesizeandapplyinformationpresentedindiverseways.
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IMPROVING THE SOIL Dr.Carverencouragedfarmerstofeedtheirsoilbytwomethodsthatavoidedtheexpenseofusing commercialfertilizers.Onewastheplantingoflegumes,suchaspeanutsandcowpeas,whichnotonly providedpeoplewithanexcellentprotein,butalsoreleasednitrogenintothesoilastheirrootsdecayed. Theothermethodheadvocatedwastheuseofcompost.
Hereisaniceslideshowforstudentswithgoodinformationandinstructionsoncomposting: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/kindergarden/kidscompost/kid1.html
EXPERIMENTWITHCOMPOSTRECIPES Afterresearchingcompost,providestudentswithrecycledplanters(yogurtcontainers,etc.)witha drainageholepokedatthebottom.Letthemexperimentwithdifferentcompostandsoilmixtures, applyingtheconceptsofbalancingbrown(forcarbon)andgreen(fornitrogen)ingredients.Encourage thestudentstoseekoutavarietyofpossibleingredientsincludingvegetableandfruitwaste,leafmulch, andcoffeegrounds.Forcomparativepurposes,includeaplantingofschoolyardsoilwithoutany compostadded.Askthemtomeasureandrecordtheiringredients.
Next,havethemplantaseedineachoftheircontainers.Allseedsshouldbetakenfromthesameseed packetandplantedatthesamedepth.Letthemalsomeasureoutandrecordthewatertheygivethe plant.Assoonasaseedbeginstoappear,havethemstarttorecordmeasurementsofplantgrowthand datesandtorecordtheirinformationonatableorgraph.Whentheprojectiscompleted,askthemto reporttheirfindingsorally,visually,and/orinawrittenreport.
NationalScienceEducationStandards:ScienceasInquiry,A1&A2;D1PropertiesofEarthMaterials.
HEALTHY EATING Agoodgardenisoneofthebestfamilyphysicians,Dr.Carversaidinthe1943biography“George WashingtonCarver”byRackhamHolt.
GETTINGTOKNOWFRESHFRUITSANDVEGETABLES Encourageyourstudentstoplantafewvegetablesinasmallspotoflandattheirhomesortomakea containergardentosetinasunnyspot.
Introducethemtofruitsandvegetablesanddiscusswhywetrytoeatfromthedifferentcolorgroups. Haveafruitandvegetablepartywhereoneofeverykindyoucanfindisdisplayedwhole,thensliced fortasting.
NationalScienceEducationStandards:F2PersonalHealth
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FRUITANDVEGETABLERIDDLEPOEMS Afterstudentshaveexploredthetastes,names,textures,coverings,seeds,andshapesoffruitsand vegetable,writeriddlepoems.Askthemtoincludeatleastoneactiveverb,onecomparison,andone colorclue.Rhymingshouldbeoptional.Writeoneortwogrouppoemsfirst,tomodel.Usingapaper squareandglue,theycancreateaflaptohidetheiranswer.Leteachchildreadtheirriddletotheclass andcallonclassmatesfortheanswer.Here’sanexample:
What Am I? Alone,Ilooklikeacrescentmoon hanginggoldeninthenight. Butbeneathmypeel hidesatreat,sweetandcloudwhite. (abanana)
COOKINGWITHDR.CARVER Dr.Carverpublished105recipesusingpeanuts!Healsodevelopedrecipesformanyotherfoods.Inthe Tuskegeelinkbelow,youwillfindafewofhisrecipesincludingthemockchickenmadefrompeanuts recipethatismentionedin“IntheGardenwithDr.Carver.”
http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/exhibits/tuskegee/gwcresearch.htm
HereisalinkfromtheUniversityofMainewithwild-greensaladinstructions,includingrecipesfor dandeliongreens:http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/4060.htm
MAKING A GARDEN WITH REUSED TREASURES Nothingshouldbewasted,Dr.Carversaid.
CONTAINERGARDENS Manyitemsthatgetsenttothetrashdumpcouldbeusedforcontainergardens.Providesuggestions toyourstudentsandaskthemtocollectsometreasures.
Ifyoucan’tpunchordrilladrainageholeinthebottomofacontainer,linethebottomwithgravelor brokenshardsofcrockery.Placingacottonfabricscraporareusedplasticbaginsideofcontainerslike wickerbasketswillpreventthesoilfromrapidlywashingout.Areusedplasticbagcanalsobeusedto lineametalcontainertoslowdownrust(pokethedrainageholethroughthecontainerandtheplastic liner).
Possibilitiesinclude:oldleatherbootsandshoes;toydumptrucks,traincars,anddollbuggies;old wagons;plasticcontainersrangingfromsmallyogurtcupstolargebarrels;cleanbucketsandcoffee cans;potsandpans;evenpurses.Anythingwithahandlecanbecomeahangingplanter.(Helpthe studentstodecidewhichcontainersshouldbeusedforediblesandwhichforflowers.Asageneralrule, ifyouwouldn’tputyourmouthonit,don’tplantfoodinit.)
GARDENLABELS Createlabelsforplantsyou’veidentifiedintheschoolyardandforyourcontainergardens.Reviewplant needsandincludeonthelabelsforyourcontainergardensymbolsindicatingsunandwaterneeds. PermanentMarkerscanbeusedtowriteonallsortsofreusedtreasures.Thinnerplasticcontainers,lids, andcupscanbecutintodurablelabels.
ScienceandTechnologyinSociety:Earthmaterialsprovideresources,buttheseresourcesarelimitedandshouldbeconserved.
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SOCIAL STUDIES CONNECTIONS ThetwowebsitesnotedbelowprovideexcellentinformationandarchivedphotosaboutDr.Carver andhislife’sworkasaninventor,researcher,andhumanitarian.
http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/exhibits/tuskegee/index.htm http://www.fieldmuseum.org/carver/
CREATEACLASSROOMMUSEUM ResearchwithyourstudentsthemanycontributionsthatDr.Carvermade.Askeachstudenttocreate adisplay,perhapsillustratingormakinganartifactthatdemonstratesoneofhiscontributions.
ConsiderexpandingyourmuseumtoincludeotherAmericaninventors.
CHANGINGTIMES Dr.Carverwasbornintoslaveryand,fromtheprimarylevelupthroughhisgraduatestudies,hadto perseveretofindschoolsthatwouldadmithim.
ExplorewithyourstudentsthechangesthatoccurredintheNorthandSouthafterthetimeofhisbirth. PlacethisintocontextforyourstudentswiththefoundinganddevelopmentoftheTuskegeeInstitute. (Seehttp://www.nps.gov/archive/bowa/tuskin.htmlformoreinformationonthissubject.)
ExplorewithyourstudentsthecausesbehindthesituationthatDr.Carvermetwhenhearrivedinthe South–thatofthesoilbeingdepletedbyyearsofcottongrowthandthefarmersstrugglingtosurvive onmeagerwagesfrompoorcottoncrops.
NationalScienceEducationStandards:E2UnderstandingAboutScienceandTechnology;GHistoryandNatureofScience NationalCenterforHistoryintheSchools:8AUnderstandingthedevelopmentoftechnologicalinnovations,themajorscientists andinventorsassociatedwiththemandtheirsocialandeconomiceffects;4AUnderstandinghistoricfigureswhohaveexemplified valuesandprinciplesofAmericandemocracy.