A great book can be such a wonderful
springboard for integrated learning!
The book The
Gardener is an example of a picture book that can be used to
address multiple discipline areas across multiple grade levels.
As I write this post, Calgary weather
remains a frigid -23C. Although Lent begins today, there are NO signs that ‘spring is just around
the corner.’ Outside my window, everything is a big white blanket with splashes
of gray.
As soon as I pick this book up and
begin reading, I can't help but find my spirit lifting!
The Gardener, written by Sarah Stewart and illustrated by David Small
(a husband and wife team), is the story of Lydia Grace, a young girl, who is sent
to New York to live with her Uncle Jim during the Great Depression. Her story
is told through a series of letters written home. Her mission is to make her
grouchy uncle smile, and to nurture her growing green thumb by creating a
rooftop garden. It is a story that illustrates perseverance, hard work, hope
and kindness.
The book can be found in many CCSD school
libraries.
Curricular themes and concepts the
book can help address are (this list is not exclusive – you and your students will
come up with many additional ideas!):
Social Studies
|
Family, the Great Depression, quality of life,
rural and urban, stories of the past, caring for the environment
|
Science
|
Plants and growth, seeds, parts of a flower,
regenerating an inner city building, gardening, soil, respect for living
things and environments, and commitment for their care
|
Language Arts
|
Narrative (historical fiction), events of a story,
sequencing, parts of a letter, finding important ideas, questioning, reading with a purpose,
synthesizing ideas (For additional lesson and unit ideas go to Learn
Alberta Online Reference Center’s TeachingBooks )
|
Religion
|
Acts of kindness, renewal, resiliency
|
Art
|
Sketching, watercolors, (see David Small’s video on sketching and
illustrating at TeachingBooks.net
|
The Critical Thinking Consortium has
selected The Gardener as part of
their Thoughtful Books series. For a
lesson plan (Grade 3+) on how to read The Gardener critically and to thoughtfully consider
ethical matters, click here.
Some Blogging suggestions (at the
Grade 5 level) are:
1.
Have students
identify and summarize the most important idea in the letters Lydia sent home
i.e. “In the letter dated ________, the most important idea was ______.”
2.
Take pictures
of completed art work (see suggestion in table above), post on blog and invite
parents and blog visitors to take a ‘gallery walk’. They can leave comments if
they wish.
3.
Grade 5
students can blog an answer to the question “In what ways did the Great
Depression affect Lydia’s way of life? Uncle Jim’s life?” Have students provide
evidence (cite page number from the text) that supports their thinking.
4.
Students
create iMovie or Photo story of random acts of kindness being performed during
lent. Post stories on blog as a way to encourage and inspire others to do their
own acts.
5.
Discuss
Lydia’s actions and how they affected her environment. Ask students to
brainstorm actions they can do to show care, concern or respect for the
environment. Come up with a Top 10 list by ranking actions from most powerful
to less powerful. Post Top 10 on blog and invite feedback and alternate Top 10
lists.
Have fun blogging and searching for
signs of spring!
