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.