Plan

Lesson #601

A Garden Plot
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Grades K-1
Author Donica O’Laughlin Editor Pamela Emery

2300 River Plaza Drive Sacramento, CA 95833 916-561-5625 • 800-700-2482 Web Site: www.cfaitc.org

California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom

Vision: Mission:

An appreciation of agriculture by all. To increase awareness and understanding of agriculture amongCalifornia’s educators and students.

All or part of this educational unit may be reproduced for teacher and student classroom use. Permission for reproductions for other purposes must be obtained from the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. 2nd Edition September 2003

A Garden Plot The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Purpose
The purpose of this unit is to provide an agricultural themeto reading, writing, and science concepts that are taught in the classroom. The lesson using The Tale of Peter Rabbit and other stories by Beatrix Potter encourage students to think about where their food comes from, distinguish between fact and fiction, and write about personal experiences they have while caring for gardens of their own.

Introductory Activity
! Share information about a veryspecial author, Beatrix Potter. Some facts about her life are stated below. Other information about Beatrix Potter can be obtained from books sited in the literature listed on page 8. Beatrix Potter lived with her parents in London, England. During her era, young women grew up and stayed at home with their parents until they were married. This is what Miss Potter did. The top floor of the Potterhome, which was originally the nursery, became Beatrix Potter’s studio, where she drew, and kept her artwork and pets. She was a fine artist and enjoyed using her pets as models. Her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, was originally a fold-out story card, which she wrote and drew for a friend’s ill child. Her friend suggested that she make it into a book and have it published. This she did.Keeping in mind that children have small hands, all of Potter’s books were very small. Collections of Miss Potter’s pocket-sized storybooks, with unique green covers, can still be borrowed from public libraries today. ! Without reading the stories, show the students a couple of Beatrix Potter storybooks. Allow students to observe her artwork and the medium she used for her drawings. Mention thatillustrators choose which medium they would like to work with—pastels, crayons, water colors, etc. Distribute one piece of unlined white paper to each student. Have the children select a medium for their artwork (crayons, markers, gel pens, pastels, colored pencils) and then draw a picture of an animal they might use as a character in a book they author.

Time
Four 20-minute story-reading sessionsFive 40-minute sessions Ten 10-minute garden-care and journaling sessions

Materials
Introductory Activity ! Books by Beatrix Potter (page 8) ! Markers, crayons, colored pencils, pastels, water colors, gel pens ! White paper (one per student) Let’s Read Some Books ! Books authored by Beatrix Potter (page 8) !

Let’s Read Some Books
Throughout the next week, read and discuss several ofBeatrix Potter’s books including The Tale of Peter Rabbit. See the literature listings on page 8 for other Beatrix Potter titles. After reading each story, select a language arts topic to develop with your students. Have the children:

www.cfaitc.org

1

California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom • 2002

A Garden Plot The Tale of Peter Rabbit
! Rabbits ! ! “Bunny Hop” music(optional) ! Broad-tipped markers, assorted colors ! Butcher paper ! Cassette tape or CD player (optional) ! Food for Rabbit Food Taste Test—parsley, lettuce, carrots with tops, beets, radishes, peas ! Masking tape ! Scissors The Garden ! Butcher paper ! Clear contact paper or laminating equipment (optional) ! Colored pencils ! Duct tape or masking tape ! Gravel ! Index cards, unlined ! Markers,...