Katelynn Sjurseth

Ed 359
March 16, 2015
Kindergarten Literature and Vocabulary Project
Theme Gardens
Book: The Garden that We Grew by Joan Holub and illustrated by Hiroe Nakata
ISBN:0-670-89799
Motivation:
Good morning kindergarteners we are going to learn about gardens today. Gardens are places
where grow plants. Raise your hand if you have ever seen a garden. What are some things that
can grow in a garden? Gardens can be pretty or useful. Flowers, fruits and vegetables can grow
in gardens. We are going to read The Garden that We Grew. Take a look at the cover. What do
you think they are growing? What words do you expect to see? What do you think will happen?
Synopsis: The book starts by children planting seeds in a garden. They then tend to the garden by
weeding and watering it. Eventually the garden grows and the children are able to harvest
pumpkins. The kids then make several different things from the pumpkins, but saved the seeds so
they could plant pumpkins again.
Rational

Students will learn order from the growing pattern.

Introduces new vocabulary.
The book and poem rhymes giving better word comprehension.
Counting the pumpkins in the book helps with number comprehension.
The book includes life experiences.
The poem and actions satisfies students need for movement.
Cutting out the pieces of paper for the garden helps develop fine motor skills.

Vocabulary

Seeds- Are what new plants grow from.

Weeds- The plants that you do not want in your garden.
Buds- the beginning of new plants and flowers
Garden- A place to grow different plants such as flowers, fruits, and vegetables.

Materials

The Garden that We Grew by Joan Holub

Poem What Makes a Garden Grow, Grow, Grow by Patricia Elizabeth Garner

Glue

Safety scissors

Construction paper

Markers or crayons

Paper cut outs

Activities
Making a Garden
Original Idea by Katelynn Sjurseth
Instructions:
Give the students either brown or black construction paper to represent their garden. Using
markers or crayons have the students draw in rows for the garden. Have the students pre color
seeds, buds, growing plant, and pumpkin. On the farthest left part of the page have the students
glue the seed. Then proceeding to the right have them glue a budding plant, the grown plant and
lastly the fruit, vegetable or flower, in this case the pumpkin.

Poem: The poem is repetitive and uses motion to help further cement students learning of new
words.
What Makes a Garden Grow, Grow, Grow
What makes a garden grow, grow, grow?
(Measure from floor with hand at three levels)
Lots of work with a rake and hoe,

(Pretend to rake and hoe)

Seeds gently planted in a row -(pretend to plant seeds with thumb and index finger together)
That makes a garden grow, grow, grow.
(Measure from floor with hand at three levels)
What brings the seedlings up from the ground?
(With palms up, close to floor, measure at three levels)
Rain from the sky coming down, down,
(Raise hands high and flutter fingers down, down, down)
Bright yellow sunbeams shining round.
(Make arms into big circle overhead)
Help bring the seedlings up from the ground.
(With palms up, close to floor measure at three levels.)
By Patricia Elizabeth Garner

Bibliographic Information
Holub, Joan, and Hiroe Nakata. The Garden That We Grew. New York: Viking, 2001. Print. 15
March. 2015
Garner, Patricia Elizabeth. "Seeds, Plants, Flowers, Gardens, and More." CanTeach: Songs &
Poems -. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2015
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems22.html