Lily’s Victory Garden
Author: Helen L. Wilbur
Illustrator: Robert Gantt Steele
Guide written by Jillian Hume
This guide may be reproduced for use in the classroom with
this express written consent of Sleeping Bear Press
Published by
Sleeping Bear Press
315 E. Eisenhower Parkway, Suite 200
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
800-487-2323
www.sleepingbearpress.com
Lily’’sVictoryGarden
PreviewandPredict
AsyoureadLily’’sVictoryGarden,seeifyoucananswerthequestionsbelow.
1. WhatmightaVictoryGardenbeusedfor?
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2. Whatyearmightthisbooktakeplace?_________________________
3. Howcanyoutell?Listatleastthreeexamples.
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4. Wheredoyouthinkthatthisbooktakesplace?
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5. DoesitappearthatLilyhasagoodrelationshipwithherfamily?
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6. DoyouthinkthatLilyenjoysgardening,ordoesitlooklikeshewouldratherbeplaying
withfriends?
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Lily’’sVictoryGarden
RationingGame
DuringWorldWarII,soldiers’’needscamebeforethoseonthehomefront.Forthenexttwo
schooldays,youwillexperiencerationing.Usethestampsbelow.Whenyouuseastamp,mark
anXthroughit.Youmayonlyuseeachstamponce.Whenyouhaveusedyourstamps,youmay
not have any more of that activity or object during the time of the game.
A=pencil
S=paper
D=BathroomPass F=DrinkingFountainPass
1. Didyouuseallofyourstamps?__________________
2. Howdidyoufeelifanitemyouwantedwasnolongeravailableto
you?____________________________________________________________________
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Lily’’sVictoryGarden
The““Funnies””
In Lily’’s Victory Garden, Lily and her father listen to the radio as they are reading the
newspaper.Theyfirstreadthefunnies.Thefunniesarepagesinthenewspaperthatarefilled
with comics, jokes, and puzzles. Writing a comic strip is like writing a play. There is a plot,
setting,andcharacters.Writeandcreateyourowncomicstripbelow.
CharacterName
PhysicalTraits
PersonalityTraits
Setting:________________________________________________
PlotͲWhatwillyourcomicbeabout?
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Lily’’sVictoryGarden
Lily’’sVictoryGarden
GraphingtheData
LilyplantedagardenwithMrs.BishopinLily’’sVictoryGarden.Usethedatatablebelowto
createadoublebargraphtorepresenttheplantsthatLilyandJackmayhaveplantedifthey
hadtheirowngarden.Thenuseyourgraphtoanswerthequestionsbelow.
Tomato
Lily
7
Jack
4
Key
Peas
2
6
Pumpkins Cabbage
10
4
3
8
Radish Watermelon Carrot
4
6
3
5
2
7
PlantsintheGarden
Jack
Lily
Number
Planted
TomatoPeasPumpkinsCabbageRadishWatermelonCarrot
TypeofPlant
1.IfLilyplantedfourmorecarrots,wouldpumpkinsstillbethemostplanted?
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2.Whoplantedmorecabbages?_______________________________
3.IfJackplantedsixmorepumpkins,wouldhehavemoreorlessplantedthan
Lily?_________________
4.HowmanyplantsdidLilyplantalltogether?______________
5.HowmanyplantsdidJackplantalltogether?_____________
Lily’s Victory Garden
Honey Cake
Sugar was an item that was rationed during World War II. Honey was often substituted
in cooking and baking. Make and enjoy eating this cake.
Ingredients:
½ cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup honey
1 egg, well beaten
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup sour milk (1/2 cup regular milk mixed with ½ teaspoon white vinegar may be
used instead)
Cream shortening in bowl. Add honey and egg.
In bowl, mix or sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add this mixture to
shortening mixture, then add sour milk. Mix all ingredients together until blended.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Smooth top of batter
with spoon or spatula. Batter will be sticky. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for
about 35 minutes, or until done.
Makes about 12 servings.
Lily’’sVictoryGarden
ReadLily’’sVictoryGardenandthenpracticespellingpatternandwordfamiliesby
usingthelettersbelow.Youmayonlyuseeachletteronce.Startbymakingsmall
words,andworkyourwayuptomakingbiggerwords.Useallthelettersonly
oncetofillintheblanksatthebottomtofigureoutthemysteryword.
SMNGBSOIOL
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Mysteryword:
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Lily’’sVictoryGarden
JournalEntry
InthebookLily’’sVictoryGarden,LilyandMrs.Bishoparecaughtintherainstorm;thepicture
showsthemwithsmilesontheirfaces.AfterMr.Bishopreturnshome,themoodchanges.Lily
runshomeintears,tellsherparentswhathappened,andgoestoherroom.Imagineyouare
Lily. Write a journal entry describing your feelings, and what you might do to make things
better.
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Lily’’sVictoryGarden
VegetableVocabulary
Useadictionarytomatchthewordwithitsdefinition.
1. Stem
2. Flowers 3. Roots
4. Leaves 5. Pollen 6. Fruit
7. Seeds 8. Lifecycle
a.holdsuptheplant
b.takeinairanduselighttomakefood
c.apowderwhichmakesseedsgrowinsidea
flower
____ d.makeseeds
____ e.growintonewplants
____ f.showshowalivingthinggrows,lives,anddies
____ g.growsaroundseedsforprotection
____ h.holdstheplantinthesoil,takesinwaterand
minerals
____ ____ ____ Puttheletterofeachitembelowintheboxestocompletethelifecycleofa
plant.Thefirstandfourthboxesarefilledoutforyou.
A. Seed
B. Leavesemerge
C. Developsseedling
D. Budswillgrowandturnintoflowers
E. Growsroots
F. Fertilizedflowersproducenewseeds
G. Stembeginstogrowupward,outofthesoil
A
G
Lily’’sVictoryGarden
CostofSeeds
ThepriceofgoodsandseedswereverydifferentduringWorldWarII,whenLily’’sVictory
Gardentakesplace.Usethepricelisttoanswerthequestionsbelow.Thepricesarewhatyou
wouldpayifyouboughtthemtoday.Youmaypurchasemorethanoneseedpacket.
DetroitDarkRedBeets 7grams $2.95
KentuckyWonderBeans
2ounces
$2.95
LittleMarvelPeas 3ounces
$3.65
Kleckley’’sSweetWatermelon 4grams
$2.65
LittleGemLettuce
$3.35
4grams
1. Ifyoupaidforapacketofwatermelonandapacketofpeaswith$7,howmuchchange
wouldyougetback?
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2. Ifyouhave$10,whatcouldyoubuy?Howmuchchangewouldyouhaveleft
over?______________________________________________________________________
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3. Ifyoubuyfourseedpacketsoflettuce,oneseedpacketofbeets,andtwopacketsof
watermelon,howmanygramsofseedshaveyouboughtalltogether?
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4. Couldyoubuy2seedpacketsoflettuce,and1packetofwatermelonwith$9?Ifno,how
muchmorewouldyouneed?Ifyes,howmuchdoyouhaveleftover?
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5. Whatcouldyoubuywith$20?Howmuchchangewouldyouhaveleftover?
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6. Createyourownstoryproblem.
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7. Askafriendtoanswerthestoryproblemyoucreatedinnumber6.
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Lily’’sVictoryGarden
GrowingLimaBeans
Materials:
Marker
Plasticcup(forsoil)
Driedlimabeans(3perstudentorgroup)
Papertowels
Plasticsandwichbags
Soil
Experiment#1Procedure:
Writeyournameontheplasticcup.
Fillyourcuphalfwaywithsoil.
Placetwolimabeansinthesoil.
Coverwithmoresoil.
Addwater.
Placecupinasunnyareaoftheroom.
Experiment#2Procedure:
Writeyournameontheplasticbag.
Carefullywrapthelimabeaninthedamppapertowel.
Placeyourwrappedlimabeanintheplasticbag;sealthebag.
OngoingCare:
Ifthesoilfeelsdry,addwatersothatitremainsdamp.
Ifthepapertowelisdry,addmorewatersothatitremainsdamp.
Lily’’sVictoryGarden
GrowingLimaBeans
Makeaprediction.Willalimabeangrowinsoil?Willitgrowinaplasticbag?Whyorwhynot?
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Observethecupofsoilandtheplasticbagonceaday,thenrecordyourdatabelow.Youmay
usewordsorpicturestodescribewhatyousee.
Day1
Day2 Day3 Day4 Day5 Day6 Day7 Day8 Day9 Day10 LimaBeansinSoil
LimaBeansinBag
Compareyourresultswithyourpredictions.Wereyourpredictionscorrect?
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Lily’’sVictoryGarden
CreatingaTimeline
Atimelineisacollectionofeventsthatareputintheorderthattheyhappened.Belowisa
timelineofPresidentFranklinD.Roosevelt’’slife.HewaspresidentduringthetimeLily’’sVictory
Gardentakesplace.Usehistimelineasanexampletocreateoneaboutyourownlife.
1882
RooseveltwasbornJanuary30inHydePark,NewYork
1905
MarriedEleanorRooseveltonMarch17
1932
Elected32ndpresidentoftheUnitedStates
1936
Reelectedfor2ndtermaspresidentonNovember3
1940
Reelectedfora3rdtermaspresidentonNovember5
1941
U.S.declareswaronJapanonDecember8
1944
Reelectedfor4thtermaspresidentonNovember7
1945
OnApril12,RooseveltdiedinWarmSprings,Georgia
TheTimelineofMyLife
Lily’’sVictoryGarden
DictionaryDig
During World War II several items were rationed. Read Lily’’s Victory Garden, then use a
dictionaryandathesaurustoinvestigatetheword““ration.””Findthedefinition,synonym,and
antonym.Then,writeasentencethatusestheword““ration.””
Word:
Ration
Defin
Definition
Synonym
Antonym
Sentence
Lily’’sVictoryGarden
QuestionsforLily
Lily’’sVictoryGardentakesplaceduringWorldWarII.TheUnitedStatesdeclaredwaron
December8,1941.Lily’’slifeintheearly1940swasverydifferentthanyourlifetoday.Write
Lilyaletteraskingherquestionsaboutherlife,hobbies,school,oranythingelseyou’’dliketo
learnaboutherlife.Remembertoincludethedate,greeting,andsignature.
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Lily’’sVictoryGarden
DesignLily’’sGarden
ReadLily’’sVictoryGardenandthenfollowthedirectionsbelowtodesignagardenforLily.You
willneedaruler,apencil,andcoloredpencilstocompletethisactivity.
1.Hergardenis6inchesby6inches.Drawthisshapebelowusingthetwolinesthataregiven.
Whatshapeisit?________
2.Thetopthirdofthegardeniswheresheplantedbeets.Colorthisred.
3.Howmanyinchesfromthetopdidyoumeasure?________________
4.Thebottomthirdofthegardeniswheresheplantedbeans.Colorthissectionbrown.
5.Howmanyinchesfromthebottomdidyoumeasure?______________
6.Shedividedthemiddlethirdinhalf.Whatsizeiseachofthesesquares?___________
7.Sheplantedpeasontheright.Colorthatsectiongreen.Sheplantedwatermelonontheleft.
Colorthatsectionblack.
Lily’’sVictoryGarden
TimePeriodInterview
ManyAmericanswhowerealiveduringWorldWarIIarestillalive,andwouldremember
similareventsthattookplaceinLily’’sVictoryGarden.Someofthemwerefightinginthewar,
someofthemwereworkinginfactories(likeLily’’sparents),andsomeofthemwerejust
children.
Interviewsomeonewhowasaliveduringthistimeperiod.Brainstormalistofquestionsthat
youmightaskthemabouttheirlifeduringthewar.Recordthembelow.
Afteryouhavecompletedtheinterview,shareyouranswerswithafriendintheclass.Talk
aboutthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthepeoplethatyouinterviewed.
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Lily’’sVictoryGarden
CreateAnAdvertisement
Intheboxbelow,createanadvertisementthatthegovernmentcouldusetopromoteVictoryGardens.
Manyadvertisementscontainapictureandaslogan.Asloganisamemorablemottoorphrase.Some
examplesofoldadvertisementsusedforVictoryGardenpostersinclude:
““YourVictoryGardencountsmorethanever!””
““Growvitaminsatyourkitchendoor.””
““Eatwhatyoucan,andcanwhatyoucan’’teat.””
Lily’’sVictoryGarden
JunkRally
DuringWorldWarII,aVictoryGardenwasn’’ttheonlythingpeoplecoulddotohelpthewar
effortfromhome.Besidesrationingfood,peoplestarteddonatingtheirrakes,birdcages,
washingmachines,farmequipment,andevencarstousethescrapmetaltobuildandrepair
shipsandtanks.ThesewerecalledJunkRallies.Childrenwouldgofromhousetohousewith
wagonspickingupscrapsfrompeople’’shouses.Thatwouldbenoisy!
Writeapoemaboutwhatthismightsoundlikeusingonomatopoeia.Anonomatopoeiapoem
doesnothavetorhyme,butsomewordsmustlooklikethesoundstheyaredescribing.For
examplewhenacaris‘‘rattling’’thesoundisactuallymakingthesoundoftheword.Other
examplesinclude:oink,meow,buzz,click,whooshed,andpop.
Canyouthinkofanymorewords?
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Writeyouronomatopoeiapoemaboutjunkrallies.Usethesoundsthatyoumighthearwhena
wagonofscraprollsalongthesidewalkdownyourstreet.
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Lily’’sVictoryGarden
CompareandContrast
ReadLily’’sVictoryGarden,thenusetheVenndiagramtocompareandcontrastLily’’slifewith
yourown.HowisyourlifedifferentthanLily’’slife?Howisyourlifesimilar?
Both
Lily
You
Lily’’sVictoryGarden
ReadingReview
RestatethequestiontoanswerthesereviewquestionsafteryouenjoyreadingLily’’sVictory
Garden.AwellͲwrittensentencebeginswithacapitalletterandendsinpunctuation.
1. Whatisthegenreofthestory?
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2. WhatdoLilyandherbrotherJackcollecteverySaturday?
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3. WhatstreetdoesLily’’sapartmentoverlook?
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4. WheredoesLily’’sfatherwork?
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5. WhoisGabrielHeatter?
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6. WhatkindsofplantsareplantedinVictoryGardens?
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7. Whycan’’ttheBishopshaveanydisturbanceintheiryard?
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8. WheredoesLilygetthegardeningtools?
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9. WhatdoesLilysayishardertodothantheleafletsays?
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10.Lilyinvestigatesafrillyleaftofindoutifitisavegetableoraweed.Whotellsherthatit
isacarrot?_______________________________________________________________
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11.WhatdoesLily’’snamemeaninLatin?
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12.WhatdoesMrs.BishopdowhenThunderknocksLilydowninthemud?
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13.WhydoesLilyrunhomeintears?
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14. What does Mr. Bishop tell Lily when he comes to her house in the evening?
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15.WhoisthepresidentoftheUnitedStatesduringthetimethatthisbooktakesplace?
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16.SummarizeLily’’sVictoryGardeninyourownwords.
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Lily’’sVictoryGarden
AnswerKey
GraphingtheData
1.Yes2.Jack3.Less4.365.35
WordWrite:
BigWord:Blossoming
VegetableVocabulary:
Matching:1.A2.D3.H4.B5.C6.G7.E8.F
PlantLifeCyclestartingwith1andcontinuingclockwise:1,5,3,2,7,4,6
CostofSeeds
1.$0.702.Answersvary3.31grams4.No,$0.35short5.Answersvary
DictionaryDig
Definition:Afoodallowanceforoneday,asharedeterminedbysupply
Synonym:Allowance,limit,proportion
Antonym:Collect,gather
DesignLily’’sGarden
1. Square
3.Threeinches 6.Threeinchesbytwoinches
5.Threeinches Red:Beets
Black:
Watermelon
Green:
Peas
Brown:Beans
ReadingReview
1.RealisticFiction
2.Tincansandscraps
3.FederalStreet
4.Atanaircraftplant
5.Theradioannouncer
6.Vegetables
7.Mrs.Bishopisn’’twell
8.FromMr.Bishopoutoftheshed
9.Clearingupthedeadplantsandrootsandturningoverthesoil
10.Mrs.Bishop
11.BlossomingFlower
12.Mrs.Bishopstartstolaugh.
13.Mr.Bishopcomeshomeandtellsherthatgardeningisoverandnottocomeanymore.
14.I’’msorryaboutwhathappenedtoday.Pleasecomebacktoustomorrow.
15.FranklinD.Roosevelt