Plant a Kiss *I have included modifications for three different levels ~ choices, single words, open ended. You can tweak these questions to meet your learner’s exact level. Pick a level for each question, feel free alter your levels as you go through the lesson. If you find a level of question is too easy/hard, simply drop back or move forward a level! First, we talked about the fact that Valentine's Day was coming up. (If you are doing this lesson at another time or around a holiday, talk about your special event or holiday.) What holiday is coming soon? ● Valentines/Thanksgiving ● What holiday are we talking about? ● Tell me about Valentine’s day. Present the book cover, read the title, author and illustrator. Talk about what authors and illustrators do. ● The person who writes a story is the plumber/author ● Another word for writer is ___________ (author) ● What is an author? ● The person who draws the pictures for a book is a sculptor/illustrator ● The person who draws the pictures is the ___________ (illustrator) ● What is an illustrator? Read the first couple of pages and ask: ● What does the girl plant? kiss/vegetables ● The girl plants a __________? (kiss) ● What does the girl do? (You can extend this question by asking, Can someone actually plant a kiss?) Read the next few pages. ● What does the girl give the kiss to help it grow? water/lemonade ● Name one thing the girl gives the plant. ● What does the girl do to grow a kiss? (extension: How can you greet something that has been planted?) Onto the next page… ● After waiting, the girl sees the plant begin to shrink/grow ● After receiving water, sunshine, greetings, the plant begins to _________ (grow) ● What happens after the girl plants the kiss? (extension: Have you ever planted anything? What helped it grow?) Read the next two pages… ● Who does the girl call after the plant sprouts? animals/friends ● Another word for what happens when a plant is just beginning to grow is ________ (sprout) ● What happened next? The friends stare at the plant in amazement... ● What does the girl decide to do with the plant? share/keep ● The girl decides that she should _________ (share) ● What does the girl decide to do with the plant? Why? ● Her friends think the idea to share is great/foolish ● Tell me one word that describes what her friends think about the girl’s idea to share the plant. (this question is semi­open….take a stab at it. If you are not there yet, pick a word that describes the friends’ reactions and have your child spell it.) ● What do the friends think about this idea? We read through the next few pages, soaking up the beautiful illustrations. ● Who did the girl decide to share the plant with? no one/everyone ● The girl shared the plant with _________ (everyone, friends) ● How do you think the people felt when the girl shared the plant? After this, pause and explain, A metaphor is a comparison used in writing and poetry where one thing is used to represent something else. In this story, the plant is a metaphor. ● What do you think the plant represents? school/love ● The plant is a metaphor for ____________ (love) (or you could have the child spell metaphor) ● What do you think the plant represents? (extension: give me an example of a metaphor) Read to the end of the story... ● After the girl has given away the plant, it grows/dies ● After the girl shares the plant, it ___________ (grows) ● What has happened to the plant? (extension: What do you think happens when you give away love?) So, this book seems like a very simple children's story, but it is far more complex. What is the lesson the story teaches us? Creative Writing: If you could plant ​
anything​
as a gift to the world, what would you want to plant and what would you want to do with it? Bonus: ​
Sensory/motor craft project ~Elizabeth