PS 376A Felisa Rincon De Gautier School, Bushwick, Brooklyn, District 32

Peter Brown, The Curious Garden:

Visit 1: May 14, 2010
Visit 2: May 21, 2010
Visit 3: May 28, 2010

A fourth grade class studying the plant life cycle read The Curious Garden by Peter Brown. The book tells the fictional story of a young boy named Liam who discovers a small group of plants growing on an abandoned train track in his grim city. The author was inspired to write The Curious Garden by the true story of the High Line Park, which was recently created out of an unused train track and station that is situated above ground in Manhattan. In the book, Liam begins to take care of the few plants, which soon multiply and turn the city from a dull grey to a vibrant green.

Students worked with author-illustrator Peter Brown over the course of two workshops that emphasized the students’ use of imagination to create fictional stories based on what they already knew about plants. Each student chose a plant native to NYC to further research and then used their imagination to personify the plant and tell a story about it. Then the students took a trip with Mr. Brown to the High Line Park, where they learned about the history of the park and about all the plants in the park. Using the park’s field guide, the students searched for the plant they had researched and drew sketches of it to use for their illustrated stories. The students’ stories and illustrations were compiled into a class book.

A group of students rallies to win a scavenger hunt as they search for the real-life versions of the plants pictured in their books.		Two girls smile as they enjoy the fun and learning on their field trip. ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
A High Line tour guide shows students pictures of what the area looked like before the park was built.		On a tour of High Line Park, the students learn about the importance of native plants.
Students gather to draw sketches of plants for their illustrated stories.		Peter Brown consults with his scavenger hunt group as they race to find ttheir plants.

 

back to top