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A Lesson on A Garden in Lawndale	Export Lesson as PDF \| Save As Favorite

	Grade: Grade 4 Subject: English Language Arts Created by: Natalie Danwing Lesson Length: 1 hour 15 minutes Keywords/Tags: A garden in Lawndale, reading Reading, writing, vocabulary, critical thinking Lesson Description: The goal of this lesson is to provide the students with the chance to practice their reading/writing skills and decipher the correct definition of words that can have multiple meanings, as they are used in a story. Students can gain meaningful and lasting life lessons from the story. Through the process of multiple readings and thought provoking questions and discussions, students will understand the power they have as a combined voice. The students will also learn the importance of community work and taking the initiative to enrich the community and those that live around it.
Common Core Standards Covered with This Lesson CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.4.4c: Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1b: Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.4a: Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Task 2: Discussion Activity (30 points)
Instructions: This discussion forum will have questions for students to respond. Read the posted questions, and respond to each. Students are responsible for posting one initial and and two peer responses for each topic.


	Topic Title	Replies

	How would you raise awareness and funding for the project that they under took if you were in their situation. “The students needed money— they needed a budget. They sent that budget and their plan to get funding.— The foundation funded their plan.“ How would you raise awareness and funding for the project that they under took if you were in their situation but did not recieve help from a foundation. Politely respond to your classmates responses on whether you agree or disagree with their ideas. Sent on: Oct 13, 2019 by: Natalie Danwing	0

	”Their teacher showed them pictures of the community long ago. She showed them that it used to have great gardens.” Why did the teacher include this? State your opinions on why the teacher showed the students the pictures. What purpose does it serve? Use the text to support your opinion. Politely respond to your classmates responses. Sent on: Oct 13, 2019 by: Natalie Danwing	0

	Why was it necessary for the students ”to be sure that everyone in the community wanted the garden.“ The passage included the sentence "They wanted to be sure that everyone in the community wanted the garden." Why do you think your students thought this was necessary? Politely respond to your classmates responses. Sent on: Oct 13, 2019 by: Natalie Danwing	0

	Explain why the garden was to be the student’s “legacy to the school community.“ From your understanding of what a legacy is, explain why the garden was the student's "legacy to the school community". How could the garden help the futures students? Support your answer with examples from the text. Sent on: Oct 13, 2019 by: Natalie Danwing	0

Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.1, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.4.4c, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1b,

Lesson Content: Reading
Instructions: Please read the following reading passage as many times as needed (aloud and silent) before starting to go through other lesson pages. Understanding the content of this passage is very important since the lesson activities will be all about this content. Feel free to print the passage if needed.

A Garden in Lawndale

A catalyst is a spark. It is the start of a change. As you read this report, think what the spark was.

Eighth grade students at a school in Lawndale saw new buildings. Families were moving into the community. But they saw vacant lots, too. They saw trash there. Even when they picked up the trash, the lots did not stay
clean. Wind blew trash there from the street. “No one can do anything about this,” said one student. “Yes, we can,” said another. Their teacher agreed. They would plant a garden in a vacant lot.

Their teacher showed them pictures of the community long ago. She showed them that it used to have great gardens. The students said they could make this change. It was after Barack Obama had been elected. His slogan had been “Yes, we can.” They believed it. They would prove it.

The students met with the principal. They asked if they could create a community garden in the vacant lot closest to the school. She told them that was a great idea, but they would have to volunteer their own time and work on it every week. The students agreed. They promised they would donate their time every Saturday until it snowed. Even then they would keep the sidewalk cleared near the lot.

The students needed to collaborate with the community. They wanted to be sure that everyone in the community wanted the garden. They met with block clubs and told them their plan. The block clubs applauded the project. They said they would help.

The students went on the Internet to learn about plants. They looked for plants that would grow well in Chicago. They chose some evergreen plants. They chose some bulbs, too. They learned a lot about plants and gardening.

The students needed money to get the bulbs and plants. They needed tools, too. They made a budget. They sent that budget and their plan to get funding. A Foundation funded their plan. The students got $300 to buy what they needed.

They are 8th graders, so this spring they will meet with the seventh grade. They will ask them to take over the garden. It will be their legacy to the school
community.

Task 3: Writing Activity (30 points)
Instructions: You are to write and post here a 2-3 paragraph short response (minimum of 150 words). In your own words, describe what was the catalyst that the author referred to and how did it influence the community. Include quotations from the text to support your answer.

Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1b,

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