Tops and Bottoms Unit

A Cross Curricular Pack  Inspired by the Book By Janet Stevens

By Nancy VandenBerge  Firstgradewow.blogspot.com  Firstgradewow.blogspot.com  Graphics by djinkers, djinkers, scrappindoodles

 I love taking a piece of fabulous literature  and integrating the author’s ideas  throughout our curriculum. This little unit is intended to supplement your existing plant unit using Janet Steven’s very popular and readily available book “Tops and Bottoms.”  This unit includes some  Measurement and other math activities, a few  ELA activities, and some more fun learning opportunities!

How does your  Garden Grow?

 Play this game with a partner.  Pick a card. Measure the “ Tops and Bottoms” with snap cubes (or other nonstandard unit). Record your measurement on your recording sheet by adding that measurement to the previous ones. The first player to reach 30 wins. (Teacher-print cut and shuffle)

 Name __________ __________

How Does Your Garden Grow?  Recording Sheet

1

 2

 That’s Just Plain Corny!  Use the two different sized ears of corn. Measure the items on the recording sheet using the two ears. Record  the two measurements. Show  the difference.

 Teacher- Print and cut apart apart ears of corn

 Name ___________ ___________

 That’s Just Plain Corny!

 Recording Sheet Sheet  Small ear Large ear

Desk Chair Seat  Pencil Door  Math Book

Difference

 Root Prints in the  Garden!  Use the Root Prints Measuring Strips to measure the vegetables on the different pages.  Record your measurements measurements on the recording page.

 Root Prints Measuring Strips- Nonstandard Units

 Root prints in the Garden

 Name _________ _________

 Recording Page

 Measure

carrot Strip Radish Strip Turnip Strip

Hare and Bear Hi -Lo Game

 Set out number line. Put Bear on the right side of the number line and Hare on the left. The leader thinks of a number between 1 and 20 (or higher!).  Players take turns guessing the number. If the guess is too high, the leader says, “That number is too high.” Player moves Bear over to cover that number. If the guess is too low, the leader says, “That “That number is too low.” low.”  Player moves Hare over to cover that number. Players continue guessing until  the leader’s number is the only number between between Bear and Hare. (Small pictures can be used in a math tub with smaller numberlines. Large pictures can be used with a whole group with a floor number line.) line.)

Hare and Bear Hi Lo Game

Hare and Bear

 Name_____

Draw some “bottoms” in the garden.  Measure them with a nonstandard unit unit and label each each plant with  the measurement.

 On the back tell tell about what you grew in your garden.

 Name_____

Draw some “tops” in the garden.  Measure them with a nonstandard unit unit and label each each plant with  the measurement.

 On the back tell tell about what you grew in your garden.

Hare and Bear (Tune: "Old MacDonald Had A Farm")

Hare grew veggies on Bear’s land, EE land, EE I EE I O  Tops and bottoms in his hand, EE I EE I O (Children take turns naming vegetables Hare grew)  With a carrot, carrot here, her e,  and a carrot, carrot there ther e Here a carrot, there a carrot  Everywhere a carrot, carrot. Hare grew veggies on Bear’s land,

 EE I EE I O

 Tops and Bottoms

 Name _____________ ________________ ___  Many author’s have a message they they would like their readers to understand through through the text. What do you think Janet Stevens is sharing through Tops and Bottoms?

 ____________________  _____________________________ _________________ ______________ ______  ____________________  _____________________________ _________________ ______________ ______  ____________________  _____________________________ _________________ ______________ ______  ____________________  _____________________________ _________________ ______________ ______  ____________________  _____________________________ _________________ ______________ ______  ____________________  _____________________________ _________________ ______________ ______

 Name _____________ _____________

 Tops and Bottoms Hare and Bear Compare

 Name ________________ _____________ ___  Put the Tops and Bottoms words in ABC order Hare Bear  tops bottoms carrots broccoli corn  trick deal lesson

Name _________________  Tops and Bottoms! Bottoms! Bottoms and Tops! Scrambled Scrambled Words Unscramble the words for Bear and Hare .

norc eelcry ooccrlbi eettucl steeb aidshr  trroac carrot radish beets lettuce broccoli celery corn On the back, write a sentence using two or three of the words.

 Name ____________ ____________ Sowing Some Some Spelling Words Words

 Name _______ _______ Think Outside Outside the Box  What an you create?

 Write about what what you crated on the back!

 Name ____________ ____________ Find all the Tops and Bottoms words

h e c u  t  t e l

h b e a r p r a

a c r s t l e d

i e a o n a c s

l l r f b n a e

o e s p o t r h

c r a c t h r s

c y e o t a o i

o a b r o r t d

r n d n m e s a

Hare Bear plant tops bottoms carrots radishes beets celery broccoli lettuce corn

b e e t s u a r

 Fun with Carrot Plants

 From The World Carrot Museum * Windowsill Carrot Plant - Cut the top off a carrot leaving about 1/2 inch of the orange part and the same sam e amount of green stems if the carrot has already started sprouting from the top. Press the carrot piece into damp sand or soil in a saucer or bowl. Just put a little water into the dish if sand/soil are not available. Soon pretty leaves could  appear and presto you have a nice nice plant to keep at a window in bright light. The root will not regenerate itself. But if there is enough of  the root left, it is possible possible to plant it and get some foliage foliage from it.  The plant will eventually produce a flower and then seeds.  If you are lucky the seeds will be viable and you can plant them in the ground to  grow real carrots.

 Name ___________ ___________  Window Sill Carrot Plant  What we did:  _________________  _________________________ ________________ ___________ ___  _________________  _________________________ ________________ ___________ ___  __________________  _________________________ _______________ ___________ ___  _________________  _________________________ ________________ ___________ ___  This is what it looked like on _______________. _______________.

 This is what what it looked like on _____________ _______________. __.