Words
- Some people are unsure as to how to properly pronounce the
word poinsettia. (Page 17.) Look in the dictionary and find other hard-to-pronounce words.
Say them out loud.
- Tie-in the pronunciation of a word with the way each
student pronounces he/her first, meddle or last name. Explore how each name might sound in
another language. How does the name sound if the accent is on the first syllable? The last
syllable?
- Ask students to find out whether their last name has ever
changed. What did it used to be?
- Poinsettias were named for a person. (Page 16.) Ask
students to make a collage from magazines or draw a picture of a fantasy plant they would
like to have named for them. Ask students to describe the special of magical properties of
"their" plant.
- Poinsettias have been given a number of nicknames. (Page
17.) Ask student to make a list of their nicknames.
- Discover the non-fiction section of the library and locate
the botanical sub-section.
- Introduce how to research a topic. Use another common
holiday plant 9i. e. holly) and, as a class, find out its botanical name, origins, history
and the reasons why it became a holiday symbol.
- It is a myth that poinsettias are poisonous. (Pate 23, 27.)
What is a myth? (Pages 22, 23, 25, 26, 45.) What is a legend? (Page 24.) Explore other
myths and legends about plants. (Page 34.)
Custom & Tradition
- It is customary for poinsettias to be displayed during the
holidays. What is a custom? (Page 25, 26, 40, 45, 49.) Open a discussion about each
student's family's customs. What are some school customs? Town customs? Spring customs?
Winter customs?
- What is the difference between a custom and tradition?
(Page 42, 43)
- Colors hold different meanings in different cultures. Start
with the color red to explore these differences. (Page 13, 22, 24, 36, 37.)
Thank you to Gretchen Wilkinson for your
inspiration, thoughts, suggestions and friendshop throughout this project.
Click on one of these links to view more:
|
