Sample Lesson Plan
Curiosity: The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
Primary Grades (K-2)
Objective:
Students will be able to state one thing they are curious about related to the book The Curious Garden by Peter
Brown or the garden it is based on – The High-Line Garden.
CCSS Standard:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.2
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information
presented orally or through other media.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.6
Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Imagine Schools Academic Excellence Framework Connection:
Our learners are curious about the world around them and examine multiple
solutions to make intelligent deductions (p. 19).
Materials:
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The Curious Garden, by Peter Brown
Video about garden OR Pictures of Garden
o The video is a brief history of the high-line park
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1tVsezifw4&feature=youtu.be
o A picture of the High Line garden before construction at:
https://bluedresspictures.wordpress.com/category/future-city/page/2/ (scroll down the third
picture on the page).
The Curious Garden Worksheet
Description:
The focus of this lesson is to teach students the definition of curiosity. Also, that students will be able to apply
the definition of curiosity to their own lives by stating one thing they are curious about and would like to learn
more about.
Hook/Anticipatory Set:
Teacher States: “Today I am going to share with you something I’m curious about. Does anyone know what it
means to be curious?” (Take several answers.)
Then, state, and write on the board, “The word curious means wanting to know more.” Teacher continues,
stating: “My friend told me that there is a garden in New York City on an old railroad track. Can you believe it? I
was so curious. I wanted to know more. Today I’m going to share with you some of what I learned about this
garden and then I’m going to ask you what you are curious about.”
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When I wanted to know more about this garden, first I went on the internet and I found this picture (or video).
Let me share it with you.
OR
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Show students a picture of the High Line garden before construction at:
https://bluedresspictures.wordpress.com/category/future-city/page/2/ (scroll down the third picture on
the page). Explain that there were some old railroad tracks in New York City that plans began to grow
in. Then, scroll up to the first picture. Explain that the people living in the community decided to plant a
garden on the old railroad tracks.
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If you have the technology available show students the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1tVsezifw4&feature=youtu.be
The video is a brief history of the high-line park. If you don’t have the technology to show the video,
then please watch the video to build your background knowledge before teaching this lesson.
After showing students the pictures or the video the teacher asks: “What did you notice about the picture (or
the video)? What are you curious about? What do you want to know more about?”
Expository (I do):
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Teacher states: “Now I’m going to share with you a story I found about a boy that discovers this garden
on old railroad tracks. It is a pretend (fiction) story about a very curious boy.”
Read The Curious Garden by Peter Brown aloud. Stop at the following places to ask the following
questions:
 On pg. 4 the text states: “…there was only one thing for the curious boy to do.”
 Repeat the text above to students and then ask: “What does it mean to be curious?”
 “Make a prediction. What do you think this curious boy will do?”
 “If you were curious, and you were the boy in this story, what would you do?”
 On pg. 17 the text states: “Rather than waste his winter worrying about the garden, Liam spent
it preparing for spring.”
 Repeat the text above and then ask: “What is Liam doing to prepare? Use the picture as
a clue.”
 “Do you think Liam is curious about gardening? Why or why not?”
 “If Liam wanted to know more (or was curious) about gardening, how did he learn
more?”
 On pg. 22 the text states: “The garden was especially curious about old, forgotten things.”
 Repeat the text above and then ask: “The author wrote on this page that the garden is
curious. How is the garden being curious in this picture?”
 “In real life, can a garden have feelings or be curious?” (Take answers.) State: “In real
life, a garden doesn’t have feelings and it can’t be curious. When an author gives
feelings to things that aren’t people, feelings like only people have, we call that
PERSONIFICATION. Can you say that word?”
Guided Practice (We do):
Teacher models how to create questions about the story or the high-line garden. Think aloud might look
something like this: “I have a few things I am curious about after reading this story. First, “Did the boy, Liam,
keep gardening? Also, do plants always turn brown in the winter like they did in the story?”
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Record your questions from the think aloud on the board or on chart paper.
Next, ask students to share questions about something they are curious about after reading the story. Record
their questions on the board or on chart paper.
Independent Practice (You do):
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Show students the paper that they will write down their question on. Tell them they can write a
question that the group shared or a new one.
Write a question using a sheet that says at the top “I am curious…”
Note for teachers: Prompt students to write questions related to the garden and the story. However, if
students create questions related to other topics, that demonstrates curiosity as well, and they can
write and explore those questions.
Closure:
Ask several students to read their questions out loud.
Teacher states (and student follow along on the bottom of their handout): “The world is full of interesting ideas
and experiences for you to explore. Being curious helps you learn more about the world around you and can
help you learn more in school.”
Extensions:
1) There is a video on Vimeo of a narrator reading The Curious Garden aloud. Use this video or a repeat
reading, or initial reading if you can’t locate the text, or at center work. Follow this link to find the
video: http://vimeo.com/53757320
2) Use the Think-Pair-Share strategy during Guided Practice to have students answer the questions based
on the story. Learn more about the Think-Pair-Share strategy here:
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/think-pair-share
3) Classroom management tip: Start the lesson with students in their seats to watch the video, or view the
pictures, then before the story, move the students to the rug, after the story, move students back to
their seats to write. Having students move during the lesson helps break up the lesson for them and
allows them to pay better attention.
4) The publishing company of The Curious Garden put together a fantastic resource of activities to
complete with this story. Find this resource at:
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/_assets/guides/EG_9780316015479.pdf
5) The Friends of the High Line website has great information and resources about the site.
http://www.thehighline.org/
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