Overview
Accompanying the heart-warming picture book, Tom the Tomato Plant, written by author Dave Carroll, this guide features cross-curricular pre-reading and after reading activities highlighting themes of self-awareness, resilience, and compassion for elementary learners.
NB Curricular Connections
Personal Wellness 3-5
- Strand: Relationships – Big Idea: Healthy Relationships
English Language Arts 3-5
- Strand: Reading – Big Idea: Reading Comprehension
- Strand: Interactions – Big Idea: Expression
- Strand: Representations – Big Idea: Composition
What You’ll Need
- Tom the Tomato Plant book (By: Dave Carroll and Illustrated by: Floyd Ryan Yamyamin) Click here to purchase your own copy!
- Roll and Share Dice Game (included)
- Giant Card template (1 per student – included)
- Scissors
- Pencils
- Markers or Pencil Crayons
- Smart Board to view “The Giant” music video (QR code in the back of the book will also take you to the audio version of the song)
- Author Letter Page (included)
Instructions
1) ROLL & SHARE DICE GAME (PRE-READING): Before reading the book, divide students into small groups of 3-4 students. Each group will need 1 dice, a “Roll and Share” Sheet, and an area to play. Read over the “Roll and Share” Sheet and the questions that accompany the number rolled on the dice. Be sure to remind students that when sharing, no names are to be used. (Example: Instead of – “Molly picked me last in gym for dodge ball!”, encourage students to say examples like, “When we were playing dodge ball in gym class, I was picked last.”) Give a time limit and circulate around the room as students play.
2) Discussion (PRE-READING): Gather together as a group and discuss: When have there been times when you have felt unnoticed, undervalued, or unappreciated? Have there been times when you have felt strong, great, or invincible? How different did you feel in both situations?
3) READ ALOUD: Looking at the cover, have students share their knowledge around tomatoes and tomato plants. It may be helpful to share about the life cycle of a plant. Teacher’s Note: The font and spacing was designed to be friendly to children with dyslexia.
4) Discussion (AFTER READING): Have the students turn and talk to a close neighbour and discuss: When did Tom feel unnoticed and undervalued? And when did that change? Have students share their responses. Using chart paper, create a list of words or actions (by the children and family) that made Tom feel noticed, valued, and appreciated.
5) “The Giant” song (AFTER READING): Using the link provided above, view “The Giant” music video, the theme song of Tom the Tomato Plant. Have students share some of the key lyrics that stood out to them while listening to the song. Going back to the chart paper, discuss: Do we think that this list may also apply to more than tomato plants? What other words or actions might we say or do to help someone else notice their potential, their skills, and their genuine greatness?
6) GIANT CARDS (AFTER READING): Give each student a photocopy of the Giant Card template (below), a pencil, and markers/pencil crayons to create a “Giant Card”. This card is for someone who may be feeling unnoticed, undervalued, or unappreciated and who just needs a reminder of how great they truly are! (Ideas: a friend, family member, cafeteria or janitorial workers, nurses, teachers, senior citizen, fast food worker, etc.)
7) WRAP-UP: Discuss: Do you know that you can have more than one job? And more than one job that helps people discover their own giant? Let the students know a little more about Dave Carroll: He is an author (and not just of children’s books), an award-winning singer-songwriter, a professional speaker, and a storyteller! If you enjoyed Tom the Tomato Plant, let Dave Carroll know by co-writing a class author letter or have students write a personal letter to him using the printable below. Send to dave@davecarrollmusic.com. Check out more about Tom The Tomato Plant!
Extension Ideas
- Become a “Tomato-mate” and plan a “Tomato-mate Day” – a day committed to sowing seeds of kindness to community members who may be going unnoticed in the important work that they do. And it doesn’t have to stop at a day – join forces with other classes, the whole school, or other schools to network your acts of compassion!
- Celebrate “Mark It Read” for Dyslexia Awareness Month (October of each year) by creating TOM posters around your school. Even share the book with a younger class! (https://www.dyslexiacanada.org/en/mark-it-read)
- Create a Tom Tomato Garden with seeds from SPACE! Check out the free program of Tomatosphere (http://tomatosphere.letstalkscience.ca/) that allows classrooms to grow tomato plants while collecting scientific data. There just might be some Toms among them, as you watch how outer space effects seed germination.
- Perform the song “The Giant” at a school assembly
Reflection Activity
Please see the attached PDF for several choices on how you and your learners can reflect upon today’s activity.
