Growing Vegetable Soup
by Lois Ehlert (1987)
Science-Literacy Teacher Guide
Major themes for this book:
 Survival – Different plants have the same needs, and use
similar structures/behaviors to meet their needs (protection,
growth).
 Ecosystem – Energy flows from the Sun to plants to people.
 Energy – Heat energy changes the properties of soup
ingredients so that it becomes [delicious!] soup.
Science Standards (EALR 4):
LS1 – Living Systems
LS2 – Ecosystems
PS3 – Energy Transfer
1st: Use anytime in 1st grade (Guide #1  Needs of plants)
 LS1B – Identify the external parts of different plants and animals.
 LS1C – Draw or use words to describe how living parts look under a magnifier.
 LS1F – Explain that most plants get water through roots and gather light through leaves.
 LS2B – Describe how the habitat provides the basic needs of living things living there.
 LS2C – List several ways that humans can help or harm plants living in a habitat.
2nd: Use with FOSS Insects & Plants (Guide #1  Needs of plants)
 LS1A – Describe the life cycle of a common plant. [Going from one generation to another].
 LS2A – Identify 4 ways that an ecosystem supports the basic needs of living things that live there.
 LS2D – Describe human changes to an ecosystem and how that affects animals/plants living there.
 PS3C – Give examples and explain different forms of energy (e.g. light, motion, heat).
5th: Use anytime in 5th grade (Guide #2  Plants & energy; plant adaptation)
 LS1C – Give example of how a plant responds to its environment.
 LS1D – Give example of how a plant responds to internal needs.
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LS2B – Explain that plants make their food, while animals get food by eating plants or animals.
LS2C – Compare the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem.
LS2E – Describe how one population may affect another (plant or animal) in the ecosystem.
LS2F – Describe ways that humans can help or harm the health of an ecosystem.
 PS3A – Identify different forms of energy (heat, light, motion, electricity).
 PS3B – Draw and label diagrams showing how energy is transferred from one place to another.
Growing Vegetable Soup
by Lois Ehlert (1987)
Science-Literacy Teacher Guide
GUIDE #1
Pre-Reading
1. Reveal students’ initial ideas about the needs of different plants:
 “Do all plants need the same things to grow up?”
2. Collect & chart students’ ideas. Probe them for how they know (or
think they know) these things.
Our Ideas: Needs and Structures of Plants
I Know
I Think
I Know
How I Know
(or think I know)
Questions We Have:
Needs & Structures of
Plants
Needs of Seeds:
3. Collect and chart questions that students have about the needs of
different plants … especially in these categories:
Needs of Growing Plants:
Structures of Plants:
Post-Reading
1. Guide student discussion  add/change their initial ideas; answer their questions:
 “What did the story add to our ideas about whether all plants need the same things?”
 “Which of our questions got answered?”
2. Collect and chart new questions that students have about plants…same 3 categories as before.
3. Use online research to address student questions:
 (labeled drawings) Plant parts & functions 
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/botany/seeds.html
 (lesson plans) Plant Lesson Plans and Ideas (The Teacher’s Guide)
http://www.theteachersguide.com/plantsflowers.htm#Plants/Flowers%C2%A0_Lesson_Plans_and_Ideas
 (text + quiz) Parts of a Seed (My Schoolhouse) 
http://www.myschoolhouse.com/courses/O/1/125.asp
Literacy Strategies
 Finding evidence in the story that supports or challenges students’ initial ideas.
Growing Vegetable Soup
by Lois Ehlert (1987)
Science-Literacy Teacher Guide
About Plants’ Needs & Structures —Information Found in
the Story: [ + questions to follow up each fact ]
In the text…
 Seeds are planted in holes in the soil.
[Why do we do this? Do seeds need soil to sprout?]
 Seeds from various plants look different.
[How are these seeds similar and different? What is in a seed?]
 Some garden plants begin as “sprouts.”
[What is a “sprout?” Why not begin with seeds?]
 Potato eyes and “set onions” are sprouts.
[How are the sprouts similar and different?]
 Water and sun (warmth) are needed to grow. [What else does the sun provide (besides warmth)?]
 Seeds grow into young plants.
 Weeding helps plants to grow.
[Why? How is weeding helpful to the plants?]
 We eat vegetables.
[What part of each plant do we eat? Is it the same part for each plant?]
 We wash vegetables before eating.
[Why do we do this?]
 We cut up the vegetables for soup.
[Why do we do this?]
 We cook it (add heat) to make it into soup.
[How does the water + cut-up vegetables turn into soup?]
In the pictures…
 Picking the vegetables. [How do you know when the vegetables are ready to pick for soup?]
 Cooking the soup.
[What is the white cloud-like shape above the pot?]
 Pieces of vegetables. [Which vegetables/plants are these pieces from? How can you tell?]
Other Questions & Activities:





[What are some differences between varieties of tomatoes/potatoes/etc.?] (color, shape, size)
[What makes these plants taste good to us?] (sugar, other flavors)
[Compare actual seeds. Dissect them and make drawings.]
[Needs of seeds: Experiment for seeds’ needs—especially soil, light, water, air, temperature.]
[Full life cycle: Grow some vegetable-plants all the way until they yield seeds or sprouts.]
Online Resources about Plants’ Needs & Structures:
 (text + pictures) Start your seeds indoors (Home Depot Garden Club) 
http://www.homedepotgardenclub.com/Dimensions/Article.aspx?contentid=3754
 (text + pictures) Practical tips for gardening (Gardener’s Supply Co.)
http://www.gardeners.com/Gardening-How-To/Learning,default,pg.html
 1st grade (online app) Growing Plants (BBC) 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/5_6/growing_plants.shtml
 (labeled drawings) Plant parts & functions 
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/botany/seeds.html
 (lesson plans) Plant Lesson Plans and Ideas (The Teacher’s Guide)
http://www.theteachersguide.com/plantsflowers.htm#Plants/Flowers%C2%A0_Lesson_Plans_and_Ideas
 (text + quiz) Parts of a Seed (My Schoolhouse) 
http://www.myschoolhouse.com/courses/O/1/125.asp
Growing Vegetable Soup
by Lois Ehlert (1987)
Science-Literacy Teacher Guide
GUIDE #2
Pre-Reading
1. Reveal students’ initial ideas about plants and energy:
 “Plants need energy to grow, and they give energy to us when
we eat them. What do you know about this?”
2. Collect & chart students’ ideas. Probe them for how they know (or think they know) these things.
Our Ideas: Plants and Energy
I Know
I Think
I Know
How I Know
(or think I know)
Questions We Have:
Plants and Energy
Plants & the Sun:
Plants & People:
3. Collect and chart questions that students have about plants
receiving and giving energy… especially in these categories:
Making Vegetable Soup:
Post-Reading
1. Guide student discussion  add/change their initial ideas; answer their questions:
 “What did the story add to our ideas about plants and energy?”
 “Which of our questions got answered?”
2. Collect and chart new questions that students have about plants…same 3 categories as before.
3. Use online resources to address student questions:
 5th grade (online Java app) The Virtual Greenhouse (Concord Consortium) 
http://www.concord.org/activities/virtual-greenhouse
 (online forum) How does heat cook food? (Yahoo! Answers) 
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081121134548AAqtnTA
 (text + pictures) What is Cooking? Science of Heat & Food (About.com Culinary Arts) 
http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/cookingmethods/a/cooking.htm
Literacy Strategies
 Finding evidence in the story that supports or challenges students’ initial ideas.
Growing Vegetable Soup
by Lois Ehlert (1987)
Science-Literacy Teacher Guide
About Plants & Energy —Information Found in the Story:
[ + questions to follow up each fact ]
In the text…
 Seeds are planted in holes in the soil.
[Why do we do this? Do seeds need soil to sprout?]
 Seeds from various plants look different.
[How are these seeds similar and different? What is in a seed?]
 Some garden plants begin as “sprouts.”
[What is a “sprout?” Why not begin with seeds?]
 Potato eyes and “set onions” are sprouts.
[How are the sprouts similar and different?]
 Water and sun (warmth) are needed to grow.
[What other kind of energy does the sun provide (besides warmth)?]
 Seeds grow into young plants.
[Where does the growing plant get energy from? What
parts of the plant help this to happen?]
 Weeding helps plants to grow.
[Why? How is weeding helpful to the plants?]
 We eat vegetables.
[Why do we eat plants (parts)? What do we get from the
plants? What needs do we have that the plants provide?]
 We wash vegetables before eating.
[Why do we do this?]
 We cut up the vegetables for soup.
[Why do we do this?]
 We cook it (add heat) to make it into soup.
[How does the heat energy change the water + cut-up vegetables into delicious soup?]
In the pictures…
 Picking the vegetables. [How do you know when the vegetables are ready to pick for soup?]
 Cooking the soup.
[What is the white cloud-like shape above the pot? Where did the energy
for that water vapor come from?]
 Pieces of vegetables. [Which vegetables/plants are these pieces from? How can you tell?]
Other Questions & Activities:




[What are some differences between varieties of tomatoes/potatoes/etc.?]
[What makes these plants taste good to us?]
[Name 10 ways that our bodies use the food energy from plants after we eat them.]
[Make soup…remove small samples every 10-20 minutes to observe changes with a hand lens.]
Online Resources about Plants & Energy:
 5th grade (online Java app) The Virtual Greenhouse (Concord Consortium) 
http://www.concord.org/activities/virtual-greenhouse
 (online forum) How does heat cook food? (Yahoo! Answers) 
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081121134548AAqtnTA
 (text + pictures) What is Cooking? Science of Heat & Food (About.com Culinary Arts) 
http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/cookingmethods/a/cooking.htm