OBJECTIVE

Students will be able to act out an action associated with cranberry farming

Students will be able to answer questions about key details from the cranberry harvesting photos

Students will know where cranberries grow

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

What is a native fruit?

What tools do farmers use?

How has farming changed over time?

MATERIALS

• Cranberry Harvest Photos 
• Time for Cranberries by Lisl Detlefson

PROCEDURE

Introduction:

Engage students by telling them you are thinking of a small round fruit that is sour to the taste, and grows on Martha’s Vineyard and can keep coming back every year for over 100 years? Have students see if they can guess the fruit described. Cranberry!

Read Time for Cranberries by Lisl Detlefson. Also note to students that cranberries can be wet or dry harvested. This story shows us what farming looks like on a large wet harvested bog.

As you read:

• Encourage students to pay special attention to what a bog looks like and what tools are used to harvest cranberries.
• What season it is as the story goes by. 
• When are cranberries harvested?
• Ask students why they flooded the bog in the story?

Activity

After reading the story, tell the students they will be exploring photographs that are related to cranberry harvesting and growing.

Have all students get in a circle if they are not already and have groups of 2 or three students seated next to each other and pass out 1 image to each small group. 

Tells students to discuss with their small group what they think is happening in the photo, what they notice and to discuss any tools they see in the image.

After about a minute with the photo, have students pass it on to the next group and discuss the new photo. Continue this until all groups have had a turn with each photo. 

Note: Having all students in a circle makes it easy for you to circle and drop in on groups to guide their inquiry. Further prompt students and ask about if you think the bog is wet or dry harvested and how the tools are helping the farmer.

Wrap Up/Assessment: 

Review each photograph as a group and ask students:

• What they think was going on in the photo
• If they think the bog pictured was wet or dry harvested 
• To discuss what tools were used and how they helped the farmer. 

To end the lesson if time allows do cranberry charades and have volunteers act out what was happening in one of the photographs they explored.

Extensions:

• Bring in cranberry scoop for student to observe
• Bring in fresh cranberries for students to try