Vocabulary
If a garden’s soil is depleted, what does that mean?
It means the soil has lost its nutrients or is worn out.
What is the main idea of Potatoes on Rooftops?
People are growing food in cities to help feed their communities and protect the environment.
What is Living Green mostly about?
A group of students learns how to help the environment by making small changes at school and at home.
What is The Good Garden mostly about?
A girl named María Luz learns better ways to grow food and help her family through hard times.
Eddie the Eagle
When people stop to watch a spectacle, what are they looking at?
Something amazing or unusual that grabs everyone’s attention.
If the author wrote, “City gardens are rising up like green skyscrapers,” what kind of figurative language would that be?
A simile – it compares gardens to skyscrapers using the word “like.”
Name two things discussed in the play that people can do to make a change for the environment?
-Collect cold water waiting for the hot water in the shower.
-Buy less stuff to save energy
-Donate
-Less trips to the store; get everything in 1 trip
-Reuse
Who is Don Pedro, and why is he important to María Luz?
Don Pedro is her new teacher. He teaches her how to use compost and terraces to improve their garden.
Where did we go in February for our field trip where we were able to see dolphins, fish, and other sea life?
Shedd Aquarium
What does the word “urban” mean in the phrase “urban gardening”?
Related to a city or town.
Name one text feature the author uses to help explain urban gardening and describe how it helps the reader.
Examples: photographs, captions, headings, charts—they help explain or show the information visually.
What problem do the students try to solve in the play, and what do they do about it?
They want to help the environment. They reduce waste, start recycling, and encourage others to “live green.”
What is one big problem María Luz’s family faces, and how do they begin to solve it?
They don’t have enough food or money. María learns better farming methods to grow more crops.
What was the field trip called where we visited Finley?
Step Up Day
If someone says one thing and then says something that doesn’t match, what are they doing?
They are contradicting themselves.
Why did the author write Potatoes on Rooftops?
To inform readers about urban gardening and show how people are finding creative ways to grow food in cities.
What is a message or lesson the author wants readers to learn from Living Green?
Even small actions can make a big difference when it comes to protecting the environment.
What is a lesson or message the reader can learn from The Good Garden?
Knowledge and hard work can help people improve their lives, even in difficult situations.
What was the theme for Teacher Appreciation Week?
Wicked
If someone doesn’t say something directly but hints at it, what are they doing?
They are implying it.
What can we infer about the future of cities based on the ideas in Potatoes on Rooftops?
Cities may become greener and more self-sufficient if more people grow food locally.
What ideas/actions show that the students have a new mindset at the end of the play?
Not having Mr. Chen make another trip to the store. They call him instead to get glue sticks. They also say they will look for scissors instead of buying another pair.
Why do you think the author chose the title The Good Garden? What does the “good” garden really mean?
The garden is “good” because it brings hope, food, and a better future—not just for María Luz, but for others who learn new ways to farm.
Name your favorite memory of this year.
Answers Vary