Grand Island, Nebraska

Thursday August 28, 2008
GIPS: Golden Sower Award Program 2007-2008
Grand Island Public Schools
Grand Island, Nebraska
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Project Mulberry is a story about Julia Song and her friend, Patrick, who belong to the Wiggle (Work Grow Live Give) Club.  Members have to pick a project to help them learn about farming.  They choose to grow silkworms and make something with the silk.


There are some suggested cross-curricular activities for Project Mulberry at:

Project Mulberry


One is a Reader's Theater about Julia and Patrick trying to choose a subject for their project.  There is also a dialogue between main character Julia, and Ms. Park, the author.

(Verbal/Linguistic)




Julia and Patrick order silkworms for their project from the Internet.  You can order silkworms to raise by going to the web site below.  As it says in the story, silkworms only eat mulbery leaves.  You would need to have access to a mulberry tree or you would need to make the food as described on Ms. Park's web site.

Delta Education:  Silkworms

(Naturalist)




Some people have a special interest in collecting coins like Julia and Patrick in the story.  Julia and Patrick are looking for a Connecticut quarter to add to their collection.  To find out more about the Connecticut quarter from the story or our own Nebraska quarter, go to:

U.S. Mint for Kids

Relate what you find out in a Media Blender document.  Be sure to add drawings of the coins.  Also, tell about your own quarter-collecting experiences.

(Intrapersonal)




Julia worries that her mom is prejudiced against black people in the story.  Check out "Every Kid's Guide to Overcoming Prejudice and Discrimination" by Joy Wilt Berry from our media center (or another book for students on the subject).  Do some research on the subject, then create a Keynote or Media Blender presentation summarizing what you find.  Compare and contrast the terms prejudice and discrimination.

(Interpersonal)




Patrick has Scoleciphobia, which is a fear of worms.  To learn more about phobias from a kid's perspective go to:

Kids' Health.org

Design a Kidspiration mind web telling about the basics of phobias.

(Intrapersonal/Spatial)




If you want to learn more about organic farming and the Polyface farm at:

Polyface Farms

Write a paper defending organic farming versus farming using pesticides and fertilizers.




Visit Grocery StoreWars at:

Grocery Wars.com
Wouldn't it be fun to recreate the vegetable puppets from the movie, write a script of your own about organic farming and act it out for your class?

(Verbal/Linguistic/Naturalist/Bodily-Kinesthetic)




To learn more about Korea, the country that Julia's family comes from (and the author, Linda Sue Park) go to:

CNN.com: Korea

Go to the link "About Korea" on this web page. 


or go to:


MNSU:  Korean Culture

Share information about this country in a Pages document, Media Blender, or Keynote.  Be sure to include graphics.

(Interpersonal/Spatial)




There is a recipe for Kimchee at:

Fabulous Foods.com

If you decide to try making it, remember that it has a very strong smell and you would definitely need your parent's help.

(Bodily/Kinesthtic)




If you are a math person, go the kids' math web sites below and find out about exponents:

Kids On-line.net

or

Fact Monster.com

Create a poster and explain to a third grader how exponents work.

(Math/Logical)