Green Shamrocks by Eve Bunting - Teaching Tips

Rabbit is so excited to plant his own shamrocks for the St. Patrick's Day parade that is coming up! But on the morning of the parade his pot of shamrocks is gone!! Will he be able to find them on time? Will he make it to the St. Patrick's Day parade?

Enjoy reading this to find out what happens with Rabbit and his missing shamrocks!

Here are some teaching tips to help make this read aloud a bit more meaningful.

Reading level: 1.9
Theme/subject: St. Patrick’s Day
Genre: Holiday

Suggested vocabulary/phrases: shamrock seeds, filled it with earth, sowed, seedlings, shamrock chain, burrow, linked arms

 Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions – these are just possible questions or wondering from either the student or teacher
• Before –
1. I wonder what the story is going to be about.
2. I wonder if they are sharing the shamrocks on the cover.
3. I wonder what the shamrocks are for.
• During –
1. I wonder where Rabbit got the shamrock seeds.
2. I wonder where Rabbit found the yellow pot.
3. I wonder if the seeds will be ready in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
4. I wonder what happened to the shamrocks.
5. I wonder where Rabbit will find the pot of shamrocks.
6. I wonder why Goat wants to wear the pot on her head.
• After –
1. I wonder what they are going to do after the parade.
2. I wonder if Rabbit will grow shamrocks next spring.

**Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.

• Author's point of view – third person
• He found a yellow pot…
• ...he watered his shamrocks.
• Rabbit clapped his paws and smiled.
• Author's purpose – entertain
• Evidence
1. Animals don’t talk.
2. Rabbit was sleeping with a stuffed carrot.
3. Goat wore the yellow pot on her head to the parade.
• Beginning, middle, end – the most important event from each
• Beginning – Rabbit sowed his shamrock seeds so they will be ready for St. Patrick’s Day.
• Middle – St. Patrick’s Day morning Rabbits pot of shamrocks was missing.
• End – Rabbit and Goat went to the St. Patrick’s Day parade together.
• Cause and effect        
1. Why did Rabbit grow his own shamrocks? Because he had a packet of shamrock seeds.
2. Why did Rabbit fill his yellow pot with earth? So he could sow his shamrock seeds.
3. Why did Rabbit smile and clap his hands after he sowed his seeds? Because he thought they would be ready in time for the St. Patrick’s Day.
4. Why did Rabbit move his pot of shamrocks? Because he wanted to make sure they got sun and shade.
5. Why did Squirrel say to “Try Woodchuck”? Because he saw him come out of his burrow.
6. Why did Woodchuck say to “Try Goat”? Because Goat eats everything.
7. Why did Goat think the wind gave him a pot of shamrocks? Because the wind blew the shamrocks right inside his open door.
8. How come Goat was not going to eat the shamrocks for breakfast? Because he does not like green salad for breakfast.
9. How come Goat gave the shamrocks back? Because all he wanted was the yellow pot.
• Character analysis - describe Rabbit {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character, how others think/see the character}
• Classify & categorize
• Classify – Holidays
• Categorize – ways to celebrate
• Compare & contrast
• Rabbits parade to a parade you have been to.
• Connections
• Text-to-self  
1. Planting seeds and watching them grow.
2. Have something go missing.
3. Getting ready for a parade.
4. Going to a parade or event with a friend.
• Text-to-text  
1. The Luckiest St. Patrick’s Day Ever by Teddy Slater – both books are about a St. Patrick’s Day parade.
• Main idea & details
• Main idea – The story is mostly about Rabbit and his shamrocks he planted for the St. Patrick’s Day parade.
• Details
1. Rabbit sows his shamrock seeds.
2. Rabbit loses his pot of shamrock seeds.
3. Rabbit finds his pot of shamrock seeds at Goat’s house.
• Plot - the turning point or climax in the story is when Rabbit finds his shamrock pot at Goat’s house.
• Predict
• What do you think the story is going to be about?
• Do you think the shamrocks will be ready in time for the parade?
• What do you think happened to the pot of shamrocks?
• Do you think Goat ate the shamrocks?
• Problem & solution
• Problem – The problems comes when Rabbits shamrocks are missing the morning of the St. Patrick’s Day parade.
• Solution – Rabbit asked both Squirrel and Woodchuck if they had seen his pot of shamrocks.
• Sequencing
1. Rabbit wants to plant shamrock seeds for St. Patrick’s Day.
2. Rabbit finds a pot for his seeds.
3. Rabbit plants his shamrock seeds.
4. Rabbit waters his shamrock seeds each day.
5. Rabbit’s shamrocks were ready.
6. Rabbit’s shamrocks were missing.
7. Rabbit asked Squirrel if he had seen his shamrocks.
8. Rabbit asked Woodchuck if he had seen his shamrocks.
9. Rabbit found his shamrocks at Goat’s house.
10. Goat gave Rabbit the shamrocks and kept the pot.
11. Rabbit make a shamrock chain.
12. Rabbit and Goat went to the parade together.
• Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• Strong thought – someplace in the story that the reader has a strong reaction for example an “I knew it”, or “Don’t do it” type of moment while reading.
• What would you say to Rabbit after his success in growing his shamrock seeds?
• What would you say or do when Goat says that he couldn’t give away a gift?
• Summarize
• Someone - Rabbit
• Wanted – wanted to wear his shamrocks to the St. Patrick’s Day parade
• But – but the shamrocks were missing on the morning of the parade
• So – so he set out to find them. He
• Finally – finally found them at Goat’s house where he and Goat got ready for the parade together.
• Visualize – what do YOU picture…
• Goat said the wind had given him the pot of shamrocks and he couldn’t give away a gift.
1. Visualize what you would have done if you were Goat and Rabbit came asking for his pot of shamrocks back.
2. Visualize what you would have said to Goat if he said he couldn’t give you the shamrocks back.
• Rabbit wanted to make a shamrock chain for the parade and Goat wanted to wear the yellow pot on his head.
1. Visualize what you would do to prepare for a St. Patrick’s Day parade.

You can find this set of One Pagers

Enjoy!