Time for Cranberries
"A charming depiction of a small family business that helps children understand the origins of their food."
- School Library Journal
We are happy to be offering TIME FOR CRANBERRIES, by Lisl H. Detlefsen. We paired this charming book with some of Cranberry Learning Inc.’s most popular lessons for an exciting hands-on literacy kit.
From the cranberry bog to the Thanksgiving table, join Sam and his family as they harvest a classic American fruit.
When the vines hang heavy with berries that the autumn winds have turned deep red, it's time for cranberries, and Sam is finally old enough to help with the harvest! This charming, lyrical picture book follows Sam and his family as they raise the water in the bog, pick the cranberries, and gather the fruit for processing. It's a story of modern family farming in action, showing readers where their food comes from but mostly delighting them along the way.
Continue exploring cranberries through our free hands-on cranberry lessons.
Time for Cranberries Literacy Kit
Before reading TIME FOR CRANBERRIES conduct the Sink or Float lesson. This lesson will quickly introduce students to cranberries and explain why they float. The Sink or Float Lesson can be completed in about 10 mins as a class or in small groups. This lesson will lay the foundation for why cranberry growers use water for harvest.
Reading TIME FOR CRANBERRIES out load to a class will take about 5 minutes. After reading the book there is a companion Time for Cranberries worksheet that can be used.
To keep the excitement and curiosity going show our Cranberry Harvest video. This video lesson is about 10 ½ minutes long and also has a companion Harvest Video Worksheet.
Educators could offer a cranberry snack such as trail mix, sweetened dried cranberries, or a cranberry baked good during the video. An alternative would be to use a hot plate and sauce pan in the back of the classroom and make cranberry sauce as the harvest video is playing. Students will hear the cranberries popping and smell the fall aroma. After the video, let students sample the sauce. Here is a quick Cranberry Sauce Recipe.
There are several other lessons that could be incorporated into classroom curriculum. One way to follow up the Harvest Video is with the Bouncing Cranberry Experiment. During the harvest video students will learn about the bounce test that the berries go through to make it into the fresh fruit market. This lesson will reinforce what they saw in the video and enhance their comprehension.
Listed below are additional cranberry lessons and their standards.
Cranberry Lessons and Standards
• Kindergarten: M.K.G.B.5
• 1st grade: M.1.G.A.2
• 2nd grade: M.2.G.A.1
• Kindergarten-2nd grade: SCI.CC3.K-2, SCI.SEP1.A.K-2, SCI.SEP3.K-2, SCI.SEP4.K-2 • 3rd-5th grade: SCI.CC3.3-5, SCI.SEP1.A.3-5, SCI.SEP3.3-5, SCI.SEP4.3-5
• Kindergarten-2nd grade: SCI.LS1.C.K, SCI.SEP1.A.K-2, SCI.SEP2.K-2
• 3rd-5th grade: SCI.LS1.C.5, SCI.SEP1.A.3-5, SCI.SEP2.3-5
• Kindergarten: M.K.CC.A1, M.K.CC.A3, M.K.CC.B.5, M.K.CC.B.6, M.K.OA.A.1
• 1st grade: M.1.OA.C.5, M.1.OA.C.6
• K-2nd grade: SCI.SEP3.K-2, SCI.SEP4.K-2 (science)
• 2nd grade: M.2.MD.A.3 (math)
• 3-5th grade: SCI.CC2.3-5, SCI.CC6.3-5, SCI.SEP3.3-5, SCI.SEP4.3-5 (science)
• 3rd grade: M.3.MD.B.4 (math)
• 3-5th grade: SCI.LS1.A4
• 3-5th grade: SCI.SEP2.3-5, SCI.SEP3.3-5, SCI.ETS3.C.3-5
• 3rd grade: R.3.1, R.3.4
• 4th grade: R.4.1, R.4.4
• 5th grade: R.5.1, R.5.4
About the Author
Author, Lisl H. Detlefsen
Lisl H. Detlefsen is the author of a growing number of picture books. Her first, TIME FOR CRANBERRIES (Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, illustrated by Jed Henry), was a Junior Library Guild selection, a 2016 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People (K–2), and the 2017 Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom Book of the Year.
In March 2023, Lisl released, FARM BOOTS (Feeding Minds Press, illustrated by Renée Kurilla), a lyrical celebration of work and play on a variety of farms throughout the four seasons. Lisl has more books on the way in Spring 2024, including, AT THE END OF THE DAY (Knopf, illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao), a free-verse story about how even in a day filled with frustration, there's always the promise of tomorrow.
Lisl lives on a family-owned cranberry marsh near Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, with her husband, two sons, and two cats. When not in her office or on the marsh, you can find Lisl on the web at www.lislhdbooks.com, on Twitter and Instagram @lislhd, or on Facebook @lislhdbooks. She is represented by agent Jennifer Mattson of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
Visit Lisl’s website to learn more or schedule an author visit.
