Assessing Prior Knowledge

Can you explain what a rain garden is?

Hi! My name is Fiona the frog.

I want to tell you a story about how I almost lost my home, but then a rain garden saved it!

One afternoon, while I was sitting on my lily pad, I noticed two kids playing in their yard.

As they were playing, the little boy knocked over a gas can that was setting in the driveway. Gas poured onto the ground and the kids looked worried.

I overheard the kids saying that they were going to tell their dad, but then it started to rain.

As it continued to rain, the gas flowed into my pond, and no one came to clean it up.

The next morning, I went to get on my lily pad, but it was gone! All of the lily pads were gone!

Then, all of the fish started to become sick.

The plants were shriveling up, and everything was turning brown.

I thought to myself...

What could have caused this to happen?

That is when I remembered all of the gas coming into my pond.

I knew that I needed help to save my home.

Then I had an idea! My grandpa once told me about a rain garden. A rain garden could be the solution to this problem.

The next morning, I sat on the kids’ ball waiting for them to come outside and play.

Before the little boy grabbed the ball, his sister noticed me and yelled, “Finnegan, don’t squish the frog!”

I started to ribbet with all my might and hopped back to the pond. I turned around to see the little girl following me.

“Fifi, wait for me,” yelled Finnegan.

When Fifi and Finnegan got down to the pond, I introduced myself.

I’m glad that I finally got you two down here.

“Whoa! That frog is talking,” said Finnegan.

My name is Fiona, and I need your help to save my home!

I showed Fifi and Finnegan what had happened to my home. All of the dead plants, the sick fish, and how all the lily pads were gone. 

“Oh no, that is terrible! How can we help?” said Fifi.

A rain garden can solve this problem.

“What is a rain garden?” said Finnegan.

Here, let me explain...