Educator Resources
The following children’s educational cranberry materials are free to download and use (your choice of pdf or Microsoft Word versions). Email comments or questions to charles.armstrong@maine.edu. If you are looking for health-related information, visit the Cranberry Institute’s Health Research page.
- Cranberry Coloring Page (pdf) | Cranberry Coloring Page (MS Word)
Intended for pre-K – 2nd Grade; 8.5″ x 11″ (1 page): A closeup image for coloring that shows an upright with three cranberries attached to it, and the word “Cranberry” spelled out across the top in large, hollow letters. - Cranberry Language Arts (pdf) | Cranberry Language Arts (MS Word)
Intended for Grade 4 (1 page): A variety of language activities are found in this; kids are asked some questions to make them think about a cranberry harvest and then write about it; they are asked to make an acrostic from a choice of cranberry terms; Finally, they are asked some questions where they have to describe a cranberry. - Cranberry Vocabulary (pdf) | Cranberry Vocabulary (MS Word)
Intended especially for Grade 4 (1 page): 21 different cranberry-related terms are defined, such as: erosion, irrigation, habitat, pollination, and runners. - Growing Cranberries (pdf) | Growing Cranberries (MS Word)
Intended for Grades 4 – 6 (2 pages): Describes the many aspects of growing cranberries, with 17 word blanks that need to be filled in. There is a Word Bank included with the 17 words from which to choose. - Cranberry Maze (pdf) | Cranberry Maze (MS Word)
Intended for K – 1st Grade (1 page): A standard type of maze that must be navigated successfully in order to help Farmer Farnsworth find enough cranberries for Mrs. Farnsworth to bake her cranberry pie. - Cranberry Occupations Learning Game (pdf) | Cranberry Occupations Learning Game (MS Word)
Intended for Grades 3 and 4 (1 page) : Various occupations that might be connected to the cranberry industry are brainstormed in the class and listed on chart paper. Each student then picks one of the occupations, writes it on a large index card, and tapes it to the front of their shirt. Then the fun-filled learning really begins! Materials needed: Chart paper, large index cards, tape or pins, markers or crayons and ball of red yarn. - Cranberry Bounce Test (pdf) | Cranberry Bounce Test (MS Word)
Intended for Grades 4, 5 and 6; especially for Grade 4 but appropriate for others as well (2 pages): Designed as a true scientific experiment, complete with a problem, hypothesis, test, observations and conclusions. The ‘test,’ as to how many cranberries out of 20 bounce versus how many do not (i.e. good berries versus rotten berries), is repeated at two to three-day intervals over the course of ten days, for a total of 5 times, with the expectation that as the berries are left out at room temperature during that time, more and more of them will become soft during the 10-day period as they begin to rot. The conclusion section asks some good questions, such as: Did more berries bounce in the earlier trials or later trials? Why do you think this happened? There is also an optional graphing exercise at the end. NOTE: The “Cranberry Facts” and “Cranberry Crossword” (in that order) would be good to present to the students after completion of the Cranberry Bounce Test. - Cranberry Matching Exercise (pdf) | Cranberry Matching Exercise (MS Word)
Intended for Grades 4 – 6 (1 page): Matching exercise of 14 cranberry-related dates and items that students need to pair up with their corresponding descriptions; This item is meant to be paired with our Cranberry Timeline (pdf) | Cranberry Timeline (MS Word) — because the timeline document will help with the matching exercise. - Cranberry Crossword Puzzle (word list included) (pdf) | Cranberry Crossword Puzzle (word list included) (MS Word)
Intended for Grade 5 and possibly Grades 3 & 4 as well when students are provided with the word list (2 pages): A standard crossword puzzle with the answers for teachers on the 2nd page (two versions: one version has the word choices included at the bottom; the other does not). Cranberry Crossword Puzzle (word list lacking) (pdf) | Cranberry Crossword Puzzle (word list lacking) (MS Word). The crossword puzzle is a good review tool after talking about cranberries with the class, or after doing some of the other cranberry exercises. The 17 words are: Bog, Scoops, Massachusetts, Maine, Cranberry Bounce, Water, Frost, Bees, Climate, Plymouth, Colonists, Scurvy, Cranberry, Swallows, Pest, Pemmican, and Vitamin C. - Cranberry Facts/History (pdf) | Cranberry Facts/History (MS Word)
Intended for Grades 4 and 5 (1 page): A narrative about the history of cranberries and the development of cranberries in Maine. - Cranberry Questions (pdf) | Cranberry Questions (MS Word)
Intended for Grades 5 & 6; maybe Grade 4 when teacher is helping (1 page): Ten questions related to cranberries and cranberries in Maine. One question asks the students to label various parts of a cranberry plant that is pictured on the page. Other questions include: In which Maine counties can you find commercial cranberry growers? Where in Maine was the first cranberry farm located? How did cranberries get their name? What kinds of cranberry products can be found in the grocery store? (Answer key included) - Cranberry Word Searches (Intended for Grades 3 and 4) (each Word Search is 1 page):
- A typical word search with 20 cranberry-related words to find, such as: Acres, Beds, Pilgrims, Cranberry, Thanksgiving, Maine, Vitamin C, and more! Two choices or word search ‘types’ are available:
- Easier/traditional type of word search that simply lists all of the words to be found: Traditional Word Search (pdf) | Traditional Word Search (MS Word)
- Clues-only version for the words to be found in the word search, with an answer key included at the very end: Clues-Only Word Search (pdf) | Clues-Only Word Search (MS Word)
- Cranberry Wildlife Word Search: A typical word search with 21 words to find of some of the ‘wild’ critters one may find in or beside a bed of cranberries, such as: Deer, Moose, Muskrat, Butterflies, Frogs And Toads, and Mouse. Cranberry Wildlife Word Search (pdf) | Cranberry Wildlife Word Search (MS Word)
- A typical word search with 20 cranberry-related words to find, such as: Acres, Beds, Pilgrims, Cranberry, Thanksgiving, Maine, Vitamin C, and more! Two choices or word search ‘types’ are available: