Objective:
The students will list biographical facts about Beatrix Potter.

Materials

• Links to the following web sites: Peter Rabbit (very child friendly) or Visit Cumbria.

• A Time Line written on the Blackboard or butcher paper (starting with 1866 and continuing through 1943).

• A world map

• Any book or story by Beatrix Potter

• Beatrix Potter Worksheet

Procedure

1. Read the chosen book.  Discuss how the author, Beatrix Potter, wrote a number of stories for children.  Children have been reading and listening to her stories for years.

2. Share the information about Beatrix Potter's life at one of the aforementioned web sites.  While discussing her life, fill in important dates on the timeline, such as her birth and when she began writing stories.  Also, look at a world map to point out where England is in relationship to the students'.  

3. Be sure to discuss what inspired Beatrix's writing - her pets which are discussed at the Peter Rabbit  web site. Summarize by discussing how Beatrix Potter is a famous person in history for her writing's of children's stories.

4. Pass out the Beatrix Potter Worksheet and have the students complete them individually or as a class depending on their ability. 

Other Lesson Ideas

1. Research different species of rabbits to discover what parts of the world they live in.  Identify those areas on maps.

2. Have a lesson on the African-American oral tradition during slavery, using Brer Rabbit tales as a starting point.