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Ms. Tsai’s Classroom Edit display name

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Our school garden was started two years ago by Green Team, a student-led environmental club meeting after school twice a month. Students said they were unhappy with the limited choices of seasonal fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria, so they built a 4’x4’ garden to grow their own food on campus. Since then, the garden has expanded to include five raised beds and a compost bin. Our goal now is to increase students’ involvement by incorporating the garden into the science curriculum, transforming an after-school activity into a project-based learning opportunity that will engage ALL students. In this unit, students will measure the current conditions in the garden, experiment with variables that affect plant growth, and evaluate the impact of different agricultural practices. The student-led investigations will be conducted in a controlled setting to learn the life cycle of plants and the basic elements of farming. Students will use Wisconsin Fast Plants to investigate variables affecting crop yields, including plant density, soil health, the use of chemical versus organic fertilizers, watering techniques, and the role of pollinators. Because water conservation is an especially relevant issue in California agriculture, students will learn to calculate soil moisture of the garden by using electronic balances and compare it to that from a soil meter for accuracy. Students will apply their new learning to make appropriate recommendations for the school garden, including the types of vegetables to plant, the type and amount of nutrients to use, watering strategies, and designs to increase pollination. Students will implement their own recommendations and monitor growth throughout the season. This project is NGSS aligned and promotes all of the Science and Engineering Practices. By the end of the unit, students will have learned how to create a sustainable garden…and be able to eat a rainbow of healthy food!

About my class

Our school garden was started two years ago by Green Team, a student-led environmental club meeting after school twice a month. Students said they were unhappy with the limited choices of seasonal fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria, so they built a 4’x4’ garden to grow their own food on campus. Since then, the garden has expanded to include five raised beds and a compost bin. Our goal now is to increase students’ involvement by incorporating the garden into the science curriculum, transforming an after-school activity into a project-based learning opportunity that will engage ALL students. In this unit, students will measure the current conditions in the garden, experiment with variables that affect plant growth, and evaluate the impact of different agricultural practices. The student-led investigations will be conducted in a controlled setting to learn the life cycle of plants and the basic elements of farming. Students will use Wisconsin Fast Plants to investigate variables affecting crop yields, including plant density, soil health, the use of chemical versus organic fertilizers, watering techniques, and the role of pollinators. Because water conservation is an especially relevant issue in California agriculture, students will learn to calculate soil moisture of the garden by using electronic balances and compare it to that from a soil meter for accuracy. Students will apply their new learning to make appropriate recommendations for the school garden, including the types of vegetables to plant, the type and amount of nutrients to use, watering strategies, and designs to increase pollination. Students will implement their own recommendations and monitor growth throughout the season. This project is NGSS aligned and promotes all of the Science and Engineering Practices. By the end of the unit, students will have learned how to create a sustainable garden…and be able to eat a rainbow of healthy food!

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