As second language learners, my students do not have a lot of the background knowledge and previous experience that most native language speakers have to scaffold on and develop critical thinking skills. Planting a butterfly garden from scratch will give them this hands on learning experience.
My students are elementary aged ESOL students in Florida.
English is not their first language. Most of my students have not had much experience in a formal school setting. They are about 80% free and reduced lunch. These kids are very excited to learn English and want to do as much as they can. They are very enthusiastic and motivated. These kids will benefit greatly from growing a garden and watching the life cycle of a butterfly first hand. The life cycle is usually introduced in kindergarten and first grade so I want to use my 40 students in these grade levels to plant and maintain the garden. All of the 82 ESOL students in kindergarten through 5th grade will benefit though by observing the life cycle and all students will have access to visit and explore the garden with their classroom teachers.
My Project
The first grade ESOL students will be the ones planting the butterfly plants. They will learn about the gardening tools and how to take care of a garden. They will use the poster and puppets to learn about the life cycle before planting. We will use the plants to learn all the parts of a plant as well. Watching the butterflies change and grow will give them real examples. The first grade students will use what they learn to create a puppet show for the kindergarten students to teach them in return. All students will keep a butterfly log and a plant growth log. These kids will get to experience the plant growth and butterfly life cycle hands on. We will also read books about butterflies and life cycles.
I think it is very important these days to share gardening with children in any way we can.
Kids today are interested in going green and if we promote this with them with real examples, we can foster a love for gardening and going green in many ways. Children can get excited about the plants they are growing and how they take care of them.
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