Curated OER
Growing a Native American "Three Sisters" Garden
Students explore plant life by creating their own gardens in class. In this food growing instructional activity, students discuss the types of gardening methods Native Americans used in order to keep healthy. Students plant corn seeds in...
Kenan Fellows
Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – Soil
Do great gardeners really have green thumbs—or just really great soil? Environmental scholars discover what makes Earth's soil and soil quality so important through research and experimentation. Learners also develop an understanding of...
Curated OER
Creating a Three sisters Garden
Students understand that a three sisters garden is comprised of corn, beans and squash. For this three sisters garden lesson, students understand that Native Americans planted three sisters gardens and grow a three sisters garden....
Curated OER
A Garden of Verses: Poems About Class Gardens
Young scholars explore botany by participating in a language arts activity. In this garden poetry lesson, students read the classic poem "Mary, Mary Quite Contrary" and discuss the imagery and rhyming methods used. Young scholars examine...
Curated OER
Community Gardens and Propaganda Posters
Students research community gardens. In this community garden lesson, students discover the history of community gardens and assess the benefits of locally grown food. Students create propaganda posters aimed at inviting discussions...
Curated OER
Indoor Gardening by Building a Simple Hydroponics
Students investigate the use of hydroponic gardening on the world food supply. In this hydroponic gardening activity, students make a garden out of a soda bottle, grow a cilantro plant, and compare hydroponics with regular gardening...
Curated OER
Starting an Indoor Container Garden from Seed
Students create an indoor container garden. In this container garden lesson, students explore seed germination. Students discuss edible seeds.
Education Outside
Seed Saving
After a discussion of the factors that affect seed germination, class groups harvest and preserve seeds from the school garden.
New York City Department of Education
Peter’s Garden
Watch scholars' understanding of fractions bloom. The resource presents a performance task where the fractions are equal parts from the same whole, and mathematicians must use them to solve problems about a grade level garden. Teachers...
New York City Department of Education
Isabella’s Garden
Create rows and rows of vegetables. Pupils use their knowledge of multiplication to find the number of vegetable shoots planted in a garden and ways to arrange the vegetables in the performance task. Teachers use the suggested unit...
Curated OER
Gandhi's Ashrams and School Sustainability
Explore philosophy and religion by researching Gandhi. Lead your young students to investigate the life and accomplishments of Mahatma Gandhi by reading the assigned text. Your class will define sustainability and create a sustainable...
Curated OER
How to Grow a Sunflower Plant
Students explore botany by conducting a sunflower growth experiment. In this plant life lesson, students identify the anatomy of a sunflower plant and the essential nutrients it requires to grow. Students utilize compost, soil, garden...
Curated OER
Planting a Xeriscape Garden
Fourth graders use a plant database to discover new vocabulary associated with plants and ecosystems. Using a pile of dirt behind their school, they design a garden to make it a more enjoyable place. They print out the types of plants...
Curated OER
COMPOSTING: WHY BOTHER?
Students explore the composting process and participate in a contest to make the most compost the fastest from the school's kitchen and yard waste.
New York City Department of Education
Chris’ Garden Dilemma
Make the connections between area, tiling, and multiplication. A performance task and associated unit presents the concept of area and makes the connection to multiplication. Pupils work through three major sections of instruction that...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Personal Choices and the Planet
The last activity in the series of four has individuals determine steps they can take to reduce their carbon footprints and then analyze their schools' recycling programs. Through a sustainability audit, they identify how and where their...
Curated OER
Native Beauty
Students plant wild flowers and maintain their garden. In this wild flowers lesson plan, students pick and prepare a gardening site, plant wild flowers, and maintain it everyday.
Curated OER
Vermiculture Food Waste Compost Program for Touchstone School
Students explore the advantages of composting. In this recycling lesson students complete a worm compost project and collect food waste to feed them.
Curated OER
The Value of a Garden
Students will work cooperatively. In this environmental lesson plan, students will start by discussing an article and its questions prior to receiving a handout. There are two versions of the handout depending if your students are AP or...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Personal Choices and the Planet
How big is your footprint? Activity three culminates the series by having groups complete carbon footprint audits with people in their schools and/or around the districts. Groups then gather their data, create a presentation including...
Curated OER
Giving Thanks for Food and Farms
Sarah Stewart’s The Gardener and Food from Farms by Nancy Dickmann display the importance of community farms. After reading these short picture books, class members draw connections between farms and the food we eat each day. As a...
University of Wisconsin
Follow the Drop
Young surveyors look for patterns in water flow around campus. Using a map of the school (that you will need to create), they mark the direction of the path of water. They also perform calculations for the volume that becomes runoff. The...
Curated OER
Out and About: Plants
Young scholars examine plants. In this hands-on science lesson, students visit the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Eden Project, and Nature's World online or in person to investigate plants and gardens.
Curated OER
Burs in Your Furs
Students explore the concept of animal welfare. In this wild animal habitats lesson, students discover the work of wild animals in sustaining their habitats as they participate in a classroom simulation. Students discuss how wildlife...