The Three Sisters garden lessons Elena Martinez ENV 307, F2010 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

CBLI SCHOOL GARDENS PROJECT The Three Sisters garden lessons Elena Martinez ENV 307, F2010

Why teach in school gardens? • Enliven and connect curriculum requirements through experiential learning • Assist student in understanding new ideas through hands-on learning and cooperation • Improve environmental ethic and nutritional preferences through contact with local ecology • Increase standardized test scores and grades through enthusiasm towards lessons

The Three Sisters garden lessons • A unit of lessons for 4 th and 5 th grade classes about Lenni Lenape culture • Students plan, plant, and harvest a Three Sisters garden • Lessons in other subjects connect to the Three Sisters garden • Lessons based on 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and the 2010 Common Core Standards http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/teach/2003045238014436.html

Suggested Lesson Sequence • Spring of Grade 4 – Lesson 1: Garden design and planting the Three Sisters – Lesson 2: Life cycles of the Three Sisters – Lesson 3: Lenni Lenape legends • Fall of Grade 5 – Lesson 4: The Colombian Exchange in the garden – Lesson 5: Harvesting the Three Sisters – Lesson 6: Cooking and eating the Three Sisters – Lesson 7: Lenni Lenape Art

CORE GARDEN LESSONS: Planting and Harvesting • Lesson: Garden design and planting the Three Sisters – Use mathematical skills to plan and plant the garden • Lesson: Harvesting the Three Sisters – Review plant life cycles while you harvest corn, beans, and squash

MORE GARDEN LESSONS: Other subjects in the garden • Lesson: Life cycles of the Three Sisters – Observe and study the life cycles of corn, beans, and squash. • Lesson: The Colombian Exchange in the garden – Reintroduce children to the garden while identifying plants and their origins. • Lesson: Cooking and eating the Three Sisters – Learn about nutrition and cook your corn, beans, and/or squash.

SUPPLEMENTARY LESSONS: Literature and Art • Lesson: Lenni Lenape legends – Practice writing and editing by writing your own Lenni Lenape legends • Lesson: Lenni Lenape art – Create your own Lenni Lenape arts and crafts to display in the Three Sisters garden

SUMMARY • Students learn about Lenni Lenape culture and traditions • Lessons address curriculum requirements in reading, writing, social studies, science, mathematics, and visual arts • Children create, study, and harvest their own garden http://www.plantingtomorrows.com/corn.shtml

References and Resources for Teachers Blair, D. 2009. The child in the garden: An evaluative review of the benefits of school gardening. The Journal of Environmental Education 40: 15-38. DeMarco , LW. 1997. The factors affecting elementary school teachers’ integration of school gardening into the curriculum. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Virginia. Mackey, B and JM Stewart. 2008. Grow science achievement in your library with school gardens. Library Media Connection 27: 34-37. Bial, R. 2005. The Deleware. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark. Grumet, RS. 1989. The Lenapes. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. Messinger, C and S Katz. 2007. When the shadbush blooms. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press. Van Laan, N. 1989. Rainbow Crow. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Princeton School Gardens Cooperative Website – http://www.prs.k12.nj.us/GardenCoop.