Conversation-starters: Opportunities for Critical Thinking
Planning: Design and construct trellises for plants who might need them for strength and stability.
Growing: Ongoing watering and monitoring of the garden.
Monitoring: Students are encouraged to design their own grade-appropriate monitoring system to record observations from the garden.
Communicating: Interview the various stakeholders to gather their perspectives, then develop criteria for role definition. Create a product to define the various roles.
Grade 5 Science: Forces Acting on Structures and Mechanisms
· Research and then design a trellis, using sticks and twine that can a) remain free-standing, and b) support the growth of peas and beans and tomatoes.
· Students might also consider the plants, wind, and students working nearby as potential forces that might act against their trellis. Build their trellis to withstand these forces.
· Critique your design: With the potential forces in mind, how can you improve your design to be stable & strong?
Grade 5 Social Sciences: Responsible Citizenship
· If your garden was expanding, develop a framework to define the roles and perspectives of all of the stakeholders who work and learn in the garden.
· Review the current list of stakeholders and consider which other groups of citizens could be added to the list to address the needs of the garden.
· Assess current municipal plans to address food security in the TVDSB area, and create a list of suggestions how the local government could improve their attempts, as well as a list of suggestions how students in grade 5 can make a difference for those in need.