Montrose

Planting with Purpose

Henrico Learner Profile (HLP) 6C Focus

4th & 5th Graders - Science

SOL/Standard

4.2 The student will investigate and understand that plants and animals have structures that distinguish them from one another and play vital roles in their ability to survive. 


4.8 The student will investigate and understand that Virginia has important natural resources. 

Planting with Purpose

Students learned about growing their own crops that later would be able to be used in meals. Students read articles about the different types of seeds they had and did research asking the Codebreaker Chatbot. This helped them to determine which plants they wanted to grow in the school's indoor tower garden. First, the students had to test the water PH levels to see if they were good for their plants to grow. They added nutrients to the water to help the plants grow better as well. Then, they put the seeds in a foam base with the water until they sprouted. Once placed in the bigger containers, they were able to grow with more space in the tower garden. The students could see the amount of light each plant would get and how often it should be watered. They were also able to measure the size of the plants as they grew and took pictures to show the changes they observed. Our students were so excited to share what they had been learning with other grade level students across the school. Once the plants could be picked to eat, the students looked up recipes to cook with the food that they grew. These recipes will be shared with others and provide an opportunity for the students to try some of the plants as well!

What did the student(s) learn about this experience:

“I really liked when we looked up what you could do with the seeds and where it came from.  I liked the sources we used to do research - Using the chat bot and then finding good sites on Google to learn more. I learned about new plants that I didn't know about before. This could be helpful especially if you want to be a farmer you would know which plants to grow."  - AJ

                 What did the teacher enjoy about this experience:

"I enjoyed seeing the students learn about different plants. Watching the plants grow from the planting pods to the Hydroponic Farm was great. I loved learning with the students how to best care for the plants." - Brittany Baker

Additional Pictures, Media & Artifacts

Sprouting

Planting

Growing

Eating

Thank you to the innovators who helped make this experience possible: