Garden,Garden,What Do You Do?

Polly Saatzer,Garlough Environmental School,West Saint Paul,MN.
Author Profile

Summary

In this introductory activity the students will explore different gardens on our school grounds to investigate the natural world using inquiry and their senses. The students will take a guided walk from garden to garden using their observations to notice and wonder how gardens are the same and different. Students will record their observations and questions on a class chart.

Used this activity? Share your experiences and modifications

Learning Goals

This activity is designed for the students to:
1. Be introduced to different types of gardens
2. Observe and describe the gardens using their senses
3. Learn new vocabulary words in both English and Spanish

Context for Use

This activity would start in the classroom with a brief discussion, 5-10 minutes to activate prior knowledge, then move to the school grounds for a walk to the different gardens, about 30 minutes. If you don't have different types of gardens on your school grounds, you could take a walk around your neighborhood or to a local park. The activity was designed for kindergarten or first grade students. Bring your camera along to take pictures of the different gardens. When back in the classroom, finish your discussion either right away or later in the day. This would take another 10-15 minutes.

Description and Teaching Materials

To activate prior knowledge before your walk, have the children sit on the floor in front of you and ask the question, What is a garden? Chart the students' ideas. Tell the students they will be going on a walk to explore the gardens on our school grounds. Walk around the school grounds visiting each garden, asking questions such as, What do you notice? What do you wonder? Plant vocabulary words such as plants, animals, butterfly garden, raingarden, vegetable garden, sunflower garden and tulip garden in both English and Spanish as you walk along. Don't forget to take pictures of each garden to use for follow up activities. Back in the classroom ask the students what was the same or different about each garden you visited. Put their ideas on the bottom of the chart you started at the beginning of the lesson. As you are charting their ideas, if a vocabulary word is used then write it in another color or underline it. Don't forget to put the date and weather conditions on the top of the chart too. Then you can use this as a phenology record when you go back to visit the gardens. Put the chart and pictures up in your classroom.

Teaching Notes and Tips

Remind the children that this is an outdoor learning time and not recess or playtime. You may want to carry a clipboard to jot down some of the ideas the children say when you are out in the field and a list of good inquiry questions to help guide your exploration.

Assessment

Assessment will be my observations from our outside walk and the childrens' answers and questions during our inside discussion.

Standards

Science: The student will observe and describe the environment using the five senses.
Reading and Literature: The student will use a variety of strategies to
develop and expand reading, listening and speaking vocabulary.

References and Resources