JFK School Garden Curriculum: Third Grade, Spring Quarter ` For more information, Please see websites below: ` Organic Edible Schoolyards & Gardening with Children http://scribd.com/doc/239851214 ` Double Food Production from your School Garden with Organic Tech http://scribd.com/doc/239851079 ` Free School Gardening Art Posters http://scribd.com/doc/239851159` ` Companion Planting Increases Food Production from School Gardens http://scribd.com/doc/239851159 ` Healthy Foods Dramatically Improves Student Academic Success http://scribd.com/doc/239851348 ` City Chickens for your Organic School Garden http://scribd.com/doc/239850440 ` Simple Square Foot Gardening for Schools - Teacher Guide http://scribd.com/doc/239851110

1. JFK in the Garden, March 7, 2014
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JFK Garden Curriculum: Third Grade Spring
"Children are born naturalists. They explore the world with all of their senses, experiment in the environment, and communicate their discoveries to those around them." -The
Audubon Nature Preschool
Focus of our Project: How can we get students to eat healthier foods through a program that features agriculture and gardening, life science,
nutrition, STEM, and visual literacy?
Technology- Ongoing weekly blog will be updated to log the progress in the
garden (Word Press or Wiki Space)
All lessons will follow the same schedule:
1. Opening circle
2. Lesson of the Day
3. Closing reflection on blog
A read aloud will be shared every day to continue to promote literacy.
March 18th-
April 31th
Begin March 18th with 4th grade cohort
Compile a list of items to purchase
Purchase materials
Prepare garden / materials
Begin interview process & selection of students in 3rd grade cohort
Garden Storytelling Vocabulary
Week 1
April 3rd
Goals: Set expectations for the program & Introduction to the JFK Garden Blog Greenhouse, seeds
Activities:
· Read aloud about gardening- The Curious
Garden by Peter Brown
· Write hopes and dreams for the garden
Blog Topic:
· Hopes and Dreams
Week 2
April 10th
Goals: Set expectations for the garden & use of technology Garden bed, local,
organic
*Specific gardening tools
i.e. shovel, rake etc.
Activities:
· Read aloud- Something Beautiful by Sharon
Dennis Wyeth
· Interactive modeling of garden etiquette
· Guided discovery of garden materials
Blog Topic:
· Two precepts of the garden
Week 3
April 24th
Goals: Trip to Stone Barns
Activities:
· Students will visit Stone Barns to learn
about the different aspects of the farm
Blog Topic:
· Post-trip reflection
Roots, soil, sprout,
observation
Week 4
May 1st
Goals: Students will learn that all food comes from plants Wheat, mustard plant,
grain, cattle (cow)

2. JFK in the Garden, March 7, 2014
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Activities:
· Read aloud: From Seed to Plant by Gail
Gibbons
· Hamburger Plant lesson- all foods come
from plants
Blog Topic:
· Students will blog about the Hamburger
Lesson
Week 5
May 8th
Goals: Identify the structure and function of plant parts
Activities:
· Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=J1VnJuL7kT4.
· Observe plants growing in the garden
and identify parts and structural
elements
· Discuss the structure of plants
Blog Topic:
· Share learned information about the
purposes of the different parts of a plant
Flowers, roots, stems,
leaves, fruit, seeds,
monocot, dicot, veins
Week 6
May 15th
Goals: Learn about the needs of plants
Activities:
· Read aloud- The Magic School Bus Plants
Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow
by Joanna Cole
· Discuss needs of plants (Place, Light,
Air, Nutrients, Thirsty, Soil)
· Observe plants in the garden and
greenhouse
· Begin discussion of manipulating
variables and how that would affect
plant’s health
Blog Topic:
· Share learned information about the needs
of plants
Nutrients, nitrogen,
potassium, phosphorus,
variable, photosynthesis,
chlorophyll, carbon
dioxide
Week 7
May 22nd
Goals: Students will classify plant parts
Activities:
· Read Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens
· Sing along- Roots, Stems and Leaves by
The Banana Slug String Band
· Create a chart to classify plant parts,
their function and edible examples
· Identify the different parts of the plants
we eat in the garden
Blog Topic:
· Share the function of a plant part. Name a
food that we eat that comes from a specific
part of a plant
Edible, function

3. JFK in the Garden, March 7, 2014
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Week 8
May 29th
Goals: Students will be introduced to nutrition benefits of eating fresh food & create a garden salad Edible, leaves, color,
shape, harvest, ripe,
under ripe, overripe, in
season
Activities:
· Students will harvest leafy greens
· Students will make a garden salad
· Introduce “JFK” Salad Dressing
· Using adjectives to describe our garden
and salad
Blog Topic:
· Share harvest list with blog and recipe of
garden salad
Week 9
June 5th
Goals: Students will explore how color affects the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables Compost, soil, nutrients
Activities:
· Read Who Grew My Soup? By Tom
Darbyshire
· Introduce “Eating a Rainbow” activity:
how does eating each color of fruits and
vegetables help our bodies?
· Locate fruits and vegetables of each color
in the garden
Blog Topic:
· Students will report on a vegetable color
that provides a specific vitamin/nutrient
Week 10
June 12th
Goals: Harvest Celebration harvest
Activities:
· Read aloud- The Gardener by Sarah
Stewart
· Celebration of students’ work in the
garden
· Harvest Celebration-make a salad and
share a meal in the garden
Blog Topic:
· Students will reflect on their spring
gardening experience
Additional Read Alouds Sing Alongs
The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons
Up Down and Around by Katherin Ayres
Plantzilla by Jerdine Nolen
Read aloud- Wonderful Worms by Linda Glaser
How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? The Story of Food by Chris Butterworth
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
Rah, Rah, Radishes! A Vegetable Chant by April Pulley Sayre
Good Enough to Eat: A Kid’s Guide to Food and Nutrition by Lizzy Rockwell
The Banana Slug String Band

4. JFK in the Garden, March 7, 2014
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Who Grew My Soup? By Tom Darbyshire
A Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice Provensen
Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer
Resources:
http://eatthinkgrow.org/
http://www.lifelab.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/FeelingFineTeacherPacket.pdf
http://www.cafarmtoschool.org/
http://www.schoolyards.org/
http://edibleschoolyard.org/
http://www.justfood.org/
http://esynyc.org/curriculum-introduction/
http://blogs.tc.columbia.edu/cfe/
http://www.jmgkids.us/
http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/