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Grade Level: 9-10 Academic Areas: Science, Math, English Language Arts Duration of service: Year-Long Character Virtues: Civic Virtue and Citizenship, Giving, Responsibility Service Areas: Environmental, Human Services
Materials Needed: seeds, soil, mulch, water, tools, gloves, hose, stakes, starting flats, picking baskets Total Cost of Project: $300 – 400 Time Needed for Project: Year-Long Time Needed for Teacher Preparation: 50 hours over the year Experience Needed in CE: moderate Experience Needed in SL: moderate
Service Learning Project: Students will start,
manage, and maintain a vegetable garden to provide vegetables for local food banks.
Using scientific and math skills, students will be responsible for planning,
designing, and constructing the garden, as well as deciding which veggies to
plant where, when, and in which quantities. They will study the soil, water
regimens, plant growth, fertilizers, weather patterns, horticulture, and
other factors to help with their planning. In addition, they will use GPS
mapping to research plots and the final location of crops in the garden.
Students will also be responsible for arranging harvest days as well as
setting up a delivery to various food banks. Students will be required to put
in time at the soup kitchens, cleaning, preparing, and serving or giving away
of the meals or baskets. They will volunteer at the local food pantry on a
weekly basis. In the middle of the
winter, the students will hold a food drive to benefit the local food pantry,
helping to keep the students involved during the winter. At the end of the
growing season, students will collect one last harvest and use the skills they
gained by working in the soup kitchens to prepare a Spaghetti Supper-type
event for the entire community. The students will make a skit or presentation
about their experiences, the people they met, the things they learned, and
the character traits they developed during the project. Over the summer,
students in summer school can participate, there could be a garden club in
which students agree to meet over the summer to maintain and harvest the
garden, or the school could partner with a senior program or summer work
program where others will take over the maintenance of the garden for the
summer.
Goals and Objectives Academic Learning Goal: Students will learn effective planning and problem-solving skills. Standard: MST 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 Learning Goal: Students will understand plant growth and maintenance, and the effects of weather and soil on that growth. They will conduct paired research projects so they can become experts on given topics. Standard: MPEFCS 2, 3 MST 1,4,6,7 CDOS Learning Goal: Students will become familiar with the career fields of agriculture and horticulture and their supporting businesses. Standard: CDOS 1, 2, 3a, 3b Learning Goal: Students will research a vegetable and the vitamins and minerals it provides. They will be able to explain the benefits of those vitamins and minerals to the body and how they denature during cooking. Standard: Learning Goal: Students will practice research skills while designing the garden. They will use oral and written language to communicate with project participants, the community, and the media. Standard: Service Community need: Hunger, malnutrition, and lack of access to fresh food. Possible Community Partners: food banks/kitchens, garden clubs, churches, shelters, CCE, RC&D, SWCS, 4-H, NRCS Objective: Students will plant, grow, and maintain a vegetable garden and donate the produce to area food banks and kitchens. Objective: Students will clean, prepare, serve, and distribute vegetables at local food banks and kitchens. Objective: Students will assist at kitchens/food banks on a regular basis. Character Virtue: civic virtue and citizenship Objective: Students will learn that participation in the community by all parts of the community is essential to its health and that all members of the community can play a role. Virtue: giving Objective: Students will realize that giving to others can be rewarding and is essential for the health of a community Virtue: responsibility Objective: Students will take initiative, make viable choices, and follow the project through to completion.
Key Activities Key Planning Activities 1. Students will coordinate with local food banks/kitchens to determine types and quantities of vegetables needed. 2. Students will meet with agricultural professionals to explore careers and gardening options. 3. Students will research which vegetables will grow well in their climate and soil type. 4. Students will test and compare soils at locations around the school to find the best garden site (incorporating GPS mapping). 5. Students will write proposals to the school requesting the site and other needs. 6. Students will research tilling, planting, and harvesting methods. 7. Students will design the shape, vegetable spacing and arrangement of the garden. 8. Students will create rules and consequences to work by. 9. Students will assign/choose tasks. 10. Students will investigate how weather influences agriculture. 11. Students will read articles and literature focused on agriculture. 12. Students will continually reflect on their progress. Key Service
Activities 1. Students will plan and maintain the garden: set-up, planting, weeding, watering, mulching, harvesting, etc. 2. Students will donate time to the food bank/kitchen. 3. Students will deliver produce or arrange for its pick-up, then assist with the clean-up, preparation, and serving of food or giving of baskets. Key Reflection Activities 1. (oral – giving) Students will share their experiences of giving to and caring about others with other students from the school (who are not involved with the project) during classroom visits and discussions. 2.
(written – civic virtue and citizenship)
Students will create a display for the school’s project billboard. Students
will also keep journals about their experiences, including what they did each
week, how they felt about the project, and what impact they had on the
community that week. 3. (performance – giving/civic virtue and citizenship) Students will create a video or PowerPoint about their project to share with their classmates and their community at the Spaghetti Supper-type event. Celebration
Activity Students will host a Spaghetti Supper-type event at the end of the harvest. Students will harvest, clean, prepare, and serve the vegetables they have planted and maintained to parents and community members. During this events, students will also present their skit and take attendees on tours of their garden. Parents and community members will be invited to the Spaghetti Supper event. |
