Objectives/Assessment Targets

Students will:

• Share the rules that they will follow in the garden.
• Sort images of objects as living and nonliving garden objects.
• Share what they know about the garden and what they want to know this year.

Activity Preparation

This lesson introduces students to the garden, prepares them for participating in activities safely and respectfully, and connects the garden and expectations to their larger school-life. Prepare a large piece of butcher paper. Divide it into sections lengthwise by drawing a line down the middle. Title one section “Is it a plant?” and the other “Why or why not?” Prepare another large piece of butcher paper and title it, “Questions we have about plants or the garden.”

Materials

• Garden tools
• Alive and not-alive organic materials
• The 3 Be’s poster or whiteboard to write down what students will do to help the garden

Activity 1: The 3 Be’s

Welcome students to the garden. Recall what was growing last year, what they may have planted, and what is growing currently. Write the 3 Be’s on the whiteboard. Here in Berkeley Unified School District, each school has its own set of principles that help with classroom   management and student engagement. Remind students that we follow these same rules and practices in the garden.

Show students garden tools they will use, and show them how they will use them throughout the year. Demonstrate tool safety and handling. Ask a couple students to demonstrate for the whole class.

Invite students to share ways they currently practice each one and how they will practice each one in the garden this year. Direct students to draw and list their practices on the cover of their workbook. Invite them to add their personal touches to make their workbooks their own.

^{The content found in this demo chapter has been adapted from Berkeley Public Schools’ Gardening and Cooking Program via www.oercommons.org.}