Content:
- Course description………………………………………………………………………………………….3
- Course objectives……………………………………………………………………………………………3
- The methodology of the course…………………………………………………………………..………4
- Course content:………………………………………………………………………………….....………4
- Chapter 1: Stay 3E school gardening context............................................................5
- Chapter 2: A glimpse into Stay 3E gardens.…………………………………….............………5
- Chapter 3: How to set up a school garden?..........……………………………...……....…….5
- Chapter 4: Stay 3E plants from the school gardens……..……………………..........………5
- Chapter 5: Stay 3E gardening classses…..………………………………………….…...……….6
- Expected outcomes………………………………………………………………………………………...6
- Course evaluation………………………………………………………………………………...…………6
- Appendices:
- Stay 3E weather report.
- A collection of pictorial reports on the visits to Stay 3E gardens.
- How to set up a school garden?
3.1 A collection of manuals and a set of step-by step photo account on setting up Stay 3E school gardens.
3.2 A compilation of Stay 3E lesson plans:‘How to set up a school garden?’
- Stay 3E school gardens’ plants.
- 1‘Stay 3E plants from the school gardens’ photo galery.
- 2‘Stay 3E plants’ growth’-multimedia presentations’.
- ‘Stay 3E gardening classes’- school gardening in practice
- Evaluation survey.
- COURSE DESCRIPTION
‘Stay 3E school gardening’ course is dedicated to pupils aged 6-10. It is a joint product of the project realized from 2016 to 2018 ‘Stay 3E- stay eco-friendly, entrepreneurial, European’ by a group of teachers within the European partnership:
www.educa2.madrid.org/web/centro.cp.sanisidro.aranjuez
The course covers a set of theoretical and practical lessons, during which pupils apply acquired knowledge in various school subjects, e.g. Maths, Science, English, Art to a range of activities in a school garden
- THE OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE:
Teachers will:
- Create the meaningful and real-life context for applying interdisciplinary theoretical knowledge to practice by pupils
- Provide the effect of synergy by organising interdisciplinary classes (CLIL elements)
- Promote life-long healthy eating habits
- Connect a pupil to the natural world
- Enhance student education through hands-on learning
- Develop pupils’ life skills.
Pupils will learn :
- to enjoy gardening and build up a respect for agriculture
- how to grow a sustainable garden using organic products
- to talk to others about gardening practices
- to appreciate healthy foods and to change their eating habits
- to respect and take care of school’s environment
- the rules of safe gardening
- business skills and entrepreneurship
- particular subject through hand-on learning experience.
- The methodology of the course
The course is geared towards enforcement of child’s learning process via using various methodologies. It is assumed that the child should possess life skills such as working in groups, making choices, undertaking responsibilities, making right choices as for healthy lifestyle and sustainable gardening practice, provided all the objectives are met and relevant pupils and teachers’ roles performed.
The roles of the teacher:
- an initiator
- a coordinator
- a facilitator
promoting foremost a child’s creativity and engagement.
The role of the child:
- an active participant
- a co-author of the course initiatives
- a receiver
- an observer
The methodologies to be used:
- students-centered approach
- hands-on practice
- brainstorm
- discussion
- selecting/catagorising/collecting the data
- problem solving
- group/pair work
- high-tech approach
- Course content
The course is planned to be realized either on the curriculum or/ and in extra classes. It is optimally planned for 3 45-lesson-units monthly. It encompasses 5 chapters that constitue the framework guidlines and resource pack and can be found useful for the teachers/ schools willing to introduce school gardening course into the curriculum at the primary school.
1.’Stay 3E school gardening context’-the chapter provides the evidence about the climate in Stay 3E countries. Throughout the project realization the pupils in all Stay 3E schools kept the record of the weather: the temperature and the precipitation at spring/summer/autumn and winter time. The data they collected can be a kick-off to the lessons about the relation between the climate and plant growth.
Resource pack:
- ‘Stay 3E weather report’- a compilation of Stay 3E weather reports. Source: App. 1
- Sample web-based resources:
https://kidsgardening.org/lesson-plans-weather-tracking-tools
2.’A glimpse into Stay 3E gardens’- the chapter is a collection of the schools’ reports on their visits to the gardens in Stay 3E countries. During the visits pupils had an opportunity to observe the gardens in their regions. It can be used as an idea for an introductory school gardening activity.
Resource pack:
A) ‘Stay 3E gardens’- a series of pictorial account of the visits. Source: App.2
3.’How to set up a school garden’-the chapter contains the manuals and the pictorial evidence of setting up Stay 3E school gardens. It was a task carried out at ‘Stay 3E in regions’ and ‘Stay 3E in ecology’ stages. At these stages teachers taught a series of Maths lessons on setting up a school garden. The content of the chapter can serve as guidelines on setting up a school garden and applying hand-on learning approach. It should be particularly appreciated for exploring the subject at interantional level.
Resource pack:
- A collection of manuals and a set of step-by step photo account on setting up Stay 3E school gardens. Source: App. 3. 1
- A compilation of Stay 3E lesson plans:‘How to set up a school garden?’ Source: App. 3.2
4.’Stay 3E plants from the school gardens’ photo galery- the chapter includes the pictures of plants (fruit, vegetables, decorative plants, herbs) grown in ‘Stay 3E school gardens’ and the pictorial account of a plant growth process-from the seed to the full-grown plant. The collection of the materials can be used as a context for teaching various topics interdisciplinarily, e.g.
The plant growth (Science/English/Maths/Art., etc, Healthy diet based on organic school garden products( Science/ Maths/ Entrepreneurship).
Resource pack:
A) ‘Stay 3E plants from the school gardens’ photo galery. Source: App. 4.1
B) ‘Stay 3E plants’ growth’-multimedia presentations’. Source: App. 4.2
5.’Stay 3E gardening classes’-the chapter contains the multimedia presentations on gardening classes taught in Stay 3E schools.
Resource pack:
Multimedia presentations on Stay 3E gardening classes’. Source: App.5
- The expected outcomes
After the course completion the pupil can:
- grow a sustainable garden using organic products
- show respect towards environment and agriculture
- name the plants grown in the school garden and know the process and the conditions of growing plants
- see the relation between the climate and the choice of the plants to be grown in the garden
- apply knowledge to practice across different subjects on the curriculum: Maths, English/Science/Art
- consider the products of the garden a source of food processing and ideas
- see a relation between a garden product and business
- share acquired knowledge with other participants
- categorise the plants
- Evaluation
The evaluation aims at collecting feedback on:
- the content of the course (the rate of the increse of the knowledge)
- the efficacy of the applied methodologies
The course and the pupils’ progres will be evaluated via: surveys, quizes, interviews, culinary events-fairs, school celebrations.
App. 1
Stay 3E weather report
App.2
A collection of pictorial reports on the visits to Stay 3E gardens
App. 3.1
'How to set up a school garden?'-Stay 3E manuals
App. 3.2
How to set up a school garden? - A set of lesson plans
App. 4.1
Stay 3E gardens' plants
App. 4.2
App. 5
Stay 3E - gardening classes
App. 6
Gardening classes - evaluation survey