Our STEM Garden!

http://goshenlocalschools.org/groups/gms_students/wiki/44c8c/%28CLICK_HERE_to_see_what_students_are_doing_in_Computer_Tech._this_week%21%21%21%29.html ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 2011 – 2012 8th Grade STEM Class Course Proposal: Class Description: This STEM class will be broken down into collective projects and information/inquiry based learning that will be used in helping children acquire the essential skills they need to fulfill their potential in a rapidly-changing world and make a positive contribution to society as a whole. The theme of this STEM course will be “GARDENING.” It has been proven through research and studies that gardening helps children to…. ∑ Become active learners who can think independently and can adapt their skills and knowledge at school and in their future. ∑ Play a positive role by contributing to society now and in the future. ∑ Learn vital job skills such as presentation skills, communication, teamwork, and fuel their entrepreneurial spirit. ∑ Embrace an active healthier lifestyle. ∑ Develop the skills to work and communicate with all people. This program will allow our students to increase their skills in literacy and numeracy. It will allow them to take control of their learning. Students will learn about and gain vital science skills, technology skills, basic engineering, and math application skills while also exposing them to many facets of career education What We Will Do: 1. Each class will represent 1 garden. Each class must develop a vision for their garden (what kind of garden?)… sensory, theme, food (we could create a school salad bar, sell for fund-raising, or donate to places in the community), or ornamental (ornamental would most likely involve school beautification/landscaping) . 2. Each class will be broken into teams. The teams will be responsible for… a. Fund-Raising Team: This is our entrepreneurial group who will work on developing a fundraiser for their garden to help support the cost of materials. They must create all signage, decide how they will best advertise, how much money do they aim to raise, how will they do it? Seek out community donations. This may involve making calls or writing letters in order to get people to participate. b. Plant Selection Team: What kind of plants will be used in the garden? Learn and create a report and presentation about these plants explaining why and how they will be used in the garden. These students will need to do extensive online and library research. They will also combine efforts with the excavation team regarding planning the garden. (Also, this team MUST report any dangers a plant may pose to people or animals to the Risk Management and Safety Team) c. Excavation Team: This team will research how to create their garden. They must establish a list of materials they will need and create a diagram about how the garden should be properly constructed. They can ask for a list of plants the Plant Selection Team has chosen and create a diagram of how they can best layout and incorporate these plants into the garden space they are creating. This team will physically prepare the garden (digging, laying the materials, etc.). They are responsible for the design process (garden measurements, plant spacing, etc.). They are a very hands on team who will also help with sowing, planting, watering, and weeding the garden. d. Risk Management and Safety Team: This team will plan the needed care of the garden (gardening, watering, pest prevention/control, etc.). They will develop a plan for caring for the garden during holidays and time we spend away from school as well as during inclement weather. They will create plant labels so the plants are clearly marked in the garden. They will assess and decide any safety issues associated with the plants (May join with Plant Selection Team to establish this). They are responsible for ensuring all equipment for the garden is put away and cared for properly. They can assess the environmental friendliness of out garden and make recommendations for environmentally friendly ideas such as composting, water preservation, ways we can recycle materials to use in our garden, etc. e. Record Keeping Team: Journals, photos, movies, web site development (some or all of these are an option) and keeping an organized portfolio of ALL TEAMS efforts and works. This team will hold and log a weekly class meeting to discuss what every team is doing, will make recommendations to teams about what they should/could do next, or need to be doing. They are also responsible to locate at least 1 expert who they can schedule to come and speak to the class about gardening, farming, or a related field. *** Each quarter students will build on the previous quarters work. They will continue garden development and maintenance. They will harvest food gardens, continue with fundraising efforts, continue and build upon the research that has already been done expanding our knowledge database as needed and as directed by the teacher. They will continue weekly meetings, record keeping, and continue in the collective effort needed to successfully establish out STEM Project Gardens. OTHER AREAS OF FOCUS AND STUDY CAN INCLUDE: Careers: 1. Careers in Horticulture: http://www.growcareers.info/ 2. Careers in Engineering: http://www.discoverengineering.org/, 3. Agriculture and Food Science: http://www.bls.gov/k12/nature05.htm 4. Careers on Botany: http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/botanist-film.htm 5. Earth Science Careers: http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/archive/career/index.html 6. Environmental Scientists: http://www.bls.gov/k12/science04.htm 7. Careers in Farming: http://www.bls.gov/k12/nature03.htm 8. Landcape Architecture: http://www.bls.gov/k12/nature02.htm 9. Weather and Climate Scientists: http://www.bls.gov/k12/nature02.htm 10. Urban Planning: http://www.bls.gov/k12/social05.htm ETC. ETC. ETC. EFFECTIVE SEARCH STRATEGIES Teach students how to effectively and properly search online through the use of Boolean Operators and keyword search strategies. Teach students how to identify a quality webpage. ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE AND EFFECTIVE GARDENING THE GRAIN CHAIN Find out how grains are grown and harvested, what happens to them before they reach your plate, and why they're so good for you. OHIO ASSOCIATIONS RELATED TO OUR STEM PROJECT: Students can research, contact, and discuss the various society’s. How do you become a member? Etc. ∑ Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) ∑ Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association (OEFFA) ∑ Ohio Dairy Farmers ∑ Cincinnati Horticultural Society ∑ American Horticultural Society ∑ Ohio Horticultural Society ∑ Audubon Society ∑ Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society ∑ EcoWatch ∑ Rural Land Alliance ∑ The Sierra Club ∑ Wilderness Center