Lake Placid Farm to School

Lake Placid Farm to School

K-12 Curriculum Resource Guide

Mission Statement

The Lake Placid Farm to School Program is a member of the Adirondack Farm to School Initiative working with schools and communities to rebuild a healthy food system in the Adirondacks and create connections between classrooms, cafeterias, communities, and local farms. The goal of this initiative is to enrich children’s bodies and minds while supporting local economies, bringing local food into school cafeterias and creating hands-on learning activities such as school gardens, farm visits, culinary classes, and the integration of food – related education into the regular classroom curriculum. We believe that through growing, harvesting, and preparing nutritious foods, children gain confidence, develop critical thinking skills, feel a sense of power over their own health, and can impact family purchasing, cooking, and eating patterns.

Objectives:

1)  Increase local produce in school cafeterias

2)  Connecting school gardens to cafeteria

3)  Develop curriculum opportunities that support healthy eating habits

Curriculum Goals/Themes:

This guide will identify science and ELA units and lessons for K-4, middle school and high school students. Lessons were designed to incorporate the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core ELA. Lessons have been linked to each of the following themes.

1)  How to grow food

2)  Food processing and safety

3)  Food and human health

·  According to author Michael Pollan, in 1960 (the beginning of the green revolution and industrialized food production) the average American spent 17.5% of their income on food and 5.2% on health care

·  Now we spend 9.9% on food and 16% on health care and 1 in 3 Americans develop diabetes in their lifetimes.

·  Statistics like these beg the question – if we spent more money on better quality food could we spend less money on health care.

4)  Environmental impacts of food production

·  Dead zones in the Mississippi, worldwide declines in bee populations, climate change, and loss of diversity can all be attributed to industrial agriculture.

·  The relationships between living things and their environment are intricately webbed. As one of the dominant living things on the planet, humans and their food choices are having a substantial impact on ecosystems around the globe

5)  Food culture and history of food production

Food Curriculum Resources

1)  Nourish is a middle school curriculum available free at www.nourishlife.org In addition to the online lessons, activities and resources the curriculum guide can be purchased for ease access. The guide will be available through the LPMHS library and the Tupper Lake Wild Center. The complete guide includes access to a variety of ready for the classroom activities including: DVDs and video guides, short films, and an 84 page standards aligned classroom activities for grades 6-8. (Spanish-language handouts are also available free through the website)

·  We recommend that all students in 6th grade view the 26 minute PBS special “Nourish” included in the Nourish curriculum guide. Included is a video guide with discussion questions for the video.

·  Note: Common core standards for English language arts for each of the activities can be found on page 80 of the Nourish curriculum guide

2)  Project seasons (a Shelburne museum resource) is a workbook loaded with 20-30 minute activities appropriate for students in grades K-8

3)  Agriculture in the Classroom: Educational Resource Directory contains lesson plans for K-12 Science and Social studies classes http://www.agclassroom.org/teacher/index.htm

·  Earth science lessons http://www.agclassroom.org/agroworld/earth.htm

·  Biology science lessons http://www.agclassroom.org/agroworld/biology.htm

·  Integrated science lessons http://www.agclassroom.org/agroworld/science.htm

·  Technology lessons http://www.agclassroom.org/agroworld/tech.htm

·  Social Studies lessons http://www.agclassroom.org/agroworld/social.htm

·  Family and Consumer Science lessons http://www.agclassroom.org/agroworld/family.htm

4)  NYS agclassroom website has lessons for all elementary levels broken down according to Language arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. http://www.agclassroom.org/NY/resources/lesson.htm

·  SOLE (Science of Life Explorations through Agriculture) is an entire curriculum guide found on this site that provides science activities for grades 4-5.

Lake Placid Elementary School Library Resources

ELA Common Core Resources (K-5) 2014-07-15

304.2 KIR / Kirk, Ellen. Human footprint: everything you will eat, use, wear, buy, and throw out in your lifetime. Washington, D.C: National Geographic, c2010.
Summary: "What's your human footprint? Well, it's 13,056 pints of milk; 28,433 showers; 12,888 oranges; 14,518 candy bars; 43,371 cans of soda; and $52,972 worth of clothes, all in one lifetime. And that's just a fraction of the mountain of stuff you'll consume. Think of that times six billion other footprints. Makes you want to step more lightly on the Earth!"--P. [4] of cover.
333.72 GAR / Garrett, Leslie. Earth smart: how to take care of the environment. New York: DK Pub, 2006.
Summary: Sophie and Spencer learn how to make our world a cleaner and healthier place to live.
333.76 SAV / Savage, Candace. Get growing!: how the earth feeds us. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, c1991.
363.7 AMS / Amsel, Sheri. 365 ways to live green for kids: saving the environment at home, school, or at play--every day!. Avon, MA: Adams Media, c2009.
Summary: Presents 365 ways that children can help save the planet, covering such topics as endangered species, global warming, alternative energy, conservation, recycling, and "green" living.
363.7 AMS / Amsel, Sheri. The everything kids' environment book: learn how you can help save the environment--by getting involved at school, at home, or at play. Avon, MA: Adams Media, c2007.
Summary: Presents simple experiments and word puzzles that teach about the environment, covering such topics as habitats, air and water, pollution, conservation, recycling, and "green" living.
581.3 GIB / Gibbons, Gail. From seed to plant. New York: Holiday House, c1991.
Summary: Explores the intricate relationship between seeds and the plants which they produce.
581.4 GAL / Galbraith, Kathryn Osebold. Planting the wild garden. Atlanta, Ga: Peachtree, c2011.
Summary: Seeds are natural hitchhikers. They ride air currents, drift down river banks, and latch onto boots and sweaters to travel across the land.
581.6 TAY / Incredible plants. New York: DK Pub, 1996.
Summary: Describes in words and exposes through close-up photographs the amazing anatomy of a variety of plants.
583 SEL / Selsam, Millicent (Ellis). The tomato and other fruit vegetables. New York: Morrow, [1970].
Summary: Photographs and brief text explain how a tomato plant sprouts, is fertilized, and produces fruit. Compares this cycle to that of all other fruit vegetables including the eggplant and cucumber.
583.99 MOR / Morgan, Sally. Sunflowers and other plants. North Mankato, MN: Thameside Press, c2001.
635 BJO / Björk, Christina. Linnea's windowsill garden. Stockholm New York New York: R & S Books Distributed in the USA by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1988.
Summary: An illustrated introduction to plants and how they grow with information on creating a home garden.
635 WIL / Wilkes, Angela. My first garden book. New York: Knopf Distributed by Random House, 1992.
Summary: Features simple gardening projects from collecting seeds to growing a miniature desert garden.
635.9 PUP / Pupeza, Lori Kinstad. Indoor gardens. Edina, MN: Abdo Pub. Co, c2002.
Summary: Describes how to plan and create an indoor garden, discussing propagation, making a terrarium, potting plants, feeding and watering, pests, and other problems.
640 JOH / Johnson, J. Angelique. The eco-student's guide to being green at school . Mankato, MN : Picture Window Books, 2011.
Summary: From backpacks to textbooks, provides green tips to get your friends and teachers on the eco-friendly track at school.
921 MAATHAI / Nivola, Claire A. Planting the trees of Kenya: the story of Wangari Maathai. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2008.
Summary: Relates the story of Wangari Maathai, a native Kenyan who taught the people living in the highlands how to plant trees and care for the land.
975.3 GOU / Gourley, Robbin. First garden: the White House garden and how it grew. Boston: Clarion Books, 2011.
Summary: The current White House garden provides vegetables for the First Family and their guests. But it wasn't the first garden planted there.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Next Generation Science Standards Learning Objectives for Elementary Level Classes:

PS = physical science

ESS = earth and space science

LS = life science

ETS = engineering, technology and applications of science

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: Animals, Plants, and Their Environment

LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms

·  All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow. (K-LS1-1)

ESS2.E: Biogeology

·  Plants and animals can change their environment. (K-ESS2-2)

ESS3.A: Natural Resources

·  Living things need water, air, and resources from the land, and they live in places that have the things they need. Humans use natural resources for everything they do. (K-ESS3-1)

ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems

·  Things that people do to live comfortably can affect the world around them. But they can make choices that reduce their impacts on the land, water, air, and other living things. (K-ESS3-3)

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

·  Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem’s solutions to other people. (secondary to K-ESS3-3)

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life
·  The energy released [from] food was once energy from the sun that was captured by plants in the chemical process that forms plant matter (from air and water). (5-PS3-1)
LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
·  Food provides animals with the materials they need for body repair and growth and the energy they need to maintain body warmth and for motion. (secondary to 5-PS3-1)
·  Plants acquire their material for growth chiefly from air and water. (5-LS1-1)
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
·  The food of almost any kind of animal can be traced back to plants. Organisms are related in food webs in which some animals eat plants for food and other animals eat the animals that eat plants. Some organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, break down dead organisms (both plants or plants parts and animals) and therefore operate as “decomposers.” Decomposition eventually restores (recycles) some materials back to the soil. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their particular needs are met. A healthy ecosystem is one in which multiple species of different types are each able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life. Newly introduced species can damage the balance of an ecosystem. (5-LS2-1)
LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
·  Matter cycles between the air and soil and among plants, animals, and microbes as these organisms live and die. Organisms obtain gases, and water, from the environment, and release waste matter (gas, liquid, or solid) back into the environment. (5-LS2-1)

K.Weather and Climate

PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

·  Sunlight warms Earth’s surface. (K-PS3-1),(K-PS3-2)

ESS2.D: Weather and Climate

·  Weather is the combination of sunlight, wind, snow or rain, and temperature in a particular region at a particular time. People measure these conditions to describe and record the weather and to notice patterns over time. (K-ESS2-1)

ESS3.B: Natural Hazards

·  Some kinds of severe weather are more likely than others in a given region. Weather scientists forecast severe weather so that the communities can prepare for and respond to these events. (K-ESS3-2)

ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting an Engineering Problem

·  Asking questions, making observations, and gathering information are helpful in thinking about problems. (secondary to K-ESS3-2)

5.Earth’s Systems

ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems

·  Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things, including humans). These systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes. The ocean supports a variety of ecosystems and organisms, shapes landforms, and influences climate. Winds and clouds in the atmosphere interact with the landforms to determine patterns of weather. (5-ESS2-1)

ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

·  Nearly all of Earth’s available water is in the ocean. Most fresh water is in glaciers or underground; only a tiny fraction is in streams, lakes, wetlands, and the atmosphere. (5-ESS2-2)

ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems

·  Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments. (5-ESS3-1)

Inheritance and Variation of Traits: Life Cycles and Traits

LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms

·  Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles. (3-LS1-1)

LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits

·  Many characteristics of organisms are inherited from their parents. (3-LS3-1)

·  Other characteristics result from individuals’ interactions with the environment, which can range from diet to learning. Many characteristics involve both inheritance and environment. (3-LS3-2)

LS3.B: Variation of Traits

·  Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information. (3-LS3- 1)

·  The environment also affects the traits that an organism develops. (3-LS3-2)

LS4.B: Natural Selection

·  Sometimes the differences in characteristics between individuals of the same species provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing. (3-LS4-2)