How do we grow fruit & vegetables?
Previous experience
To have tasted a variety of fruit and vegetables. Understand where they grow and the conditions necessary for growth (soil preparation).
Learning To recognise the needs of plants and seed for growth
Objectives To recognise the main parts of plants & seeds
To learn skills in planting seeds & plants
To make a plan to maintain and care for plants
Key vocabulary
Key words: water, air, soil, nutrients, leaves, roots, stems, trowel, fork, slug, worm, bees, weeds, pollination.
Resources
Whole grown plant, flower, trowels, forks, seeds, plants, watering cans, gloves, string, stakes, labels, waterproof pens, camera.
Introduction
Re-cap on last two lessons.
Discuss what plants need for growth.
Using the whole plant and flower, re-introduce main parts of
plants and flower in producing crop and seed for future
seasons.
Differentiation
Activities: In small groups (4-6) take children to garden and show them
How to plant seeds and plants.
Allow children in pairs to practice technique.
Get children to mark site of planting with hand-written labels.
Assist children in taking photographs of this stage of growing.
Plenary Session
With whole class develop a plan of maintenance for care of plants as they grow.
Learning Outcomes
Understanding of the needs of all living things.
Appreciation of the need to plan care of living material.
Skills development in gardening
Cross Curricular links
Science – growth & change
PSHE – environmental issues
English – vocabulary
Maths – counting, shape
GROWING FOR THE FUTURE - Lesson Plan
Why do we need to eat fruit & vegetables?Learning To recognise a variety of fresh fruit & vegetables, through
colour, shape & taste.
Objectives To understand how and where fruit & vegetables grow
To think about how vegetables are good for health & growth
Key vocabulary
Key words: fruit, vegetables, roots, stems, leaves, seeds, beans, plant, soil, air, water, growth, health.
Resources
Variety of whole and prepared, fresh fruit and vegetables, plates, sample plant (with roots, stems and leaves).
Introduction Encourage the children to talk about what they like to eat
Discuss with children why we eat and what we need for a
healthy diet
Display a variety of fruit and vegetables and get children to
name them and discuss what they like.
Differentiation
Activities: In groups (with support) prepare on plates 2 –3 types of
fruit and vegetables each.
Get each group in turn to act as waiters to their class-
mates to encourage them to try their ‘wares’.
Encourage children to describe what they taste/the
texture and where it may grow.
Plenary Session
Talk as a whole class about the tasting session.
Show children a whole plant and flower and talk about its parts
and their purpose.
Learning Outcomes
Experience and enjoyment of novel foods
Awareness of purpose of food and eating.
Understanding of some sources of food.
Cross Curricular links
Science – growth & change, senses.
PSHE - environmental issues
English – vocabulary
Maths – counting, shape
GROWING FOR THE FUTURE - Lesson Plan
Harvesting & storing produce
Previous experienceUnderstand where fruit & vegetables grow and the conditions necessary for growth (soil preparation). Plan and keep maintenance schedule for the garden.
Learning To understand when produce ready for harvesting
Objectives To practice how to harvest different produce
To choose different methods of storage
Key vocabulary
Key words: Pick, ripe, lift, freeze, bottle, dry, harvest, store
Resources
This lesson may be repeated a number of times during the growing season. Different resources, from the list below, may be required at each session)
Forks, spades, trowels, boxes, sand, string, bags, paper, plates, knives (group leaders only) camera.
Introduction
See note above about need to repeat this session, as appropriate to produce to be harvested. Introduce to class about the time for harvesting produce. That this will be an opportunity for tasting and storing produce as well as saving seed, for using next year.
Differentiation In groups, take children to growing site.
Encourage them to make decisions about what needs to be
picked for eating, and what needs to be collected for seed.
Practice in how best to pick and store
Take photographs of site and produce
Plenary Session
Whole class prepare and taste some of the produce and discuss achievements in growing.
Learning Outcomes
Understanding of the needs of all living things.
Appreciation of the need to plan care of living material.
Skills development in gardening
GROWING FOR THE FUTURE - Lesson Plan
Soil Fertility – Compost
Previous experienceUnderstand where fruit & vegetables grow and the conditions necessary for growth (soil preparation).
Learning To understand cycle of growth & decay and relationship with
soil fertility.
Objectives To understand how waste is re-cycled in a compost
To practise making and using compost
Key vocabulary
Key words: Re-cycle, compost, fertiliser, worms, centipede, fungi, bacteria, mites, moulds, springtails.
Resources
“The Compost Box” pack Pub. National Federation of City Farms. Compost Game (Paper or large leaves, buckets or bowls) Practical Compost Making (compost bin [plastic & wood] polythene for heap, selection of suitable material for heap (e.g. vegetable peelings, shredded paper, garden cuttings, hair, egg shells, etc.) Selection of unsuitable material (meat, cheese, foil, plastic, etc.)
Introduction
Introduce class to cycle in development of compost with the Compost Game. (The Compost Box)
Differentiation
· In groups, take children to compost site.
· Show children what completed compost should look like.
· Show children a selection of waste material and encourage them to make decisions about what can and cannot be used in compost.
· Give each group one type of compost site to use for storing suitable material. Start construction of compost bin or heap.
· Take photographs of site and produce.
· Get groups to record and compare development of their compost over a season.
Plenary Session
Re-cap principal points of session and, if sufficient time play web game from ‘The Compost Box”
Learning Outcomes
Understanding of nutrient cycle & the needs of all living things. Understanding of food chains and webs skills development in gardening
Cross Curricular Links
Science (life cycles, webs, chains) Geography (waste reduction)