Garden Lesson Plan: Food and Carbon

• This two-part unit plan uses the 5-E model to teach students about the carbon cycle, climate change, and sourcing food locally. 
• Students will evaluate how locally grown food may have a smaller carbon footprint than grocery store food, grow food to measure their own garden's CO2 offset, and measure the amount of food grown to evaluate the effectiveness of their local garden.

Positives

• There is a clear guide for teachers that outlines the steps and resources required to undertake the lessons.
• Vocabulary terms are included, which can be pre-taught to students.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• Students need to have computer and Internet access for each group.
  
• A school garden or local community garden is required for this lesson.
  
• Students should have a basic understanding of the carbon cycle and greenhouse gases.
  

Differentiation

• Student questions and resources can be displayed using a variety of formats to support different student abilities or learning styles.
  
• The Extend section in the lesson provides multiple avenues for students to further research and extend their own knowledge and learning.
• This is a great opportunity to take a field trip to a local garden or sustainable/regenerative/organic farm in your area to expand the lesson. If you do not have a garden at your school, students could use this lesson as inspiration to propose a school garden to their principal or student government representatives.