At present my class is engaged in an on-going project with gardens inside and outside the school grounds. They have chosen several questions for science fair relating to plant growth. All of these projects have to do with gardens in an urban environment. We have an empty lot next to the school with boxes full of soil where we have been planting vegetables and flowers for the last five years. To do this students will have to use the scientific method by asking questions and laying out hypothesis that will have to be tested. Would a plant grow faster with top water or with water from the supermarket? Beginning with simple questions is a good way to encourage students to have fun and continue working in their scientific inquiry into more complex questions. Because of all this, writing the curriculum unit will help to focus on the scientific aspects of the growth of plants. A deeper understanding of photosynthesis will bring new vistas in the classroom for students to explore and experiment. This would also bring more opportunities for students to themes in social studies and mathematics. Writing and reading are essential elements of the curriculum. In this sense science becomes a vehicle for the practice of expository writing.
In the last few weeks my classroom, in conjunction with two other classrooms, has been working on the exploration of photosynthesis in the classroom. We have a light and a platform where we grow different kinds of plants. We have vegetables and tropical plants. Students have been working on potting several shoots and growths of plants into pots to take them home to build their own gardens and to increase the plant population in the school grounds. Some students have grown avocado trees. They took them home and they tell me that they are very healthy. Many spider plants have grown shoots that students planted and gave away to other students. This process of giving and growing gives students the ability to understand the steps and force of nature in an urban environment. The growth of plants indoors is a bit different than the growth of plants outdoors. During these experiments with plants, it is important for students to visit the several gardens and community green houses in the area (see,
Field Trips
). Also the Peabody Museum has an array of displays related to the history and the ecology of the area from which students could benefit.
Soil (Backyard Composting, 1995)
All the soil needed for planting the shoots of the various plants in the building is prepared by the work of the students. They have been working on composting since the beginning of the school year. We have several boxes outside the school where we put all the organic materials from lunch. This is a fine soil in high esteem by students. We also have larger containers in out garden across the street from the school. This is the lot at our Sylvan Avenue garden. This garden has been working for about six years. We have plenty of composting soil there. Students go there with plastic bags and bring the fresh soil into two of the boxes outside the school. From this site we take the soil and use it for plants inside the building. There is a cycle in this adventure. This is a cycle of life of plants in an urban environment. It is important to note that a school has to create a healthy relationship with the community in order for the gardens flourish and the boxes to be safe. We have a special relationship with the New Haven Land Trust. This organization provides us with tools, fresh soil, seeds, plants and human power to keep our photosynthetic enterprise in good shape. In this way what we learn in the community and in the classroom come together in our gardens.
Our next project is to plant orchids indoors in a little garden inside the school. This used to be our butterfly garden a couple of years ago. Today this is going to be our beautiful orchid patch. The butterfly garden of the school is now at Orchard Street. There, we have a collection of specialized plants that attract butterflies of different species. The plants were about a foot tall three years ago; now they are about ten feet tall. There are many species of butterflies coming after the nectar. We are planning to expand around the school. May be, eventually, we might call it the Butterfly School.
In all we are very busy and happy to see that spring is here. Even when a little bit of snow might have damaged the tips of the young shoots and growths, the future is full of surprises for all of us, specially for kids of the inner city where butterflies and ladybugs come only when we put with our hands a little bit of knowledge and love in the soil.