Ripe for Change: Garden-Based Learning in Schools takes a big-picture view of the school garden movement and the state of garden-based learning in public K–8 education. The book frames the garden movement for educators and shows how school gardens have the potential to be a significant resource for teaching and learning. In this inviting and accessible book, the author:
- Summarizes the current school gardening movement and the emerging field of garden-based learning
- Provides an overview of the origins, benefits, and barriers to school gardening
- Explores sustainable models for garden-based learning
- Includes five case studies of successful partnerships between urban districts and nonprofit school gardening organizations around the country Illustrates how gardens can be used for integrating academic lessons aligned with the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards
- Includes examples of important tools available for assessing the impact of school gardens
Ripe for Change reveals a wealth of resources to show how garden-based learning is being implemented in a systematic way in public education, and offers next steps to widen and deepen the practice to reach children in all schools.
Innehållsförteckning
CONTENTS
Foreward
by David Sobel vii
INTRODUCTION
Garden-Based Learning for a Changing World 1
CHAPTER 1
The Origins and Benefits of School Gardening 13
CHAPTER 2
What Learning Looks Like in the Garden: Making Connections Across Subjects and Grade Levels 25
CHAPTER 3
Barriers to Integrating Gardens in Schools 39
CHAPTER 4
Five Models for Garden-Based Learning 47
- Boston Schoolyard Initiative, Boston, Massachusetts 48
- REAL School Gardens, North Texas 56
- City Sprouts, Cambridge, Massachusetts 63
- Education Outside, San Francisco, California 70
- OSSE School Garden Program, Washington, DC 75
Lessons for Districtwide Garden Programs 81
CHAPTER 6
Policy and the Future of Garden-Based Learning 93
Chapter 7
Ripe for Change: Three Things Educators Can Do and Three Lessons They Can Apply 107
APPENDIX A
Sample Teacher Usage Surveys 123
APPENDIX B
Cambridge Public Schools Curriculum Connections 131
APPENDIX C
OSSE School Garden Assessment Template 133
Resources 139
Notes 141
Acknowledgments 147
About the Author 149
Index 151
Om författaren
Jane S. Hirschi is the founding director of City Sprouts, a school garden program that started in two Cambridge, Massachusetts, public schools in 2001 and now operates in twenty public schools in Cambridge and Boston.
Ms. Hirschi is a vocal champion for school gardens, particularly the need for garden-based learning in low-resourced, urban schools. She has spoken to and written for—audiences as diverse as the business community, public school educators, parents, and children. She’s planted a lot of gardens in her life, mostly small ones, and maintained a compost bin wherever she’s lived. She now resides with her husband and two daughters in Cambridge.