Seeds to Plate
Seeds to Plate, based out of LAUSD's Mark Twain Middle School in Mar Vista, California, believes that school garden programs foster a deep understanding of academic subjects by connecting traditional content areas to the natural world. This academically integrated curriculum was created for sixth to eighth graders using the California Common Core, Next Generation Science, and California Health Standards by experienced educators and master gardeners. The curriculum includes over 90 lessons, most of which have been piloted multiple times, in all content areas, including: History, English Language Arts, Science, Mathematics, Health, Nutrition/Food Literacy, Water and Sustainability, Seasonal and Multicultural topics, and Art.
While these lesson were created for middle school students, many can easily be adapted to teach any beginner gardeners, regardless of age. Furthermore, a full school garden is not necessary to use this curriculum. Lessons can be adapted for use with minimal resources. This currciulum can be useful for any educator looking to connect their classroom to the natural world.
