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Indigenous Garden

Elementary

Description

Indigenous Garden is a Science-based resource that helps students to explore the needs of plants and animals while respecting indigenous beliefs and traditions.

The lesson begins with a nature walk during which the students take note of all of the plants and animals they see. Next, a presentation is shared with the students that focuses on indigenous plants and animals. It ends with the students learning about the importance of indigenous plants and animals to First Nations people.

As a culminating activity students design their own garden with three indigenous plants and three indigenous animals and explain the reason for their choices.

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

The resource focuses on developing an awareness of the importance of indigenous plants.  Skills are not explicitly taught.

Strengths

  • excellent tools for the teacher to use and engage students
  • novel activities with extension ideas included

Weaknesses

  • lack of assessment suggestions
  • lack of suggestions for learners who may struggle with the material

Recommendation of how and where to use it

Indigenous Garden is a resource best suited for the early elementary Science classroom.  It will help to attain the outcomes related to plants, animals and ecosystems. As some of the activities are meant to occur outdoors, the resource would be best used in the fall or spring. Additional extension activities could include mapping the garden to integrate numeracy, and writing a description of the garden and justifying their plant choices to provide a literacy component.

Relevant Curriculum Units

The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.

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  • Alberta
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        • Earth Systems: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened by investigating natural systems and their interactions.
        • Living Systems: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened by investigating natural systems and their interactions.
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        • Living Systems: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened by investigating natural systems and their interactions
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        • Science 1: Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment
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        • Science 3: Living things are diverse, can be grouped, and interact in their ecosystems
  • Manitoba
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        • Characteristics and Needs of Living Things
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        • Life Science: Growth and Changes in Animals
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        • Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Plants
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  • Nova Scotia
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        • Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Plants
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        • Needs & Characteristics of Living Things
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        • Animal Growth and Changes
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Plant Growth and Changes
  • Yukon Territory
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        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 1: Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment
    • Grade 2
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 2: Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment
    • Grade 3
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 3: Living things are diverse, can be grouped, and interact in their ecosystems

Themes Addressed

Ecosystems (3)

  • Appreciating the Natural World
  • Bioregionalism
  • Interdependence

Food & Agriculture (1)

  • Local Food

Indigenous Knowledge (1)

  • TEK -- Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Land Use & Natural Resources (1)

  • Planting Native Species

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Very Good

The students are presented with information on the importance of plants and animals to Indigenous people. The resource shares the information in an open and factual manner.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Good

The environmental and social dimensions of the importance of plants and animals to the Indigenous peoples are explained through the presentation of the slideshow. The economic dimension is not explored.

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Very Good

For the intended grade level of the resource this lesson plan does an excellent job of exploring the topic in an easy to understand manner with teacher resources that are suitable and engaging.

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Good

The students demonstrate their awareness and learning through the design of their garden.  A suggested extension activity is to make a model as well.  The teacher could also plant an actual garden based on the students' designs.

Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Good

The students are given the opportunity to express their beliefs and understanding of the information presented through the garden they create.

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Very Good

This resource helps to develop an appreciation of Indigenous beliefs and of their connectedness to the land.

Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Very Good

The resource creates an awareness of the importance of Indigenous plants and animals which fosters an appreciation for the environment.  With the addition of the walk outdoors at the beginning of the lesson, the resource creates a better connection to nature for the students.

Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Very Good

The lesson plan begins with the students exploring nature in the area around their school in addition to learning about Indigenous plants and animals in their area. This makes the information they are learning more relevant to their everyday lives.

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Poor/Not considered

Due to the target age group and the nature of the material, the resource does not include this aspect of learning. This does not deter from the strength of the resource.

Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Very Good

Students have the freedom to choose their own garden design in the culminating activity. 

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Visual Arts
Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Good

The students are free to explore the ideas presented and then use the information they have learned to create and model their own Indigenous garden.

Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Good

The activities in the lesson plan are well suited for a variety of learning styles. There are no suggestions for students who may struggle with the material.

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Good

The design of the garden activity gives the students the ability to have real world experience. 

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Poor/Not considered

The lesson plan does not indicate how the work should be completed; this leaves flexibility for the teacher to decide if it should be completed individually or in a group.

Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Poor/Not considered

There are no tools for assessment provided, although the students' garden designs could be collected to ascertain their understanding.

Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Poor/Not considered

The lesson does not include peer teaching.

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Poor/Not considered

The lesson is not structured for learning from case studies.

Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Satisfactory

As this lesson is intended for younger students there is a limit to the choices available.

Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.

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