Marigold/Cempasuchil
OBJECTIVE
Students will understand a common garden plant (Marigold) and its importance in Mexico.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Where do Marigolds come from? How are they used?
MATERIALS NEEDED
Cut Marigold flowers
Marigold seed pods for seed saving or already separated seed to pass out (time dependent)
Coin envelopes or paper to make origami seed packets
Seed planting instruction cards
Xochitl & Huitzilin story & coloring page
Colored pencils
Marigold slideshow with teacher notes
PROCEDURE
Introduction: Hold up or pass around the Marigold flowers. Ask students if they’ve seen them before. They are common in many household gardens. Does anyone know what they are called? Cempasuchil is the Nahuatl word for it. (pronounced sempa-soo-sheel. Cempa= 20 or many petaled. Suchil= flower).
Activity:
Go through slideshow and discuss the history of this flower in Mexico. Time time for questions and discussion.
Tell the story of the origin of Cempasuchil, Xochitl and Huitzilin.
If you’d like to seed save with the class, students can find the seeds and separate them from the pod while you tell the story. If there is not enough time, you can hand out Marigold seeds at the end of the story. Have students decorate their seed packets and hand out a pinch of seed to each student. Attach growing instructions.
Pass out coloring page for students who finish early.
Wrap Up:
Students take home packet with growing instructions.
Extension: Connect with other lessons about important crops of Mexico.