3-5 – Island Grown Schools

Curriculum Toolkit
Over the years, we have honed in on priority curricular units for every grade level, preschool through 12th grade, that build on each other and provide a meaningful food education for the students we work with.
This Toolkit is the compilation of these units, along with their related teaching standards and sequence. We are constantly adding to this site, so please check in again soon for updates.

We designed this curriculum framework to help our students grasp the following key concepts by the time they graduate from High School:

Feel confident in making healthy food choices

Appreciate the farming profession

Know that everyone can grow food

Understand the connection between healthy soil, healthy plants and healthy people

Recognize a regenerative, local food system is inclusive and promotes a healthy ecosystem.

Herb Valentine

OBJECTIVE Students will be able to write three details about an herb of their choice ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS MATERIALS PROCEDURE Introduction: Tell students that with Valentine’s Day coming up, we are going to write a love letter to the herbs we have been studying. We have to show the plants love, too! Brainstorm with students a […]

Grade levels 3-5

Core curriculum subjects English Language, Health & Wellness

Island Grown Schools topics Healthy Eating

Maple Syrup Celebration

OBJECTIVE Students will be able to identify maple syrup as one form of sugar/sweetener that is locally available Students will be able to describe the physical change of pancake batter and butter Students will be able to discuss how the we applied principles of the honorable harvest while sugaring ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What food comes from […]

Grade levels 3-5

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Farms

Tapping A Maple Tree

OBJECTIVE Students will tap a maple tree with adult support Students will be able to identify how many taps to place on a maple tree by measuring its circumference Students will estimate when the sap will run based on weather temperatures ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What food comes from trees? How do you make maple syrup? MATERIALS […]

Grade levels 3-5

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Farms

Maple Sugaring Introduction

OBJECTIVE Students will know we get maple syrup from maple trees Students will be able to identify red maples, Norway maples and sugar maples ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What food comes from trees? How do you make maple syrup? MATERIALS PROCEDURE Introduction: Ask students, “What do you like to eat with maple syrup?” Then ask, “Do you […]

Grade levels 3-5

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Farms

Growing Microgreens

OBJECTIVE Students will be able identify what plants need to grow Students will grow Microgreens ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What do plants need to grow? What kind of farms are there? What plants do we eat? MATERIALS PROCEDURE Introduction: Each group will be able to plant their microgreens in the place that they think will grow the […]

Grade levels 3-5, 6-8

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Food & People, Healthy Eating

Pest and Pollinator Game

OBJECTIVE Students will be able to name common garden pests Students will be able to name common pollinators Students will be able to name characteristics of insects ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Why is it beneficial to have pollinators in a garden/on a farm? How can the practices a farmer uses help or hurt insects on their farm? […]

Grade levels 3-5, Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Health & Wellness, Science

Island Grown Schools topics Farms, Gardens

Curriculum Toolkit

Herb Valentine

Maple Syrup Celebration

Tapping A Maple Tree

Maple Sugaring Introduction

Growing Microgreens

Pest and Pollinator Game