3-5 – Page 11 – 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.

Eating a Rainbow Unit

MA CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS 2-PS1-1 OBJECTIVE Students will know that eating a variety of colors, and therefore fruits and vegetables, gives their bodies a variety of nutrients. Students will understand that a variety of foods provide for the unique needs of each of the systems in our bodies. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Why do we eat food? Why […]

Grade levels 3-5, Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Health & Wellness

Island Grown Schools topics Healthy Eating

Dilly Beans

OBJECTIVE Students will understand the concept of preserving food to make it last longer ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS How do we use plants from the garden? How can we make the food from our garden last longer? MATERIALS NEEDED String beans (stems removed), half pint jars with lids, fresh dill, peeled garlic cloves (optional), pre-made pickling brine […]

Grade levels 3-5, Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects

Island Grown Schools topics Healthy Eating

Build a Landfill

MA CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS 3-LS4-3, Can be expanded to 5-ESS3-1, 5-LS2-1,2 OBJECTIVE Students will understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic and will understand the environmental impact of landfills versus landfills ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Why should we compost food waste instead of throwingit away? MATERIALS NEEDED One 5-gal bucket with a lid, or 10-12 plastic containers(Tupperware, large […]

Grade levels 3-5

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Food systems, Soil

Adaptation and Domestication Game

MA CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS 7-MS-LS1-4 OBJECTIVE Understand that plants and animals have behaviors and structures that increase their chance to survive and reproduceUnderstand Natural v. artificial selection ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS How are characteristics of plants and animals passed down? How do animals and plants help to ensure their survival? What is natural selection and how does it […]

Grade levels 3-5, 6-8

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Food systems

Preschool: Exploration, Observation, Wonder

MA CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore OBJECTIVE Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What are our favorite fruits and vegetables?Which foods help our bodies be strong?How do seeds grow?What do seeds grow […]

Grade levels 3-5, Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Math

Island Grown Schools topics Seeds

Curriculum Toolkit

Eating a Rainbow Unit

Dilly Beans

Build a Landfill

Adaptation and Domestication Game

Preschool: Exploration, Observation, Wonder