9-12 – Page 2 – 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.

Garden Genetics

OBJECTIVE Students will understand the process of selective breeding. Students will identify desirable traits in different varieties of crops and explore their role as plant breeders. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Where do seeds come from? How do our food choices affect the world around us? MATERIALS NEEDED Several different tomato varieties (eg. Green Zebra, Amish Paste, Peach, […]

Grade levels 6-8, 9-12

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Gardens

Cover Crop in the Garden

OBJECTIVE Students understand the role of plant matter and microorganisms in building healthy soil. Students are able to plant a cover crop ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS How can we build soil? MATERIALS NEEDED Legume plant with roots and nodes Cover crop seed Cover crop PowerPoint PROCEDURE Introduction: You guys are newly in charge of a bed in […]

Grade levels 6-8, 9-12

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Soil

Crop Planning

OBJECTIVE Students will be able to determine what seeds need and plan a garden ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS How do seeds grow? Why is it important to know where our seeds come from? What do seeds need? How can we make change through our food system MATERIALS NEEDED Seed packets. Approx. 30 different crops.Index cardsCrop plan template […]

Grade levels 9-12

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Gardens

Plant Reproduction

MA CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS 8.MS-LS3-1 8.MS-LS3-2 OBJECTIVE To observe sexual and asexual plant reproduction by saving seeds (sexual) and cloning succulents (asexual) ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS How do plants reproduce sexually?How do plants reproduce asexually?How can humans intervene in plant reproduction to manipulate plant genetics? MATERIALS NEEDED Asexual reproduction:Succulent plants / geraniums / begonias or cuttings donated from […]

Grade levels 6-8, 9-12

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Seeds

Curriculum Toolkit

Garden Genetics

Cover Crop in the Garden

Crop Planning

Plant Reproduction

Foraging