Food systems – Page 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.

Cafeteria to Compost Cycle

OBJECTIVE Students will understand what happens to our unwanted food when it leaves the cafeteria Students will understand the difference between things that are compostable and non-compostable. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What is waste? How do we create and manage food waste? What is compost? MATERIALS NEEDED PROCEDURE Set up the 3 compost buckets with hand shovels […]

Grade levels Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Food systems

Build a Landfill

OBJECTIVE Students will understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic Students will compare the environmental impacts of landfills versus composting 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 soda bottles, etc.) with tight lids.Soil, food scraps, whiteboard or […]

Grade levels 3-5

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Food systems, Soil

Adaptation and Domestication Game

OBJECTIVE Students will learn that plants and animals have behaviors and structures that increase their chance to survive and reproduceStudents will learn the difference between natural selection and 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 […]

Grade levels 3-5, 6-8

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Food systems

Curriculum Toolkit

Cafeteria to Compost Cycle

Build a Landfill

Adaptation and Domestication Game