Introduction

"Kids, please, go play in the dirt!" Most of us longed to hear those words when we were young. It's not too late, for you or your students! Here's a chance for you to "play" in the dirt together, and gain valuable knowledge, skills and experiences.

Agriculture is crucial to all societies, yet most middle school students have few opportunities to learn about it, beyond its origin in the Fertile Crescent. Most U. S. students attend urban or suburban schools, isolated from agriculture. Many students have no idea what a potato, tomato, bean or pea plant looks like, let alone what is needed to sustain it. Ironically, many of these students are descendants of immigrants who brought with them and cultivated old country plants, which gave some comfort in a foreign land and have contributed to contemporary America’s menu and landscape.

Student engagement with agriculture and gardening can not only fill a knowledge gap but also tap in to the affective domain regarding enjoyment, fulfillment, ethics and aesthetics. Students can get involved in community gardens, or collaboratively plan, plant, and cultivate a school garden, indoors, or out. Successful school garden coordinators attest collaboration is a key. Parents, administrators, students and other teachers can help in providing both tools and labor when needed.

In school gardening, students will discover relationships between biotic and abiotic factors, the role of cycles such as water, carbon and nitrogen, variables in plant productivity and how best to control them, data collection and dissemination techniques, and uncertainty in scientific investigations. Produce can serve as a springboard for studies in nutrition, cooking, economics, or community service via donation to a soup kitchen, for example. School gardening offers abundant opportunities for authentic learning and assessment.

This e-publication provides ideas and resources for integrating science and technology in studies of agriculture and gardening. Some related careers are also highlighted. It provides guidance regarding questions such as: What, and how, can students learn from gardening? How can gardening be accomplished in urban or suburban sites? What technologies enable agriculture and home gardening? What are the underlying science principles of these technologies? What is the economic impact of agriculture and home gardening? For a reference that integrates gardening with business education, you might be interested in this publication from the National Gardening Association:  Growing Ventures: Starting a School Garden Business.

Suggested activities address National Science Education Standards for Science as Inquiry, Teaching, and Content.

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by Mary LeFever

Mary LeFever is a resource specialist for the Middle School Portal, and a doctoral candidate in science education at Ohio State University. She has taught middle school and high school science and is an adjunct instructor of biology and natural sciences at Columbus State Community College. Please email any comments to msp@msteacher.org.

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Copyright May 2007 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.