Grand Ridge Learning Garden

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Grand Ridge Learning Garden
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Our Grand Ridge EE Team Becky Rappin-4th
grade Emily Lee-3rd grade Renee DeTolla-3rd
grade Erica Johnson-2nd grade Teresa Cowan-parent
and community member Barb Walton-Principal Contri
butors to Grant Process Anne Coxon-Program
Assistant Kris Coleman PE Nona Wright 4th
grade
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Goal

• Create an outdoor multi-disciplinary classroom
  habitat that becomes a progressive K-5 learning
  experience, aligned with state standards and
  integrated into the ISD curriculum, for all
  present and future Grand Ridge students.

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Sustaining Long-Term Engagement in the Grand
Ridge Learning Garden
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Teachers

• Develop multi-disciplinary lesson plan binder for
  each grade level and integrate lessons into
  already existing ISD curriculum and align with
  state standards.
• EE Learning Team will expand to a school wide
  building committee and continue our involvement
  on the district EE Committee.
• Create a Garden Docent program through PTSA.
• Bring in Master Gardeners to share expertise with
  classrooms.
• Garden tips at staff meetings.
• Register as part of the School Garden Registry.
• Have the buy in of current staff.

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Students

• Establish Weed Warriors recess club.
• Grizzly Club Child Care will look after garden
  over the summer.
• Provide opportunities for students to correspond
  with students in other schools via the online
  registry.
• Build the garden into the structure of activities
  for GR Student Council.
• Encourage student ownership by involving them in
  the cycle of planning, design, planting, and
  maintenance.

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Parents

• Grand Ridge families can adopt a bed to care for
  over the summer.
• Create traditions around the garden.- (i.e..
  Harvest Day, Planting Day, Clean Up Day, Poetry
  Readings, Student Presentations, Arbor Day)
• Make the Learning Garden the centerpiece of the
  Grand Ridge campus.
• Identify the garden as a line item in PTSA
  budget.
• Add additional parents to the EE Learning Team.
• Garden happenings will be posted in central
  location and in E-News.

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Community Engagement

• Highlands Garden Club involvement
• Teresa Cowan is a member of GR EE Team
• T.K. Panni Garden Club Chair providing in-kind
  services
• Members will provide man power for work parties.
• Full community access to garden promotes
  ownership.
• GR Garden is a natural extension of Issaquah
  Highlands Community Pea Patch and the
  Highlands is a Green Community.
• Sarah Hager, editor of the Issaquah Highlands
  Connections Paper will publish monthly articles
  on about the garden.

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School District

• Installation of an automatic sprinkler system
  will insure year round watering.
• Develop an Issaquah Food Service / EE Team
  relationship to become a composting school.

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Garden Location
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Benefits to Students

• Improves student learning across the curriculum.
• Builds cooperative and social skills, as well as
  self sufficiency.
• Promotes good health.
• Cultivates citizenship.

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Improves Student Learning Across the
Curriculum

• Provides
• opportunities to explore and solve real-world
  problems
• active and engaging connections to academics
• for interactive hands-on exploration and minds-on
  application of skills
• opportunities for differentiated instruction to
  address all learning styles
• activities that allow students to make personal
  sense of the physical world

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Student Learning (cont.)

• Provides
• for the use and application of knowledge and
  learned skills to new situations
• lessons in interdependency
• purpose, meaning, and relevance to learning
  through authentic tasks
• for the development of problem solving and higher
  order thinking skills
• an avenue to connect ideas and skills across
  topic areas and grade levels

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Builds Cooperative and Social Skills

• Teaches self sufficiency and improves self esteem
  and self worth.
• Offers an opportunity to use interpersonal skills
  and strategies to work cooperatively and solve
  problems.
• Fosters patience and responsibility.
• Gives students a feeling of accomplishment.
• Provides for leadership opportunities.
• Encourages the use of effective communication.

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Promotes Good Health

• Increases physical activity through gardening.
• Promotes good nutrition.
• Develops an understanding of delayed
  gratification.

Cultivates Citizenship

• Builds a sense of community.
• Nurtures environmental values.
• Fosters civic virtues.

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Meets State Standards

• Science
• Communication
• Social Studies
• Writing
• Health
• Math

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Science

• Science EALR 1. Systems The student knows and
  applies scientific concepts and principles to
  understand the properties, structures and changes
  in living systems.
• Science EALR 2. Inquiry The student knows and
  applies the scientific ideas, skills, processes
  of investigation, and the nature of science.
• Science EALR 3. Application Student knows and
  applies science ideas and inquiry to design and
  analyze solutions to human problems in societal
  contexts.

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Communication

• Communication 1.1. Uses listening and
  observation skills and strategies to focus
  attention and interpret information.
• Communication 1.2. Understands, analyzes,
  synthesizes, or evaluates information from a
  variety of sources.
• Communication 2.1. Uses language to interact
  effectively and responsibly in a multicultural
  context.
• Communication 2.2.2. Uses interpersonal skills
  and strategies in a multicultural context to work
  collaboratively, solve problems, and perform
  tasks.

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Social Studies

• Social Studies EALR Geography 3.3.2. Understands
  the interactions between humans and environments.

Writing

• Writing EALR 2. Students write in a variety of
  forms for different audiences and purposes.

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Health

• Health EALR 1.4.1.b. Recognize the benefits of
  movement, fitness, and nutrition.
• Health EALR 2.1.1.c. Describe the influence of
  nutrition on health and development.
• Health EALR 3.3 Use social skills to promote
  health and safety in a variety of situations.
• Health EALR 3.4.1.a. Express emotions in healthy
  ways and form safe and respectful relationships.

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Math

• Math EALR 1. Understands and applies concepts and
  procedures 1.1 Number Sense, 1.2 Measurement, and
  1.3 Geometric Sense.
• Math EALR 2. Use mathematics to define and solve
  problems.
• Math EALR 3. Student uses mathematical reasoning.
• Math EALR 5. Students understand how mathematical
  ideas connect within mathematics, to other
  subject areas, and to real-life situations.

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Evaluate Project

• We will measure success the first year with these
• landmarks
• The garden is up and running within one year of
  grant being awarded.
• A Garden Calendar is created and kept in a
  central location.
• Garden calendar records that every class has
  visited the developing
• garden within the 08-09 school.
• We can document parent and community support.
• The garden is a line item in the PTSA budget.
• A lesson plan binder for each grade level has
  been created.
• Grade level designs are complete.
• A Garden Scrapbook is created.
• A survey has been created and given to students
  and teachers.

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Acknowledge ISF

• Acknowledgment
• at the opening dedication event.
• in the Issaquah Highlands Connections and the
  Issaquah Press.
• in Grand Ridge E-News.
• in classroom newsletters.
• in all Garden communications.
• in the Learning Garden itself.

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Research

• State Education and Environment Roundtable
  exploratory study indicates that integrated
  environment into curriculum showed improvement in
  standardized test scores.
• Texas AM Study shows that intermediate students
  who participated in school garden-based learning
  activities scored significantly higher on science
  achievement tests
• Virginia Tech study behavior improves when
  garden is learning setting
• Richard Louv, sites research supporting direct
  exposure to nature as being fundamental to a
  childs physical and emotional health, and
  creates a strong case for nature as a classroom
  for real world learning.
• Texas A M study showed participating in school
  gardening activities showed improved attitudes
  toward fruits and vegetables.

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Ask the Students
A child mind is like a new seedling waiting to be
nourished.