Salina Elementary School has a student body where 90% of students are English-language learners. As part of their approach to create a welcoming and engaging school environment for their students, Salina started a school garden three years ago to provide their students with an enriching opportunity for hands-on learning. Through the school garden, students learn about different fruits and vegetables, how to prepare garden beds, how to plant seeds, and how to care for the garden. Additionally, students observe the plant growth, draw diagrams of the plants, and learn about and label the different parts of the plants. When the garden is ready to harvest, the children do the harvesting and then get to eat the food they have grown.
Check out the PowerPoint below for ideas on how you can implement and approach a school garden as a hands-on learning project at your school. Also, check out the links below to learn more about Salina Elementary's approach to hands-on learning as well as how you can support ELL's success with STEAM.
