LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

Your Name: Libby Tarr

Title of Lesson: What makes food organic?
Grade: 4th

STANDARDS
(Science Concept 3 PO 1) Describe ways various resources (e.g. air, water, plants,
animals, soil) are utilized to meet the needs of a population.

LESSON SUMMARY/OVERVIEW
This lesson is intended for students to get a good understand of how important local farming is
for us, the environment, and the local economy. Students will create their own class garden and
tend to it throughout the school year. Students will be able to grow their own food and eat their
own food as well as watch it grow. Students will understand how important healthy food is for
their bodies and for the future.

OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to plant their own class garden and complete a worksheet describing
how and why planting their own garden can be beneficial to the environment and bodies.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
At the end of the lesson, each student will have helped plant seeds or plants in our class
garden and describe how and why this is beneficial for creating a sustainable
environment and giving our bodies the right nutrients with 100% accuracy. Students will
be graded on their knowledge of the content based on the class worksheet and
participation.
PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE
Students will be able to know how to plant seeds/plants.
Students will be able to know what resources the seeds/plants need to thrive and grow.
Students will be able to know what resources plants/food provides humans.
Students will be able to know the benefits of local farming.
MATERIALS
Pens/pencils
Class worksheet
Large wooden box used as a planter
Nutrient dense soil
Various veggie/fruit seeds and plants
Water
Small shovels
VOCABULARY/KEY WORDS
Organic
Gardening
Resources
Population
Farming

TEACHING PROCEDURES
OPENING/ANTICIPATORY SET (5 minutes)
1. Begin this lesson by asking the students if they know what the difference between
organic and conventional farming is. Let the students think about it for a minute and
discuss the meaning of organic farming and why it is important.
INSTRUCTIONAL INPUT (10 minutes)
1. Connect the idea of organic farming with what a garden needs to survive and thrive.
2. Have the students make a list on the board of what plants need to grow
Water
Nutrients
Sunlight, etc.
3. Next, have the students think about what people need to survive and make another list
on the board.
Food
Water
Rest, etc.
4. After these lists are made, have students think back to the importance of nutrition and
what we have been discussing all week.
5. Ask the students these questions and have them respond in a class discussion:
Why would organic farming be important for us and the environment?
How would you take care of an organic garden?
What things could we plant to make our classroom more sustainable?
Why is organic farming important for the future?
GUIDED PRACTICE (45 minutes)
1. Teacher will explain to the class that we are going to be making our own organic,
healthy, and sustainable garden!
2. The teacher will break the students up into 4 different groups and head outside:
Soil group
Plant group
Seed group
Water group
3. The teacher will have the soil group pour the soil into the wooden garden box.
4. Next the teacher will instruct the plant group to each pick up a plant and plant it into
the garden.
5. The seed group will go next, planting their seeds.
6. Finally, the water group will go around the garden carefully watering the new plants.
7. The teacher will explain the process out loud to the students as they are planting their
garden.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE (15 minutes)
1. The class will then head inside and complete the worksheet.

RESOURCES

No resources were used for this activity.

WAYS OF THINKING CONNECTION
This lesson connects to futures thinking because the students are analyzing how and why organic
farming is important for right now and in the future. The students will have a good understanding
of why organic farming is sustainable and needed to help make food production and
consumption more sustainable in the future. Students have to reflect and discuss this in the
instructional input section of the lesson.