Flagstaff School Gardens Curriculum

Flagstaff Foodlink’s School Gardens curriculum was created in 2011-2012, made possible with support from the Flagstaff Community Foundation and individual donors. A special thanks to Kirsten Novo and Jessica McGrath who worked tirelessly on the development of this wonderful curriculum and to others who have worked to ensure that it is used!

Our school gardening curriculum is free for you to download and use.

Full curriculum download (ZIP File, 315MB)

Curriculum Introduction

Elementary School Curriculum

Kindergarten

Unit 1: Plants are Life

• Lesson 1A & 1B: Living vs Non-Living Things & Life Cycles of Plants

  • Appendix KA: Plant sequencing worksheet

• Lesson 2: Plant Parts

• Lesson 3: The Hidden Life of Plants: Seeds!

  • Appendix KB: Prediction chart

Unit 2: Plant Detectives

• Lesson 1: Plant Needs, Sunlight

  • Appendix KC: Moustaches

  • Appendix KD: Observation sheets

• Lesson 2: Plant Needs, Water

  • Appendix KE: Water Observation sheets

  • Appendix KF: Water labels

• Lesson 3: Mystery Gardens

  • Appendix KG: Mystery Seeds

  • Appendix KH: Mystery Labels

  • Appendix KI: Seedling Growth Diagrams

First Grade

Unit 1: Food Webs

• Lesson 1: Who’s Top Dog?

  • Appendix 1A: Web of Life Animal and Plant Cards

  • Appendix 1B: Illustrated Vocabulary

• Lesson 2: There’s No Waste in Nature

Unit 2: Growing Corn

• Lesson 1: The History of Corn

  • Appendix 1C: Corn Diagrams and Vocabulary

  • Appendix 1D: Corn Icons

• Lesson 2: Carlos and the Cornfield

  • Appendix 1E: Spanish Corn Vocabulary

  • Appendix 1F: Experiment Sheets

Second Grade

Unit 1: All About Bees!

• Lesson 1: Life Cycle of Bees and Pollination

• Lesson 2: Dancing with the Bees

  • Appendix 2A: The Haagen-Daz ® Bee Book

  • Appendix 2B: Dancing Bee Map

Unit 2: Clouds

• Lesson 1: Making Clouds

  • Appendix 2C: Water Droplet Estimation

  • Appendix 2D: Rain Drop Template

  • Appendix 2E: Cloud Formation Observation

• Lesson 2: Don’t Wish the Clouds Away!

  • Appendix 2F: Cloudiness Graphing Activity

  • Appendix 2G: Rain, Rain... Lyrics Activity

Third Grade

Unit 1: Are Two Crops Better Than One?

• Lesson 1: Monocropping vs Diversified Planting Techniques

  • Appendix 3A: Pictures of Ecosystems

  • Appendix 3B: Pictures of Student Vermont Land

  • Appendix 3C: Pictures of Monocropping and Diversified Practices

  • Appendix 3D: Simulation Scenario Cards

• Lesson 2: Companion Planting

  • Appendix 3E: Companion Plant Info Cards

  • Appendix 3F: Plant Interview

Unit 2: Seeds: The Record-Keepers

• Lesson 1: Heirloom Seeds

  • Appendix 3G: Crop Icons for Map

  • Appendix 3H: World Map

  • Appendix 3I: Old World and New World Answer Cards

• Lesson 2: Pollination and Hybrid Seeds

  • Appendix 3J: Flower Parts

  • Appendix 3K: Egg Inserts

Fourth Grade

Unit 1: Sustainable Gardening in Arizona

• Lesson 1: Arid Arizona

  • Appendix 4A: Arizona Water Map

  • Appendix 4B: Arizona Master Water Map

• Lesson 2: Conventional vs Dry Farming

  • Appendix 4C: Comparison Farming Pictures

  • Appendix 4D: Dry Farming Experiment Sheet

Unit 2: Water You Doing in the Garden

• Lesson 1: Water Catchment Systems

• Lesson 2: Irrigation Systems

Fifth Grade

Unit 1: Back to the Earth

• Lesson 1: Composting

  • Appendix 5A: Compost Experiment Sheet

• Lesson 2: What’s Your Soil?

  • Appendix 5B: Soil Testing Worksheet

Unit 2: Cultural Gardens

• Lesson 1: Three Sisters Garden

  • Appendix 5C: The Haudenosaunee

  • Appendix 5D: The Settlement of Jamestown

  • Appendix 5E: Feeding Body and Soul Worksheet

• Lesson 2: The Industrial Revolution’s Impact on Agricultural Methods

  • Appendix 5F: Agricultural Implements Worksheet

Sixth Grade

Unit 1: Pollination

• Lesson 1: “If Not For the Pollinators”

  • Appendix 6A: Pollinator Syndromes

  • Appendix 6B: The Parts of a Flower

• Lesson 2: “Bee Hunt”

Unit 2: From Farm to Fridge

• Lesson 1: Eating with the Seasons

• Lesson 2: Designing Your Own Farm

  • Appendix 6C: Whipstone Farm Profile

  • Appendix 6D: Whipstone Crop List

  • Appendix 6E: Whipstone Map

High School Curriculum

Fall Semester 1

• Place Unit (.doc)

Spring Semester 1

• Agriculture Unit (.doc)

• The Faces of Agriculture (.pptx)

• Flag Food (.pptx)

Fall Semester 2

• Soil Introduction (.pptx)

• Soil Unit (.doc)

Spring Semester 2

• Permaculture Design Principles (.pptx)

• Permaculture Unit (.doc)

Fall Semester 3

• Garden Botany (.pptx)

• Plant Unit (.doc)

Spring Semester 3

• Water Unit (.doc)

Fall Semester 4

• Seeds and Genetically Modified Organisms Introduction (.pptx)

• Seeds Unit (.doc)

Spring Semester 4

• Animals (.doc)

Spring Semester 5

• Food and Culture (.doc)

Spring Semester 6

• Garden Ethic (.doc)

Miscellaneous Documents

• Fall Garden Tasks (.doc)