For planning the work:
For publicity:
For wrapping up the year�s work:
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ABOUT THESE LESSONS
These four lessons are important for raising awareness � among learners, families, the school and the public. Lesson 1 Project plan sums up garden project plans and gives a framework for organizing the work. It should be done after planting has begun, but near the beginning of the growing season.
Lesson 2 Showing and telling should be done in good time to get learners involved in some useful publicity before the end of the school year. Lesson 3 Evaluation should come near the end of the project, in time to make outline plans for next year. Lesson 4 Celebrations comes just before the celebration itself so that learners can help to plan the final social event of the gardening year.
1. PROJECT PLANThis lesson should be done once the main decisions have been taken and garden work has started. It gathers the information and ideas which have been discussed and helps learners to summarise them. This recalls aims, clears up misunderstandings, lays a basis for later evaluation and prepares learners for presenting the project to the outside world. |
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Learners
- make their objectives and expectations explicit
- (older learners) create a summary of the project plan which can be presented to the outside world.
RESOURCES NEEDED
Large flipchart sheets for questionnaires
PREPARATION
- Find someone who is prepared to receive, read and respond to the summary produced in this lesson (e.g. the head teacher, the teaching staff, the School Board, the PTA, a school adviser, well-known garden visitors, a sponsor - someone who genuinely wants to know!)
- Copy Guide A (for younger learners) or Guide B1 (for older learners) on a large sheet of paper and pin it up.
LESSON
1. Lead-in Explain that someone outside the school wants to know about the garden project (say who it is) and has asked for a summary (on one page). This lesson is to prepare the summary.
2. Questionnaire (for younger learners) Discuss the questions in Guide A, agree on the answers and write them in.
3. Questionnaire (for older learners)
a) Divide the class into groups; give one part of the questionnaire (Guide B1) to each group and allow 15 minutes for discussion and drafting. Each group appoints a secretary to record ideas. Indicate important points to be covered (see Guide B2). Circulate to listen and help.
b) Groups feed back to the whole class. Encourage learners to listen to each others� ideas and suggest improvements and additions (but suggest that they keep it short!). Make your own contribution. At the end of each section the secretary reads aloud the draft for the whole class�s approval.
4. After the lesson, deliver the project summary to its intended audience and ask for a reply. This can be a written reply, or (better) a visit to the class and the garden to comment and ask questions, or (best of all) both visiting and writing.
FOLLOW-UP
1. Final drafts Group secretaries produce a final draft (dated) of the project summary, and make copies for the Garden File and for the person who asked for the report.
2. Visual project summaries Learners use the information in the project summary to create an explanatory flow-diagram for presentations (as in Guide C), a publicity poster (as in Guide D), or a crop calendar / work plan (as in Guide E).
3. Practising presentations Find other willing audiences and train learners to present the project in pairs, using one of the visual devices in Guides C, D and E.
LESSONS IN OTHER SUBJECTS
Language/Writing Summary, drafting collective reports, presentations
PROJECT SUMMARY QUESTIONNAIRE
(for younger learners)
QUESTION | ANSWER | |
Project | What is our project? What is its name? |
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Aims | What do we want to grow? What will we do with the things we grow? What do we want to learn? |
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Activities | How much will we plant, and where? What work will we do in the garden? Who will help? |
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Inputs | What will we need? (seeds, tools, water etc.) |
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Monitoring | What will we need to check every week? |
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Information | Who will we tell about it? |
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Celebration | When will we celebrate, and how? |
PROJECT SUMMARY QUESTIONNAIRE
(for older learners)
QUESTION | ANSWER | |
Project | What is our project? What is its name? |
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Aims | What are our general aims? |
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Objectives/targets |
What exactly do we want to produce? What exactly do we want to learn? |
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Activities | What will we plant, how much and where? What will we need to do in the garden? How will we organize it? Who will help, and how? Apart from growing plants, what else will we do? How will we maintain and improve the garden? |
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Inputs | How much time will be required? What inputs will we need? (seeds, tools etc.) Where will we get them? |
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Time frame | What is the schedule of activities? |
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Monitoring | What do we need to keep track of? What kind of records will we keep? |
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Information | Who will we keep informed? And how? |
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Publicity | How will we publicise garden activities and create positive attitudes to our project? |
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Evaluation | How will we evaluate our project? And when? |
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Celebration | When will we celebrate, and how? |
PROJECT SUMMARY QUESTIONNAIRE - CHECKLIST OF POINTS
QUESTION | ANSWER | |
Project | What is our project? What is its name? |
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Aims | What are our general aims? |
E.g. better eating, better health; learning gardening; improving the school environment; making money |
Objectives/ targets |
What exactly do we want to produce? |
E.g. a certain amount of a particular crop; some aspect of garden infrastructure (paths, hedges); a number of flowering plants; x square metres of herbs for sale |
What exactly do we want to learn? |
How to grow particular plants; particular garden activities (e.g. pruning, potting, making compost); how to sell vegetables successfully; how to manage a project; which insects are beneficial) |
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Activities | What will we plant, how much and where? |
E.g. the number of plants, number of square metres, garden plan showing locations |
What will we need to do in the garden? |
Outline of activities (e.g. sowing seeds, transplanting, watering, weeding, harvesting; making compost) |
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How will we organize it? |
E.g. time per week, teams or groups |
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Who will help, and how? |
E.g. parents, visitors, sponsors, teachers |
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What else will we do? |
E.g. cooking, preserving, packaging, studying insects |
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How will we maintain and improve the garden? |
E.g. enriching the soil, putting up fences, making a bird bath, creating amenities, garden art |
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Inputs | How much time is needed? |
Estimate of hours per week per person |
What inputs will we need? |
E.g. seeds, tools, water, buckets, seed trays, packages, pots, fuel for cooking, knapsack spray |
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Where will they come from? |
E.g. bought, borrowed, found, lent |
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Time frame | What is the schedule of activities? |
Outline of what will happen each week/month, including planting, harvest, processing, garden events, sales, evaluation, celebration |
Monitoring | What do we need to keep track of? |
E.g. money, plant growth, weather, production, pests, work done, time spent, control experiments, visitors |
What kind of records will we keep? |
E.g. garden diary/log, accounts, photos, drawings/plans/maps/diagrams, booklets, garden fle, letters |
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Information | Who will we keep informed? And how? |
E.g. the school, the PTA, parents, sponsors, the local community, the local newspaper |
Publicity | How will we publicise garden activities and create positive attitudes to our project? |
E.g. letters, talks and presentations, articles, Open Days, stalls and sales, take-home products, free gifts, talking to families |
Evaluation | How will we evaluate our project? And when? |
E.g. by looking back at our objectives and aims, halfway through the project and at the end |
Celebration | When will we celebrate, and how? |
Up to you - but there should be a celebration! |
FLOW DIAGRAM
A flow-diagram shows the project activities at a glance. Here the objectives come first. The main stages are in the boxes of the diagram. Inside the diagram are ongoing activities (e.g. informing) and some of the important conditions (e.g. involving family and community).
PLANTING FRUIT TREES: THE PROJECT AT A GLANCE
General objectives
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ILLUSTRATED POSTERS
This poster is about the "Four C�s" garden project. It shows some of the project�s objectives and makes the project easy for learners to explain to outsiders.
WHAT WE ARE DOING IN THE GARDEN THIS YEAR
This is an appeal for help for the "Four C�s" garden project. It explains the objectives and activities and links them to the specific help required.
CAN YOU HELP US?
Cowpeas help us to grow. We are growing cowpeas. We�ll dig some into the soil. We�ll eat some. We�ll dry some. |
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Carrots and cabbages keep us healthy. We are growing cabbage |
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Compost is good for the soil. We are making compost. |
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Hedges protect the garden. We are growing hedges to keep out the goats. |
CROP CALENDAR
A calendar makes it possible to see the whole project at a glance, to look back at what you have done and to plan for the future. Spread the calendar across a whole wall, giving plenty of space to each month. You will then be able to add items under each month � e.g. visits and events, cooking and processing activities, sales, lessons, work schedules, garden diary, pictures, photos, displays.
Activity | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 7 | Month 8 | Month 9 |
Compost 1 | Start heap | Turn | Turn | Use | Use | Start new compost heaps |
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Compost 2 | Start heap | Turn | Turn | Use | Use | ||||
Compost 3 | Start heap | Turn | Turn | Use | Use | ||||
Carrots | Sow seed | Sow seed Thin out |
Thin out | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | ||
Cabbage | Sow seed | Transplant Sow seed |
Transplant Sow seed |
Transplant | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | ||
Cowpeas | Sow seed | Sow seed | Harvest | Harvest and dry |
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Yucca fence | Plant cuttings | Check fence | Check fence | ||||||
Help needed | Finding cuttings |
Turning compost |
Turning compost |
Turning compost |
Turning compost |
Digging in cowpea plants |
2. SHOWING AND TELLINGTelling people about the garden and showing them what you are doing ties the school closer to the community, inspires people to help, brings in contributions and helps learners learn by talking. The information that is communicated is not nearly as important as the enthusiasm and interest aroused. Involving learners in this "garden publicity" makes them aware of what they are doing, proud of it and able to express it. |
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Learners
- think who to tell, why, and what, and decide how to do it.
RESOURCES NEEDED
- paper cut-outs representing people OR stick figures drawn on the board
PREPARATION
It is discouraging to send messages and get no reply! Prepare the ground for this activity by finding out which individuals or groups in the school and community will respond positively to hearing from school learners.
This will help you to guide learners� choice of who to tell.
LESSON
1. Lead-in Recap garden plans, activities and events, e.g. What has happened so far? (We�ve made a plan; we�ve sown seed; we�re about to transplant; we made compost but not enough; we got scratches from the thorny bushes; I tore my shirt etc.). Ask: Who did you tell about these things? Who did you show?
2. Audience
a) Ask: Who else would we like to tell or show? Why? Expect younger learners to suggest family, neighbours, school personalities etc. Older learners may see wider possibilities (see Guide). Add your own suggestions. Allow all reasons, even trivial ones.
b) As suggestions are made, learners label the paper cut-out figures and stick them up (they may also add specific information � e.g. long legs, name of shop, address).
3. Selection The class picks out a few figures as examples (make sure that they are people who will respond positively to being approached).
4. The message What shall we tell them about? What shall we show them? Older learners may focus on specific needs (e.g. for help, sponsorship, customers). Younger learners may simply want to show and tell.
5. How? Older learners browse the Guide and discuss different approaches. For younger learners pick out two or three possibilities and ask which they would prefer.
6. Planning Learners plan their "show and tell" campaign. Keep it small.
FOLLOW-UP
Campaign Carry out the campaign. The teacher should help by making personal contact with the recipients and ensuring that learners get some kind of feedback.
LESSONS IN OTHER SUBJECTS
Business Studies Marketing
Communication Audience awareness
SHOWING AND TELLING: WHO, WHY, WHAT, HOW?
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3. EVALUATIONThe first question to ask in an evaluation is What happened? Then the standard evaluation question is Did we do what we set out to do? This leads to better planning for the future. But a year�s gardening may have all sorts of outcomes and cannot be evaluated only in this way. Other important questions are What did we learn? Did we enjoy it? Were other people interested? and (most revealing) What shall we do next time? |
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Learners
- recall the year�s gardening and its ups and downs
- reflect on the year�s gardening horticulturally, educationally and as a general experience
- acknowledge others� help
- make plans for the coming year
- congratulate themselves.
RESOURCES NEEDED
- aims and objectives from the project summary (Lesson H1 Project plan)
- project records (e.g.diary/log/file/photos/drawings/correspondence/accounts)
- three rosettes in different colours or sizes marked Excellent, Good, Not bad, with the class name and the year (see Guide A)
- three cardboard badges labelled Great Gardener (see Guide A)
PREPARATION
Learners assemble and display all documents and records of the gardening year.
LESSON
1. Lead-in: Do you remember? Go round the garden with the class, using each part to recall what happened and who did what during the season � triumphs, disasters, hard work, mistakes. Move on to the display of records and do the same. N.B. Do not be judgmental � it is for the learners to evaluate their own achievement.
2. How did we do? Discuss and summarise:
- What did we manage to do?
- What did we not manage?
- What went well? What went wrong?
- What did we learn?
- Did we have a good time?
- What will we do next year?
Older learners can make notes.
Learners doing market gardening projects can follow the questions in Guide B.
3. Meeting the objectives (older learners) Call on a student to read out the objectives and targets from the Project Plan. The class says how far they achieved these objectives, why or why not.
4. Who helped? Learners acknowledge help received from helpers, sponsors, local gardeners etc. and discuss how to thank them.
5. Time for awards
a) Show the three rosettes. Ask which one we should award ourselves: Excellent, Very Good, or Not Bad? The class choose the rosette they think is appropriate and hang it up.
b) Show the three "Great Gardener" badges. The class chooses the year�s three top gardeners and award the badges.
6. The congratulation circle The class stand up and form a circle, facing inwards. They then turn sideways so they are one behind the other. They all raise their right hands and pat each other on the back - for a job well done!
FOLLOW-UP
1. Write-up Older learners (groups or individuals) write up the class discussion in four parts:
a) Our aims and objectives
b) What we achieved
c) What we learned
d) Plans for next year
2. Evaluation by others Use the display of garden documents and learners� own evaluation to involve other interested parties in the garden evaluation.
3. Thank-you�s The class sends thank-you letters, notes or cards to garden helpers, sponsors etc.
MAKING BADGES AND ROSETTES
Make a rosette of paper or cloth. |
Fix the centre with cardboard circles. |
Attach a safety-pin. |
BUSINESS PLAN EVALUATION
At the end of a market gardening project, the evaluation should pick up the projections in the Business Plan. Learners write up the evaluation report and include it in the Project File.
4. CELEBRATIONSCelebrate the harvest, the end of a market garden venture, a new garden feature or a successful year�s work in the garden. Whatever the achievement, there should be a celebration and learners should have a hand in planning and organizing it. |
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Learners
- are aware of the need for a celebration and who should be involved
- help to plan and organize the event.
RESOURCES NEEDED
If possible, make one photocopy of Guides A and B and cut them up into separate items.
PREPARATION
Arrange a time when garden produce is available. Decide what aspects of the event to organize yourself and what contribution learners can make. Learners should be involved in social contacts, explaining, demonstrating and performing, producing documents and decorations, planning and organizing, and hospitality. The older they are, the more they can undertake. However, teachers will need to supervise learners� activities
LESSON
1. Lead-in Announce the celebration and give the details already decided (e.g. date, place, time, general nature of the event).
2. Planning discussion The class discuss:
a) The event What shall we call it? Refer to Guide A.
b) Participants Who will be there? (make a list)
How will we invite them?
c) Programme What will the programme be? How will we start/finish? Who will be involved in each part? Some ideas for the programme are given in Guide B: circulate the ideas and pictures for learners to discuss in groups.
d) Refreshments What will there be to eat and drink? How will it be served?
e) Gifts Can we provide a garden gift for everyone, e.g. a flower, a fruit, a recipe?
f) Decorations and displays What will we do for decorations/displays? What materials will we need? Who will be responsible for each task? (Make a list) Some ideas for decorations are given in Guide B.
g) Jobs to do What do we need to do? Can our guests contribute? Who will ask them?
FOLLOW-UP
Organizing Learners organize their part in the event.
SOME KINDS OF CELEBRATION
A FOOD FAIR OR OPEN DAY |
A HARVEST FESTIVAL |
A PARTY OR SPECIAL MEAL |
A GUIDED TOUR OR PRESENTATION |
WAYS TO CELEBRATE
Make a photocopy of this Guide, cut up the items and circulate them in class for group discussion.
COMPETITIONS | FLAGS | ||
DECORATIONS | GIFT-WRAPPED PRODUCE | ||
DEMONSTRATIONS | GUIDED TOUR AND EXPLANATIONS | ||
DISPLAYS/EXHIBITIONS | PERFORMANCES | ||
POSTERS | SPECIAL DISHES AND TASTING SESSIONS | ||
PRESENTATIONS | STORY-TELLING | ||
REFRESHMENTS | MAPS AND SIGNS | ||
SONGS AND DANCES | PRIZE-GIVING |