Silverbell Nursery NH, Ashley Link, EM

Introduction Silverbell Nursery 2730 North Silverbell Road We chose this location because it is a mile away from the school and students have been to nurseries and farmers markets in the community.

Conversations with Students ● One student talked about how she visits the swap meet every week with her grandmother. She also mentioned going to farmers markets. ● Students from our classes said they do not “go to places” in the community after school. ● Most students participate in community sports at local Tucson parks.

Math Concepts ● The buying of goods. o We saw someone purchasing goods while we were there. ● Dimensions of planters and pots. o 5 feet by 8 feet wooden raised bed. o 4 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet metal planter trough.

Math Concepts ● Cost signage. o Each item had a sign with the cost break down. ● Planting instructions on plant information cards. o “These plants should be placed x” away from each other and watered x times a week” ● The employee we talked to was very knowledgable about the amounts and costs of everything we were looking at.

Questions We Investigated ● How much did the plants cost? ● How much would it be to start a vegetable garden? ● How much would it be to start a flower garden? ● How much are the metal planters? ● How much to fill a mental planter with soil? ● Is it cheaper to buy bulk soil at Tom’s Green Stuff? ● How many flowers can you fit into a metal trough? ● How many vegetables can you plant in a metal trough?

Data Collected ● Flowers o Aster o Petunias o Magnolias o Lobelias o Snap Dragons o Alyssum o Calendulas o Garzania ● Compost and Soil o Soil o Compost o Manure * Soil can be purchased in bulk at Tank’s Green Stuff on Ina Road. They fill up the back of pickup trucks with enough soil for a whole garden at a fraction of the cost of bags. Prices Flowers 1x - 6 pack - $3.50 8x (flat) - 6 packs - $3.00 each Soil ●$30 to have it filled in at Tank’s Green Stuff on Ina & La Chola ●$10.99 for 1.5ft of compost to mix in with soil

Data Collection - Visual

Math Lesson Mathematical Goal: To have students think about their fall gardens and how they can incorporate area and measurement into filling them with flowers. Grade Level: 3rd Grade

Standards Measurement and Data (MD) 3.MD.C.5 - Recognize area as an attribute of plane figures and understand concepts of area measurement. a.A square with a side length 1 unit, called “a unit square,” is said to have “one square unit” of area, and can be used to measure data. Practices: ● 3.MP.2 - Reason Abstractly and Quantitatively ● 3.MP.4 - Model with Mathematics ● 3.MP.5 - Use Appropriate Tools Strategically ● 3.MP.6 - Attend to Precision

Activities Ms. Jones’ class is planting a classroom garden with flowers. There are 24 students in Ms. Jones classroom. The classroom garden plot is 36 ft by 36 ft and will be partitioned into equal subplots for each pair of students. Students will decide how large each subplot of the classroom garden plot each student pair will get.

“Before” Task ● Elicit student interest by asking them if they are familiar with gardening or if anyone in their family likes to garden.

“During” Tasks 1.Divide the garden plot into equal subplots. 2.Find the area of their subplot. 3.Calculate how many rows of flowers they can have in their subplot. 4.Calculate how many flowers can be planted in each row. 5.Calculate the total cost of the flowers.

Extensions for During the Task ● Some possible extensions could include: o Having students measure the flowers 8in. apart.  If that is still too easy then any decimal measurement apart (i.e. 9.5in.) o Have students determine if rows is the best configuration for planting the flowers. Will they be able to plant more if they use other geometric shapes? o Flowers come in 6-packs that cost $3.50 each. The nursery will discount the 6-packs in groups of 8 (48 total flowers) for $3.00. How much will the students save if they all buy their flowers as a class versus paying in pairs?

“After” Task ● Have students come together and discuss their plot divisions. o Once the class has come to a consensus on their division they can then plan their garden on a large piece of butcher paper at the front of the class.

How it Builds on Student Knowledge ● Funds of Knowledge: o Some students might have experience with growing gardens from watching family members. This is addressed in the before section of the lesson when the teacher asks if anyone is familiar with gardening. o Some students might have a special interest in flowers and the science behind them. o 2nd Grade Geometry: 2.G.A.2: The students focused on a standard that required them to partition a rectangle into rows and columns of the same-size square and then count to find the total number of them.  The first part of the activity for this lesson builds on the knowledge from that standard as it asks students to divide their garden into equal plots for themselves and their peers. o 2nd Grade Measurement: 2.MD.B.5. The students focused on a standard that required them to use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve word problems involving lengths that are given in the same units.  The next part of the lesson builds on the knowledge that students learned in that standard because it asks students to measure how many flowers they can fit in rows of their sub-plot.

Social Justice & What Students Will Learn ● School gardens promote an outdoor lifestyle. ● School gardens can be used to promote leadership and teamwork as students and classes have to work together to plant and grow their gardens. ● Gardening and composting can teach children about sustainability, nutrition,and the environment. ● Gardens can be connected to a variety of subjects: o Social Studies: food gardens, sustainability, hunger, world crops, world environment studies, cultural differences, and urban awareness. o Math: geometry, measurement (both length and liquid), addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. o Science: environment, sustainability, and plant biology.