This unit begins by engaging students with the phenomenon of food shortages. Students figure out what plants need to grow well and how environmental conditions affect food growth, leading to wonders around food and food shortages. Students investigate who is affected by changes in food availability, with opportunities to share and explore their own food traditions.
These wonders lead to investigation into our food system. Students learn about the people and processes involved in growing and making food. They also investigate how the food system is affected by and contributes to climate change. Students explore solutions to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released by the food system, including what growers, school communities, and individuals can do. The unit culminates with students developing an action plan to address one or more aspects of our food system.
“The message that there are solutions to help us combat climate change and that people are working together to solve problems helped students stay in a place of curiosity; they didn’t show anxiety over the content.”
“From my students: ‘Thank you for teaching us this lesson because if you didn’t it would be bad for our environment.’ ‘This was awesome! Can you do more? Thank you!’ ‘Thank you for helping us in taking care of the environment.'”
“For my students who may not engage with abstract concepts, the real-life relevance of turning waste into soil for growing plants offers a clear, meaningful goal that they can understand and feel proud to participate in.”
“I truly enjoyed teaching this. It has been heartwarming to see them care about other living things and the environment.”
“I heard comments like, ‘I didn’t realize how much climate change affects my community,’ and, ‘This project made me think about what I can do to help.'”
“I love how the data was more interactive and chunked into smaller pieces. I also like how there was a way to bring all the knowledge and wondering back to come up with a conclusion to the problem.”
“I have learned ways to improve my teaching, and I have been at this for 38 years. The students are gaining a deeper understanding of what climate change is: what causes climate change, and the impact of climate change on crop yield.”
“Students really enjoyed the hands-on activity. They were very interested to learn about the different pollutants that they’ve never heard of. It also developed their curiosity about air quality and pollution. It was an eye-opener for some that they are able to see what is mostly ‘unseen’ by everyone.”
“Using the maps and seeing things like schools and how close they are to hazards is really cool. They may not be super connected personally, but they can put themselves in the shoes of other kids and try to relate. I know it’s working because I have a kid that just watches Netflix all day, every day and he pulled out his earbud and participated!”
“I am so amazed and impressed by the depth of resources that you embedded in the teacher guide. This is really well put together.”
“When you’re out in the workforce, you’re trying to solve problems that don’t have a clear, immediate answer. So doing stuff like this helps give students practice.”
“They’ve never thought about stuff like this before, and now they’re sharing it. One girl said this was the only class that she went home and talked to her parents about.”
Margo Crabtree, Center for Ecoliteracy
Molly Rose Williams, Center for Ecoliteracy
Alexa Norstad, Center for Ecoliteracy
Karen Brown, Center for Ecoliteracy
Anna Babarinde, Sonoma COE
Chris Griesemer, California Science Project
Craig Strang, UC Berkeley
Ladie Malek, Development Editor
Matt Ellinger, Designer
Stacey Lane, Illustrator
Darin Newton, Curriculum Developer
Kim Parfitt, Science Educator
Michael Washburn, Seed Savers
Helena Sakiestewa Gonzales, Native Seeds/SEARCH
Jacqueline Elbing-Omania, Berkeley USD
Kristina Hemenover, Los Angeles USD
Renay Hill, French Gulch-Whiskeytown School
Chris Kyaw, Los Angeles USD
Vanessa Manzano, Redesigning Learning
Diane Renteria, Redesigning Learning
Fidela Robertson, Norwalk-La Mirada USD
Augustin Rodriguez, Dos Palos-Oro Loma JUSD
Veronica Serna, Los Angeles USD
Mike Watt, Petaluma City Schools
