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.
“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.”
“This did a great job of piquing students’ interest and sparking opposing points of view, which created lively discussions on the topic.”
“My students often refer to the experience and knowledge gained. I plan to use Seeds to Solutions lessons in the future.”
“WOW! What incredible and engaging lessons to do with my students. They loved this opportunity to be scientists, explore and think about the food they eat, and I loved the ways that they began to model. I am so excited about these lessons and cannot wait to share them with my coworkers.”
“What I find interesting is that students are discussing the material outside of class time. I heard students discussing the ideas before class in the hallways and even during lunch periods.”
“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.”
“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 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.”
“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.”
“I am so amazed and impressed by the depth of resources that you embedded in the teacher guide. This is really well put together.”
“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!”
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