3rd Grade - Ecology
    4th Grade - Plants and Agriculture
    5th Grade - Environmental Resources 

Objective: The purpose of this track of the East Palo Alto Environmental Education Project is to use the study of plants as a
basis for teaching students about their environment.  These lessons contain important information about the history, present, and
future of East Palo Alto. 

Outline: 
 1. Plants in East Palo Alto 
    1.1 Intro
    1.2 Natural Setting
    1.3 History
    1.4 Current Issues
    1.5 Field Trip
 2. What Are Plants? 
    2.1 Plant Intro
    2.2 Plant Survival Experiment
    2.3 Sun
    2.4 Water
    2.5 Carbon Dioxide
    2.6 Experimental Conclusions and Soil
 3. Cultivating Plants 
    3.1 Getting Started
    3.2 Compost
    3.3 Planting
    3.4 Maintenance, Weeds, and Pests
 4. Project

Lesson 1.1 Intro to Plants in the Community

Intro: Explain what SEEd is and introduce SEEd volunteers.  Subject is Plants in the Community: Gardening, Agriculture, and
Landscaping.  Define gardening, agriculture, landscaping with students.  Our objective is to get a full understanding of the plants
that thrive in the gardens,  farms, and public spaces of East Palo Alto.  In the spring, we will use what we have learned in a
hands-on community project.  Go around class (including volunteers and teacher) and have everyone say their name and any
experience they have had with plants (gardens, farms, indoor plants, parks, camping, hiking, eating, picking, planting). 
 

Motivation: Discuss with student why we want to learn about plants in EPA. 
 •Environmental science: We want to get an understanding of the local environment (human and natural world) using scienctific
methods and tools.  Looking at how people and plants coexist in this community.  We focus on East Palo Alto because we
already have a good understanding of this environment by living in it, so lessons should come easy.  Also, we need to
understand this environment so that we can be responsible members of this community. 
   •Local importance: Farming and gardening is of historical (oldest existing structure in EPA is Kavanaughs’ farmhouse on Bay
Road, currently used by EPA Community Law Project) and current (over 10 agriculture businesses and a community garden)
importance in East Palo Alto. 
 •Have fun!:  Bring in fruit or vegetable (maybe from farmers market) for  them to eat right now (or something else fun). 
Vegetables are healthy  and taste great. 

Importance of plants in environment: Ask class what purposes plants have in environment and break into groups to brainstorm
a list.  Also ask groups where these issues are apparent in East Palo Alto (see italicized comments below).  Then have each
group report to class as facilitator writes all ideas on the board.  Explain that "environment" can include human and natural areas
because these are all interconnected.  Make sure to discuss: 
•Food supply for animals and humans.  Base of the food chain, trapping the suns energy.  Fruits or vegetables eaten from
garden.  Local animals and insects eat plants (ground squirrels eat grass). 
•Habitat for humans (lumber for homes) and animals (ex. nest in branches, burrow around roots); add space (analogy: adding
second story to house).  Local birds, squirrels.  Endangered species such as California Clapper Rail and Salt Marsh Harvest
Mouse live in the Baylands. 
 •Protect soil from erosion due to wind/rain/runoff: roots hold soil together;  absorb energy of water runoff and rain (analogy:
car wash spray dirt off  car). Lawns, plants next to the bay.  Discuss the flood. 
 •Create more soil: dead plants decompose to make more soil. 
 •Air exchange/add oxygen to the air.  We all need to breathe. 
 •Economic importance; farming, landscaping, and gardening as a  job/business.  Who knows someone employed in 
agriculture/landscaping/gardening? 
 •Recreation/aesthetic purpose: parks, forests, gardens, open space.   Flowers in garden, playing in parks, house plants, hiking
in Baylands . . . 
 •Value in itself (some would say): 3,000 year old giant sequoia is  valuable in itself? 

Overview of year: Write 4 subject headings on the board and describe the following outline to class. 

1. Plant in East Palo Alto:We will learn about EPA history (farms, agriculture communities), present (agriculture based
businesses, landscaping, parks). 

2. What Are Plants?:We will learn about plant bodies, what they need to survive, and complete an experiment by growing
plants in the class. 

3. Cultivating Plants: We will learn about methods of cultivation and uses of plants. 

4. Project: 
 -We will work together to find and complete a project by looking at what we have learned and what needs there are in the
school/community 
 -Past project have included planting a grove of fruit trees, teaching other students in an interactive seminar (overheads, slide
show of photos, hands-on experiment), a mural for the school that serves as a decoration for the school and a tool to teach
other students. 

Sources: Explain that we prepared these lessons by using sources in and outside of the community.  These sources are open to
anyone including students! 
 •Books and reports: library, East Palo Alto Historical and Agricultural  Society. 
 •Talking with people at gardening stores, Baylands Nursery, community garden, East Palo Alto Historical and Agricultural
Society, residents with gardens, City Hall (Rent Stabilization Board, Community Services, City Planning). 
 •Ourselves!  Personal experience with farming and natural science.  Easy to learn by simply attempting to garden and seeing
what works and what doesn’t.  Mistakes are okay. 

Pre-Lesson: Explain that Stanford students will be coming to teach environmental lessons, once a week for the entire year, and
we will do a hands-on project in the spring, applying what we have learned in the fall and winter.  The purpose is to learn more
about environmental sciences.  Work with the class to understand what environmental science means by discussing the
definitions of environment and science.  Brainstorm what their understanding of these words are.  Get final definitions such that: 
 •Environment: The physical (buildings, trees, air) and social (cultures, beliefs, languages) surroundings.  It is a mixture of what
comes from nature and people. 
•Science:  A method of answering questions with a specific series of steps: 1. Identify problem, 2. Predict answser, 3.
Experiment, 4. Answer question.  These steps have an order just like the steps used to throw a ball have an order (1. Grip ball,
2. Put arm back, 3. Swing arm forward, 4. Release ball, 5.  Follow through with arm).  These steps for throwing a ball can be
used to throw all kinds of balls (tennis ball, baseball ...).  Similarly the scientific steps can be used to answer all kinds of
questions (why do plants need sun?, why is the sky blue?).  They will learn science this quarter so they will have it as a tool to
use to answer questions on their own. 

Post-Lesson: Discuss more with students about their personal experiences with gardening, agriculture, and landscaping. 
Possible topics: things they’ve seen (gardens, farms, nursery, trees along the sidewalks, parks, people working to maintain the
parks), gardening experiences (weeding, digging, planting, building fences), picking fruits, vegetables or flowers. 

Lesson 1.2 Natural Setting

Intro:  Purpose of this lesson is to study how the natural setting (shape of land, weather, ...) of East Palo Alto is a habitat for
plants.  We will see that East Palo Alto is a great environment for plants to thrive. 

Shape of the Land (Topography): Foothills to Baylands is downward slope.  Rain hits land and moves down towards the bay
by gravity.  Draw two maps on board or butcher paper, one top view of bay area (label major landmarks like SF, EPA, bay,
Pacific, Santa Cruz Mountains, foothills) and one cross-section of land showing change in elevations, stretching from EPA to
the Pacific.  This should show the coastal mountain range, the foothills, and a gentle downward slope towards the bay.  Explain
how rain falls on the hills and moves towards the bay via rivers (San Francisquito) and storm drains under the streets.  Have
each student draw the cross-section on a prepared worksheet in their notebooks and then draw a series of arrows that show
path of water from rain to bay, rain to Pacific, rain to valley between coastal range and foothills.  Additional topics:
groundwater, evaporation, condensation, precipitation. 

Soil: The shape of the land has helped bring fine soil to EPA.  During storms, rain hits the ground and heads downhill from the
foothills, to the flat lands (EPA), to the Bay.  As the water flows down the foothills it erodes the land and picks up rocks and
soils.  When the water slows down on the flatlands, the fine soils drop out.  This is how fine soils were originally deposited in
the area around EPA. 

Demonstrate with a water bottle full of water and a little bit of gravely soil.  Hold up still bottle to show that when water has low
energy (slow moving rivers in flat lands close to bay, i.e. EPA) that soil settles on the bottom.  Then shake bottle to
demonstrate that when water has high energy (fast moving rivers in steep areas like the foothills) that the soil is carried in the
water.  Break into groups with multiple bottles and prompt students to demonstrate the connection between energy of water
and settling of soil.  Explain that this is how soil is picked up by the water in the hills and then released from the water in EPA
and refer back to their worksheet on water movement. 

This process is not currently happening in the same  way because some of the land has been covered with asphalt and concrete
(roads, parking lots).  During a storm, some of the water is carriend in storm drains instead of rivers.  It turns out that EPA has
some of the most fertile land in the metropolitan Bay Area.  This is partly due to the cultivation of soil in EPA’s history and to
this natural process. 

Weather: East Palo Alto is also famous for having great weather as it is often sunny and warm.  This is because the Santa Cruz
Mountains block the fog from coming to this city (refer back to topography diagrams).  This is excellent for plants which need
lots of sun and are threatened by cold winters.  Also, cities in general are warm because: asphalt and concrete absorb heat
better than dirt and plants (compare the feeling of lying on the grass to lying on hot concrete), people use machines that produce
heat (ex. car engine).  Less wind because of structures. 

Water: Majority of rain during winter and early spring except in drought years. 

Plants in East Palo Alto: People care for plants in gardens, farms, and parks.  There are also plants that survive on their own in
empty lots, crack in the sidewalk, and open space preserves.  Some of these plants were originally brought to the area by
people (crabgrass, english plantain, russian thistle). These are called non-indigenous species.  Other plants have been here long
before people arrived, such as milkweed.  These are called indigenous species. 

Many herbivores that live in the city feed on these plants (slugs, sowbugs, aphids, caterpillars, house finches, goldfinches,
towhees, mice, pocket gophers, and rabbits). 

Confirm Concepts on Internet:  Break into five groups and go to computer cluster to confirm shape of land, soil, weather, and
water.  Have each group begin with yahoo and go until they find information that confirms what was taught.  Check with the
teacher ahead of time to reserve computer time.  SEEd volunteers need to find these web sites and search pathways to them
ahead of time.  Please add these pages and pathways to this section of the curriculum. 

Pre-Lesson:  Review discussion about environmental science that you had the previous week.  This time also brainstorm
symbols that are important in environmental science and list them on the board (things in our environment like trees and
buildings and tools we use in science like magnifying glasses and computers).  Make ringed notebooks that students can use to
save worksheets, take notes, record observations.  Have students decorate/draw pictures on the cover that are symbols of
environmental science.  Also have them write their names and Environmental Science on the front.  Materials for making and
decorating notebooks supplied by SEEd.  Use recycled materials or reclaim waste (cardboard, used xeros/computer
printouts). 

Post-Lesson:  This section needs to be changed or developed.  Confirm these reports of great weather by taking temperature
measurements and comparing with temperatures that are given on internet as average temperature.  Record daily temperature at
noon for four days by reading the temperature indicated by the bottom of the meniscus.  On the fourth day have the students
search for the recorded average temperature to see if it is similar to their measured average.  Reasons for differences between
measured and internet: different location of thermometer, variations in weather are natural, error in temperature reading. 
 

Lesson 1.3 History 

Intro: Given the great conditions (learned last week about soil, water, weather/sun) in EPA for plant life, you can expect that
many people have settled in this area.  The objective of this lesson is to understand how people have interacted with plants
historically.  Ask students what they know about history of the area (stories from grandparents, live in old houses . . .). 

Running Activity: Discuss each of the following history sections with the class.  Sketch information from discussion on the
board.  In between sections break to add information to two worksheets: a timeline and a map.  Need to develop a map (use
city planning map, AAA city map, map in A History of East Palo Alto pamphlet in the Plant in Community Folder in Seed
library).  Please add map to this curriculum. 

Native Americans, 1500 BC-1700 AD: Ohlone Indians, also called Costaño Indians.  Made huts from grass and gathered. 
Decimated by European diseases and attempts to change religion and lifestyle in 1700s.  Native Americans used EPA area as
cemetery and occasional camp site.  Map: Burial mounds were found near Costaño Elementary and near the intersection of
Willow Road and the railroad tracks.  There are Ohlone people in the area today who come to classes to give presentations
about their culture.  Contacts: Alex Ramirez (415) 863-0656 from San Francisco and Ruth Orta (51) 796-5891 from
Fremont.  These people may need assistance getting to the school and should be offered $25 (or more, hmmm?) and many
warm thanks for their time.  If they have moved or are not available contact Linda Yamane at Rumsien@aol.com or Karen
Meisenheimer 961-0545 for more information. 

Rancho de las Pulgas, late 1700s-mid 1800s: Inhabitants include people from Spain, Catholic Church missionaries, Mexico,
and Americans traveling west.  Map: Extended from San Mateo to Palo Alto. 

Ravenswood, 1849-1868: A banker named Isaiah Woods developed a town and a wharf that became the first planned
community in San Mateo County.  Dairy and hay farms were the basic agricultural businesses.  Woods hoped it would become
a prosperous city because: only port between San Francisco and San Jose (state capitol); Central Pacific Railroad planned to
span the bay and make Ravenswood the westernmost stop of its "ocean to ocean" line; a San Francisco-San Jose run was
proposed with Ravenswood being one of its stops; wharf busy with lumber, hay and dairy shipments and passenger travel.  The
community fell apart because the railroads did not come and businesses moved away from the port.  It soon became a ghost
town.  Map: Wharf at end of Bay Road called the Port of Ravenswood. 

Cooley’s Landing, 1868-1900s:  Lester Cooley, a successful gold miner, bought 400 acres of bay-front property stretching
from present-day University Avenue to Embaracadero Road.  Farmed different grains and established a dairy.  Rebuilt the pier
to ship grain and other products.  When business declined, the community fell apart again.  Map: Rebuilt wharf and called it
Cooley’s Landing.  Brick factory where Jack Farrell Park is today (plant’s clay pit is still evident in the contours of the park,
might be a good field trip). 

Runnymede, 1916-1930s:  Charles Weeks started a community called Runnymede, also know as the Weeks Poultry Colony. 
It was a utopian experiment in which families bought small farms on which they could become economically self-sufficient by
farming.  People raised chickens, rabbits, goats, fruits, and vegetables and the community had a cooperative warehouse, store,
marketing services, cannery.  The community grew and soon there was a tannery, clubhouse (still stands at Clarke and Weeks
streets), school, and park.  Weeks' motto was "One Acre and Independence" and took the name 

Runnymede from the meadow where the Magna Charta (basic rights for Englishmen) was signed.  Weeks thought people
would be happy living away from the noise, crime, and pollution of cities and closer to nature.  For awhile this colony was
thought to be the largest poultry community in the nation. 

The 1930s marked the end of this era as the one-acre farms began to be converted to housing tracts.  However, many of the
structures and lots still exist.  There are many functioning greenhouses in the area, and there are over ten active for-profit
agricultural businesses in the neighborhood.  Furthermore, many residents have large gardens, and a community garden on
Weeks Street serves the people from neighboring apartment complexes.  Map: 640 acres of land between University and
Pulgas, and Bay and Donohoe. 

1930s - Present: In the late 40s (after WWII) there were around 30 small nurseries that produced flowers, East Palo Alto’s
chief agricultural product.  They grew chrysanthemums, violets, carnations and  lilies.  Many were owned by Italian and
Japanese families.  Many of the greenhouses that were erected for floriculture still exist today, though businesses began to
decline in the 1970’s.  Map: Nakanishi Nursery (1910 Clarke Avenue). 

Major events up until the present include annexation, construction of Bay Shore Freeway, block-busting, changing
demographics, municipal incorporation, new schools, 1992 crime, and redevelopment (see pamphlet: "A History of East Palo
Alto" in SEEd library for more description and to be prepared for student questions). 

Compare With Lesson 1.1:  Review the list of roles that plants play in the environment from Lesson 1.1.  Check to see if all of
these roles are apparent in the history of EPA discussed in Lesson 1.3. 

Pre-Lesson: Talk about history of school grounds (research this with SEEd volunteers).  Ask students to look for something of
historic interest in their own neighborhood and bring something to share with the class. 

Post-Lesson: Talk about history of EPA within the context of other history lessons that were studied in this class.  Reading on
Weeks: Ray Spangler, "Charles Weeks Leader of East Palo Alto Poultry Business," Redwood City Tribune, 1958. 
 

Lesson 1.4 Current Issues

Intro: The objective is to learn about how plants currently play a prominent role in East Palo Alto.  Work with the class to
brainstorm a list of where plants are found in the community and write on the board. 

Running Activity: Discuss each of the following sections with the class.  Sketch information from discussion on the board.  In
between section discussions, break to add information to a current map. 

City Parks: The East Palo Alto Department of Community Services works to maintain 3 parks in the city.  Brainstorm reasons
of why you would want a park: 
 Aesthetic: Many parks are designed by landscape architects to be     beautiful.  Parks are an alternative to concrete and
asphalt     covered land. 
 Open space: alternative to structures, provides peace of mind 
 Recreation: room to run, sports fields, no worries of cars, play      structures (slides, jungle gym), picnics, lie in the sun. 
One of the biggest concerns for Community Services is littering and vandalism in the parks.   Ex. Broken glass in the woodchips
where young kids play.  People drive their cars in the park and destroy vegetation and structures.  Suggest ways of preventing
these problems such as neighborhood watches or organizing activities in the park targeted for people who might otherwise
pollute it.  Break into groups to brainstorm other ways of preventing these problems and then have each group share ideas with
class.  Map: Martin Luther King Park (extends off end of Daisy Lane, adjacent to Baylands); Jack Farrell Park.  More
information contact Community Services, Meda Okela and Ken Winters, Community Services 853-3139. 

Natural Preservation Areas: The Baylands are between East Palo Alto and the Bay.  This is an important habitat for
endangered and threatened species of plants and animals (Salt-Marsh Harvest Mouse, California Clapper Rail, try and find
visual aids.).  Also this is one of the last preserved shores of the Bay that has not been developed.  The San Francisco Bay
Trail which is intended to encircle that San Francisco and San Pablo Bay shorelines provides access to the Baylands.  An
informal trail extends into the Baylands at Runnymede Street.  Map: Baylands.  Informal Trail off of Runnymede.  SF Bay Trail
runs along the edge of the Weeks Neighborhood. 

Plants Along Streets and Sidewalks: Trees along the streets are considered very valuable.  Based on the importance of plants
discussed in Lesson 1.1, discuss the reasons why these trees might be considered so valuable: clean the air of dust, pollen and
pollution; reduce carbon dioxide and produce oxygen; reduce soil erosion; reduce noise levels and mask offensive sounds by
producing more pleasant sounds (ex. Wind in trees, birds); reduce wind; hide unsightly views; beautiful and provide community
identity; cool the street and produce shade; reduce destruction from bad storms.  The City of East Palo Alto General Plan
contains a tree ordinance that restricts the removal of trees.  Read Section 6240 which states why the regulations are needed
(why trees are needed) and compare with the reasons found in the class discussion.  In Plants in the Community folder.  Map:
Go for a short walk next to school and map out some of the trees. 

Private and Community Gardens:  Many gardens are found around people’s houses.  People in apartments can also grow
plants in boxes that hang from their windows.  Community gardens provide land for people to share and an opportunity for
working together, social interaction, community outreach, and collective action.  Map: Community garden on Weeks Street.

Agricultural Businesses: Nurseries, garden supply, farms, and bee keepers are agricultural businesses in East Palo Alto. 
Nakanishi Nursery has been in business since the 1940’s.  New businesses have started because of the Bay Area’s growing
interest in health and locally produced foods (ex. Podesta Nursery, Bayland Nursery, and Happy Quail Farms).  Happy Quail
Farms produces bell peppers, eggplants, and cucumbers in greenhouses and outdoor beds throughout the year (slows in
December and January).  This produce is sold at farmers markets at premium prices that average $4.00 per pound.  Map:
Happy Quail Farms (Green St.), Podesta Nursery (O’Connor and East Bayshore), Bayland Nursery (Weeks Street, at the far
end, betwn Pulgas and Baylands) 

Pre-Lesson: Discuss how historical importance of plants in East Palo Alto would make it so that they are important today also. 
If people built structures that could be used for agricultural businesses some of those structures may still be in use today (ex. old
greenhouses in back yards of some residenses, leftovers from Runnymede).  The people who were skilled in agricultural work
may still be here or may have trained people who are here today.  The weather, soil, and water that were historically good for
plants are still good today. 

Post-Lesson: Compare historical maps made in Lesson 1.3 with current maps made in Lesson 1.4.  Ask students to predict
what these maps might look like in the future (farms, shopping center, housing developments). 

Lesson 1.5 Field Trip 

Take a field trip to the Seventh Harvest Research Institution (SHRI) and also a farm or landscaping business in East Palo Alto. 
Both are located in East Palo Alto, so walking is a transportation possibility. 

SHRI will take the class on a tour of their property and provide an introduction to their ethnobotanical folkore and market
gardening programs.  When arranging for this field trip, make sure to indicate that you are most interested in the ethnobotany
component of their program.  Work with Elliott (campbell@leland) to coordinate this trip. 

There are several farms and landscaping businesses in East Palo Alto including Bayland Nursery, Happi Quail Farms, and
Podesta Nursery.  Bayland Nursery has already expressed interest in leading a tour and they are unique in that they cultivate
indigenous species. 

Lesson 2.1 Plant Intro

Intro: Explain that now that we know how plants fit into the community, we will go through a series of lessons that take a closer
look at the structure of plants and how they survive.  Introduce students to basic botany by discussing two important types of
plants: non-flowering plants (pine trees) and flowering plants (orange trees).  The objective of this lesson is to learn about how
these types of plants naturally reproduce. 

Classification: Make a chart of the following scheme: three kinds of plants: bryophytes (mosses), seedless plants (ferns), plants
with seeds.  We will study plants with seeds because these are found all over East Palo Alto and are used in agriculture.  A
seed is a protective structure in which an embryonic plant can lie until a favorable time for its growth.  Seeds are naturally
dispersed in different way so that the new plants will grow in an open space with plenty of soil, sun, and water.  There are two
kinds of seed plants: non-flowering and flowering.  Have the students draw a classification tree.

Non-Flowering: A pine tree is a non-flowering plant that reproduces with cones instead of flowers.  It has male cones and
female cones.  The male cones produce a yellow pollen.  The female cones have an egg.  When the wind blows the male’s
pollen into the females egg, the female cone produces a seed. The leaves of many non-flowering plants are needle shaped. 
Diagram a pine seed on the board.  Then pass out dissected pine seeds and have students sketch and label what they see. 
Seed dissection: The seeds are winged so that they can be dispersed by the wind.  The embryo (or baby plant) is surrounded
by tissue that is stored food.  The embryo has a pointy end that will become a root and a feathered end that will become leaves.

Flowering/Fruit: Flowers have long stick-like male parts called stamens that produce sap covered pollen and round female
parts called carpels.  Some flowers have just female or just male parts, instead of both.  Animals such as bees come to flowers
to eat the sap and pollen which inadvertently gets stuck to their bodies.  When the bees move to flowers on other plants of the
same species, the pollen on their legs falls into the carpel and then the carpel produces a seed.  The carpel also produces a fruit
that surrounds the seed. Explain that the seeds on the non-flowering plants are distributed by wind while the seeds on
flowering/fruit plants are often distributed by animals that eat the fruit and poop out the seeds.  Discuss the advantages of bright
petals, tasty sap, bright and tasty fruit, and bad tasting seeds (ex. Bitter apple seeds) .  Draw and label a flower (stem, petal,
stamen, carpel).  Bring in different fruits and break into groups to dissect and eat. 

Pre-Lesson: Discuss that there are different groupings of plants just as there are different groupings of animals (mammals,
reptiles ...), and how the presence of flowers is one way to distinguish plant groups.  Discuss the shape and body parts of
different plants that may be seen on the school grounds (trees, bushes, grasses). 

Post-Lesson: Identify non-flowering and flowering plants around the school grounds.  Discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of both of these types of reproduction.  Many non-flowering plants can depend on the wind to disperse their
seeds, but the wind may not blow the seeds that far.  Many flowering plants have to put a lot of energy into producing fruit, but
animals that eat the fruit will generally carry them a good distance before returning them to the environment.  Explain that many
of the plants around East Palo Alto that are maintained by people (gardens, nurseries, farms) do not reproduce in this natural
way, but instead are controlled by people who plant the seeds.  We will learn more about this in the winter. 

Lesson 2.2 Plant Survival Experiment

Intro: The purpose of this lesson is to understand what plants need to survive: sun, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and soil. 
We will then use the scientific process to test that plants do indeed need sun and water.  Essentially we will be answering the
question: Do plants need sun and water? 

Our Problem: Ask students what plants need to survive (sun, water, carbon dioxide, and soil).  Then ask them how they know
this (observe plants in sunny spots, many plants where water is present . . . ).  If we were scientists we would use the scientific
process to discover what plants need to survive.  We will now use the scientific process to test whether plants need sun and air.

Scientific Method:  Discuss the scientific method as an ordered four-step method to answering questions about the physical
world: question, hypothesis, testing, conclusion.  While explaining these four steps, have students help by providing the specific
steps for finding out if plants need sun and water.  The first step is to ask a question about the physical world.  We already
created a question since we want to know if plants need sun and water to survive.  The hypothesis, is a tentative answer for that
question (a prediction), based on past observations and experiments.  We also completed this step by suggesting that plants
need sun and water to survive.  Experimentation is a careful way of testing the hypothesis and recording what happens.  We will
carry out this step by growing plants with and without water and sun.  The conclusion is a judgment on the question and
hypothesis that is based on the results of the experiment.  We will make a conclusion in the end.  If the plants with sun and
water grow and the plants without sun and water don’t grow, we may be able to conclude that our hypothesis was correct. 

Plant Survival Experiment: Break into groups and have each group plant sprout seeds in four separate trays.  Label the trays
sun and water, sun and no water, no sun and water, no sun and no water.  Complete a worksheet in which the procedure for
the experiment is described and explain the importance of being able to repeat the experiment.  Complete the first set of
observations on a worksheet, recording the height, graphing the height, recording the color, and sketching the plant.  Explain
that we will record these same observations for the next four weeks and then make conclusions. 

Pre-Lesson: Review discussion about science from pre-lesson in Lesson 1.1. 

Post-Lesson: Practice using the scientific method with other problems.  Have the students formulate questions, hypotheses,
experiments, and conclusions for common issues in their lives (ex. how tall am I?, what is the furthest I can throw a rock? . . .). 

Lesson 2.3 Sun 

Intro: In this lesson, we will discuss how plants use the sun to create their own food.  This will give us more ideas about the
hypothesis.  Then we will complete our second set of observations. 

Sun and Photosynthesis: Plants use sunlight to make their own food.  They of course need food to survive just like we do.  The
sun powers a process called photosynthesis in which plants take in water and carbon dioxide (a gas in the air) and change it
into food and oxygen.  They need the food for energy and to grow.  Explain that they do not use soil as food, although soil is
very important for plants.  Rather they make their own food from carbon dioxide and water in a process powered by the sun. 
This process is called photosynthesis.  Discuss what this may indicate for the experiment that is in progress and whether living
things can survive without food.  Have students write out the following equation on a photosynthesis worksheet: 

Sun + Water + Carbon Dioxide   -->   Food + Oxygen 

Soil Is Not Plant Food: People used to believe that animals got food by eating things and plants got food from the soil.  This
however is not true because plants make their own food during photosynthesis by using carbon dioxide and water, powered by
sun (soil is still very important for plants).  About 350 years ago, a Belgian scientist (Jan Baptista van Helmont) used the
scientific process to attempt to answer the question, do plants use soil as food.  The scientist had a small tree in a pot.  He
weighed the tree and the soil in the pot.  Five years later after the tree had grown he weighed the tree and the soil again and
found that the tree had increased in weight by 163 pounds while the soil had only decreased in weight by less than a pound. 
Clearly the plant was getting food from somewhere else which was later found to be from photosynthesis. 

Plant Survival Experiment: Break into groups and complete observation two (see Lesson 2.2 for description of observations). 

Pre-Lesson:  Discuss how food gives us energy for us to live and material for our bodies to grow bigger.  Ask students where
their food comes from.  Then explain that plants are unique because they make their own food instead of eating other living
things as animals do.  Plants use the sunlight as energy to make their own food from carbon dioxide and water.  This process
takes place in the leaves of plants and is called photosynthesis. 

Post-Lesson: Discuss how the sun is the driving force for most life on this planet.  This can be seen as plants use the sun to get
energy and plants are the foundation of the food chain. 

Lesson 2.4 Water

Intro: The purpose of this lesson is to discuss how plants use water to get a better understanding of the hypothesis.  We will
also complete the third observation of the Plant Survival Experiment. 

Water: Ask students about the different ways they use water and then compare to the ways that plants use water: 
 •Use water in photosynthesis to make their own food.  Humans use in  cooking. 
 •Water also gives plants structure in the same way that air gives a  balloon structure.  Without air a balloon will be limp and
flat, similarly  without water many plants wilt.  Ask them if they have seen evidence of  wilting in the leaves of house plants that
have not been watered.  Check  the unwatered plants in the Plant Survival Experiment.  Water weenie. 
 •Use water to transport important substances through their bodies.  For  example, plants need minerals from the soil just as we
need vitamins.   Plants transport minerals from the soil, by water through their roots and  up into their  bodies.  Shipping cargo
on boats.  Blood that moves  important substances around our bodies. 
 •Use water to maintain body temperature (not too hot or too cold).   We go  swimming to cool off. 

Have the students draw a picture of a plant displaying all four of these important uses of water. 

Plant Survival Experiment: Break into groups and complete observation three. 

Pre-Lesson: Discuss how much water plants use compared to animals.  In animals, water is recirculated in the body.  Plants,
however, lose 90% of their water as it evaporates through the stomata (the holes in the leaves that carbon dioxide travels
through.  This process of water loss through the stomata is called transpiration. 

Post-Lesson: Discuss how water moves through plants.  Present the problem 
of water moving to the top of a giant tree or up a vine that climbs up three stories of the side of a building.  It clearly takes a lot
of energy to move water from the roots to the leaves at the top of the plant.  Imagine carrying a bucket of water to the top of
one of these plants and how tired you would be once you got there.  Then imagine doing that all day long.  One of the reasons
plants can move water to such great heights is that the veins in plants that water moves through are very small. 

Lesson 2.5 Carbon Dioxide

Intro: The objective is to learn how plants use carbon dioxide to make their own food and then consume this food for energy
and for growth.  The carbon in carbon dioxide then becomes the basic building block for life.  We will also take observation
four. 

Carbon As Food: Carbon dioxide is a gas that is found in the air and passes into plant leaves.  It is converted into food through
the process of photosynthesis.  The food is basically made of carbon (part of carbon dioxide).  Plants use this carbon-based
food for energy and growth.  Carbon becomes the basic building block for the plant body so we say plants are carbon-based. 
Because animals use plants as food, animals must be carbon-based also. Relate this to other things that have a basic unit:
aluminum coke can is aluminum-based, plastic pen is plastic-based . . . plants and animals are carbon-based. 

Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen Exchange: When plants produce food through photosynthesis they also produce oxygen (refer
back to diagram).  This oxygen is released to the environment.  So plants essentially breath in carbon dioxide and breathe out
oxygen.  Remember that animals are just the opposite because animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. 
Have the students draw a circular diagram showing the exchange of gases between plants and animals.  However, when plants
want to break down their food for energy and growth, they need oxygen just as we do. 

Plant Survival Experiment: Break into groups and complete observation four. 

Pre-Lesson: Discuss that air has many different gases in it (like a soup it has different ingredients).  Two important ingredients
are carbon dioxide and oxygen.  Animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide.  There is a problem here because
if animals keep breathing, all the oxygen in the air will be used up and all that will be left is carbon dioxide.  The solution is that
plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen when they produce their own food.  Make them check this by looking at the
photosynthesis equation they wrote down last week (note that plants hang on to the food that is produced, but simply get rid of
the oxygen).  So, plants and animals share the air and help each other. 

Post-Lesson: Point out that the Plant Survival Experiment is only testing to see if plants need sun and water to grow.  It would
also be interesting to test to see if plants need carbon dioxide.  Help the students create a scientific process for investigating this
topic: 
 Question: Do plants need carbon dioxide? 
 Hypothesis: Plants need carbon dioxide (based on understanding of     photosynthesis) 
 Test:  Grow one plant in the air and put another in a plastic bag. 
 Conclusion: We do not know this until we do the test, but if the plant in    the bag died and the plant in the air survived me
might     conclude that plants need carbon dioxide . . . 

Lesson 2.6 Experiment Conclusions and Soil

Intro: The purpose of this lesson is to look over the observations from the past four weeks of scientific observation and make
some conclusions.  We will also learn the different ways that plants use soil 

Plant Survival Experiment Conclusion: Break into groups and discuss results of the experiment.  Ask students what problems
there were (water in the soil for the plants that were not suppose to have water; different seeds should grow to different heights
. . .).  Ask is these problems were significan and if so how they would change the procedure to improve the test.  Have each
student write a short explanation of the results and then each group report to the class what they learned. 

Soil: Plants need the soil to get minerals, water, and have structural support. 
•There are many minerals in the soil that plants need .  Minerals are similar to the vitamins that we take to be healthy.  The
minerals travel through the plants roots and up into the plant bodies.  Notice that plants do not eat soil; rather, they get their
food from photosynthesis.
•The soil also stores water that the plants take up through their roots.  This water is stored in the tiny spaces between the soil
particles.  The size of these air spaces is important because if they are too small, then water cannot get into the soil.  If they are
too large, water will flow through the soil and drain away before the roots can take in the water. 
•Soil also provides a support for plants.  Plant roots dig into the soil and hold the plant bodies upright.  Now that the
experiment is over remove the experimental plants from the soil to look at the roots.  Notice the fine hairs through which water
and minerals travel. 

Pre-Lesson:  Discuss the process of drawing conclusions.  It is not supposed to confirm the hypothesis, but simply report what
was learned in the experiment.  Proving the hypothesis and disproving the hypothesis are both successful conclusions.  The
point is to learn. 

Post-Lesson: Recall that agricultural businesses and communities are an important part of EPA’s history and present.  Recall
that one reason for the success of these businesses and communities was the excellent soil in EPA.  Ask students what the
qualities of the soil must be: high in nutrients, good size of air spaces. 

Lesson 3.1 Getting Started

Intro: Now that we understand how plants grow naturally, we will study how they grow in a human maintained environment
such as a garden or a farm.  The objective is discuss the different reasons that these students might want to cultivate plants.  We
will also learn about the basics of starting a garden including where to garden, water sources, and soil preparation. 

Why Garden?: Discuss with students why they might be cultivating plants at some point in their life: 
 •To beautify the inside/surrounding area of a home or apartment. 
 •To get top quality fruits, vegetables, and flowers.  Fresh (not in storage or  freezer for days), local (not transported from far
away), without pesticides  if garden is organic. Fresh food is the healthiest; food loses nutrients the  longer it is out of the soil, in
storage, in fridge, etc. 
 •To be a successful business person, selling these products. 
 •To get a job at a farm/nursery/landscaping company/government (city  landscaping, department of agriculture . . .). 
 •Helping family and friends to start their own gardens. 

Where Garden?: You do not need to own a farm to start a successful garden.  A small, well tended area in a sunny spot may
be most productive.  People have small gardens in half-barrels (ex. Dozen lettuce around rim with pepper of tomato plant in the
middle).  Wooden boxes that hang from windows are common in apartments.  For people who want larger spaces, there is the
community garden on Weeks Street. 

Water Sources: There a number of ways to water your garden in a manner that conserves water.  Chapter 21 of the East Palo
Alto City Plan provides guidance on this subject with regulations for drip irrigation systems and watering at night. 

Prepare The Soil: After finding a sunny spot it is important to prepare the soil.  It is important that the soil be loose, not
compacted, with lots of small air spaces.  These air spaces allow the roots to grow and expand easily.  Also, these air spaces
can hold water which plants need to survive.  However, if the air spaces are to large as in sand, the water will flow through the
soil and will not be held for the plants to gradually take it in.  Plants also rely on soil for basic minerals so it is important that the
soil be "nutritious." 

If the soil is hard and clay-like, we can create air spaces by turning over soil with a shovel and breaking up clumps.  Avoid
compacting the soil by not walking on it.  Remove rocks and garbage from the soil.  Mixing in compost is also very important
for improving the air spaces in soil and increasing the amount of nutrients.  Worms are great for soil because they create air
spaces and add minerals as they move along.  Recall that many areas in East Palo Alto are known to have excellent soil for
cultivating plants. 

Weeding: Weeding is very important maintenance work for a garden.  Define weeds as no paticular plant, rather some plant
that is undesirable in a particular environment.  In the case of garden a weed is a plant that is crowding the plants that are being
cultivated.  Weed by pulling and removing roots, shaking of the soil.  Also, mulching (throwing down grass clippings, wood
chips, or leaves) around plants can prevent weeds from growing. 

School Garden: Obtain compost and shovels by coordinating with the Stanford Organic Community Farm.  Go out to the
school garden and discuss reasons why this spot was chosen on the school grounds.  Dig up some soil and pass around
handfuls.  Discuss its consistency as sandy (coarse), silty (fine), or clayey (very fine). Spread a 2 inch layer of compost over the
area that will be planted and work it in with shovels to 6 inches. 

Pre-Lesson: Walk out to the garden and take a good look at it.  Discuss the school garden and its history.  When was it
started? What has grown and is growing there?  Which classes have and are working on it? 

Post-Lesson: Ask students what they think should be done with the school garden.  Should students work in it every day? 
What should be done with the fruits and vegetables (sent home with students, used in the cafeteria, sold at a farmers market . .
.). 

3.2 Compost 

Intro: The objective is to learn about the compost that was used to prepare the soil in the previous lesson.  We will learn how to
produce compost and what it does to improve soil. 

What Is Compost?: Compost is a mixture of decayed plant pieces.  It is an important stage in a cycle that involves plants and
soil.  Discuss with the class the growth and decay of plants: plants grow taking carbon dioxide from the air and minerals from
the ground, plant dies and is broken down by bacteria so that carbon dioxide returns to the air and the rest of the plant
becomes nutrient-rich soil.  Compost is simply a stage where the dead plant is being transformed to soil again.  Have students
diagram this cycle on a worksheet. 

How to Make Compost: Find a shady spot and make a pile of organic materials such as garden clippings, kitchen wastes
(coffee grounds, vegetables), shredded paper, wood ashes.  Do not include meat, cheese, eggs, metals, or plastics.  Bacteria
will do the rest by decomposing these material until they become compost.  Succulent material (grass clippings, green weeds,
lettuce leaves, pea vines) contain sugar and protein which bacteria like so they decompose rapidly.  Sawdust, straw, dry leaves,
twigs contain little nitrogen and decompose slowly.  Mix these things well in a pile to get the best results.  Bacteria inside are
decomposing it and bacteria need moisture, air, and food. 

Compost As Soil Improvement: Discuss how we used compost to improve the soil.  Recall that plants need soil that has
nutrients and air spaces that will hold water and allow for roots to expand.  Compost provides the nutrients and air spaces that
are needed.  It has lots of nutrients because it is made of decaying plant matter.  Furthermore it has the right structure with air
spaces that trap water and allow for root growth.  Test the structure of the compost by placing sand, clay, and composted soil
in three different containers.  The containers should be open on top with a tight mesh on the bottom.  Pour water through three
different containers of soil.  Use a stop watch and a container that measure volume to record the volume of water that flows
through each of the soils in a minute. 

The Soil Is Alive: Make the point of soil as a living thing, not just dead rocks and minerals.  The ground is living with very small
animals (microbes) and larger animals (worms, insects, etc.).  Healthy soil means healthy plants; nutritious soil means nutritious
plants. 

Compost As Businesses: Discuss the need for collecting and composting organic wastes.  East Palo Alto has goals for reducing
the amount of wastes that it sends to landfills (50% of waste must be recycled by 2010 or state government will fine EPA
$10,000 each day).  By collecting organic wastes from schools, residents, restaurants, and landscape businesses this goal may
be achieved.  There is also demand for quality compost to be used in gardening, landscaping, and farming.  People have
suggested that these compost businesses could take place in the old  unused greenhouses in the Weeks Neighborhood.  Have
students draw two story lines.  One including waste production, to compost pile, to agricultural use, to new plants, to plant use,
to waste production.  And one without compost, in which the waste goes to the dump.  For example: cook in restaurant cutting
up an apple, pile of apple cores in a garbage can, apple cores on a compost pile, compost pile decomposed by bacteria,
compost used at farm to grow apples, new apples sent to the restaurant. 

Pre-Lesson: Discuss the different kinds of waste we produce in the house, at work, and in yards.  Discuss what organic wastes
are found in these three places. 

Post-Lesson: Discuss exception to the simple cycle we made in class.  What if an animal eats part of the plant?  How does that
plant matter find its way back into the cycle?  Bacteria will decompose animal poop and dead animal bodies also.  Add a
picture diagram of this to the cycle made in the earlier lesson. 

3.3 Planting

•Make rows of raised dirt (keep straight by laying down string) 
•Use supports/stakes/wire to support plants like tomatoes. 
•Check the seed packet for directions (most flowers need one square foot). 
•Make a plan for planting by measuring garden and sketching it out (good opportunity to teach students how to use CAD
program). 
•Planting methods: 
 -directly in ground: corn, beans 
 -seed trays indoors 
  transferred to small pots 
  transplant outside once buds and weather warm/sunny 
Depth of planting: 
 fine seeds pressed in and sprinkle soil over 
 large seeds dig hole 4 times width of seed (or read package) 
What to plant 
 Annuals: Sprout,flower, produce seeds, die all in one year. 
  ex. Marigolds and zinnias (glories, asters, cornflowers, shirley    poppies, calendulas, straw flowers) 
 Perennials: Flower only two or three weeks, live year after year, roots    survive through winter; take two years to flower from
seed because   first year only leaves to store up energy for next year. 
  ex. peonies, chrysanthemums, oriental poppies, phlox, coreopsis,   gaillardias, Siberian irises, day lilies. 
 Hybrids: 
  Mule analogy: what is a mule?  male donkey + female horse      mules have amazing strength but are sterile. 
  Mule marigold: small French marigold + tall American marigold. 
   Don’t make seeds, instead use all energy for flowers 
 Bulbs: Survive winter because stores food (may die if very cold) 
  ex. daffodils, tulips, dahlias, gladioli 
 Herbs: small space needed ex. windowsill planter. 
  ex. parsly, chives, basil 
 Vegetables and Fruits: no scientific difference. 
  Leafy (lettuce, cabbage), root (carrot, beet), fruiting      (tomato,pepper, zuchini). 
  Be aware of last frost in spring, plant after frosts over 
 Butterfly attracting: plant a clump of these in a sunny spot . 
  ex. zinnias, butterfly weed/bush, marigolds, asters. 
 Hummingbird attracting: drink nectar, hummingbird vine, trumpet vine. 
 Tree and shrub: 
  "Woody plants" because long lasting cell structure 
  Can live long, giant sequoias may be 3,000 years old 
  Uses: wood, fruit, shade, wind breaks, hold soil 
  Deciduous, lose leaves in winter 
  Evergreens, survive winter without losing pine needles 

3.4 Pests and Weeds

Young plants especially vulnerable. 
Alternatives to pesticides and herbicides:
  slugs and snails: go early morning and put all in a bucket to take far away from garden 
  aphids (tiny insects): spray off plant with hose 
  gopher and ground squirrels: put a clump of human hair in ground. 
 

3.5 Uses of Plants

Cooking: Discuss different recipes. 
Money: Farmers Market. 
Social: Community Garden. 
Religious and cultural: Intro to 7nth Harvest Research Institute field trip. 
 

4.0 Project

Define purpose 
 community service 
 apply skills from lessons 
 identify knowledge and skills from lessons 

Potential Projects: 
  Interprative signs to go along the SF Baylands Trail 
  4-H  competition for largest fruit/veg/pumpkin??? 

 Farm garden structure: tool shed, planter boxes, bench, fence. 

 Inventory of tree in the area.  Could be presented to City Planning department. 

 Compost project at school.  Would be supported by composting program that  the San Mateo County Waste Department
has. 

 Getting a load to the farmers market. 

 Bringing other classes into the garden. 

 Work with Meda on how you design a good park.  Use CAD.  Field trips to different parks.  How you work with community
to see what kind of park they want.  Have students build models of their ideal parks.