Cultivating language: and English as a second language gardening curriculum.

Abstract

Experiential learning and the use of gardening in schools has been effectively used to teach content. Yet, there is a lack of gardening curriculum available specifically for English language learners (ELLs). The purpose of this master’s project is to fill this deficit by creating a curriculum specific for ELLs using gardening as a medium of teaching English. This Master’s Project examines literature relevant to establishing an experiential based curriculum that integrates gardening as a viable medium to support the acquisition of English. The Cultivating Language curriculum provides English as a second language lessons that use gardening activities to teach English. The Cultivating Language curriculum is created for use with 9 through 11 year-old English language learners with intermediate English proficiency. The curriculum consists of 11 lessons that occur on a once weekly basis. All lessons have been created following the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) framework designed for ELL's. The gardening content contains elements from the Junior Master Gardener Grow Team in Monmouth County, NJ and the Salvation Army’s Boys and Girl’s Club in Dunkirk, NY. The language content covers using descriptive language and relating events as communicative strategies for ELLs.