Student garden taking shape

Robert J. Burch Elementary School, partnering with their School Partners in Education and a Master Gardener, recently gave Burch Bears a chance to grow their knowledge and skills as novice gardeners. The students are learning the value and convenience of gardening as a life skill and bringing this experience into the classroom.

In the fall Burch second-grade students planted carrot seeds. Last week students were able to go out to the Burch Garden and harvest their carrots. The Burch Garden has been able to be used to connect a real-world life skill (gardening) to classroom academics. The second-grade students wrote informational paragraphs on “How to Grow a Carrot.” In math, the students measured the length in inches of each carrot and recorded their data. The classes were able to review their data and find such interesting facts as the shortest length, longest length, and the average length (in inches) of their carrots from the Burch Garden.

Students in Ms. Benzor’s and Ms. Woody’s second-grade classes were all able to take carrots home to wash, eat, and share with their families. In addition, the students were able to taste test the homemade carrot cupcakes made by Ms. Woody from the carrots harvested from the Burch Garden.

“Students at Robert J. Burch Elementary are benefiting from this experience where the real-world and the classroom interact to create authentic learning experiences for students,” according to a spokesperson.