English Language Development in the Garden

When students learn within an engaging context, they are more apt to feel comfortable and confident, grasp language structures and vocabulary, and build listening, reading, and communication skills. In schoolyard gardens, language-building activities grow out of concrete experiences, hands-on investigations, and natural events. These – and good teaching strategies – motivate youngsters to learn. Because such experiences are multisensory and experiential, they also create a safe environment for students who may struggle with a new language, concepts, and social factors inside the classroom. The best news is that these same experiences and strategies support language development and science understanding in all students.

Many educators and researchers (e.g., Stoddart et al. 2002*) contend that inquiry-based science and language learning strategies go hand in hand and reinforce one another. In fact, communication is a cornerstone of being a good scientist. The garden provides a concrete context for observing, describing and naming objects and processes, taking notes, posing questions, discussing, collaborating, jointly making sense of experiences, explaining and defending ideas, and so on. As such, it can help alllearners hone these important strategies and skills.

“Most of our kids are second language learners, but kids are at all different levels and help each other out,” says nutrition educator Naomi Gonzalez. “And it’s a big boost for kids who know the words; it gives them a sense of pride.” Fruitful garden-based teaching strategies prompt peer interactions and less reliance on the teacher or textbooks. When peers lend language support, English language learners (ELLs) can more comfortably focus on grasping concepts and building skills. Better yet, in the garden, knowing the “right answer” takes a back seat to discovery, questioning, and figuring things out together. All of this helps level the playing field and relieve pressure for ELLs.

What’s more, when school gardens become centerpieces for growing crops, using techniques, and fueling recipes that connect to the cultures of English language learners, students see themselves reflected in their curriculum. This, in turn, is apt to boost their sense of belonging.

Garden-Based Language Development: Suggestions from the Field

Intrigued? Here are a few English language development activities and teaching strategies suggested by teachers in our growing network:

Activate prior knowledge. Make links to students’ educational, and cultural, and every day experiences. By connecting curriculum concepts to their experiences, you can help make concepts more concrete. A familiar strategy for doing so is to create a KWL chart. “When we do KWL charts, we always bring in student background knowledge,” says principal, Sonia Jaramillo. “We might ask, ‘What do you do at home with gardens or plants?’. In Mexico, they raise different food plants; students have this knowledge, but not the language. The important piece is allowing students to connect what they know and have experienced to the new language.”

Use garden/science journals. “When you use journals with English language learners, students can write thoughts at their own levels,” says Sonia.  She explains that when students listen to someone speaking English, it takes time to process and understand what’s being said. But when students write about and summarize what they just just saw or learned in the garden, they have more flexibility to process and write at their own pace. Student journals can also be used as formative assessment tools, giving a teacher insight on students’ language development and thinking.

Consider having students set up double-entry journals. This involves dividing each page down the center. Students use the left side for observations, drawings, and descriptive notes. The right hand column is reserved for questions and reflections inspired by the observations.

Have English language learners mentor younger students. When students have an opportunity to teach something to someone else, their own understanding and abilities are reinforced and likely to deepen. Check out English Language Learning Flourishes in a School Garden to learn how middle school English language learners and their second grade ELL garden buddies matured as scientists and communicators.

Run an egg carton garden scavenger hunt. Enrichment teacher Naomi Gonzalez suggests using this activity to build students’ vocabulary and understanding of adjectives. Bring in enough egg cartons so each group of two to four students can have one. On each long side of an egg carton, write one of a pair of “opposite” adjectives (shiny/dull or alive/dead, for instance). Small groups must use their senses to explore the garden and schoolyard in search of items to fill their cartons. Once they have done so, gather all the cartons and use tape or paper to cover the words you wrote.  By examining the items gathered by another team, each team must try to guess the adjectives that inspired the collection.

Plant parts indoors and out. Naomi also suggests building vocabulary with an edible plant parts lesson. Fill six plastic baggies with different edible plant parts: roots, leaves, fruits and so on. Each student gets a baggie to examine with a magnifying lens.  Students describe what they see and then share this with partners. Pairs discuss and write down what plant they think it comes from, what part of the plant it is, and whether or not they eat it. “I use this to find out what students already know,” says Naomi. Another day, she takes them to the garden to look for examples of the parts they examined.  “The garden is the best learning environment I know of because it’s all hands-on, practical, and meaningful, so students use the language immediately.”

Capture garden images. Take digital photos or have students take photos of peers, community members, or families in the garden – or photos of garden plants, creatures, and other items and phenomena. As students examine and discuss the printed or digital photos, direct them to write captions. They can turn these collections into an online slideshow or booklet to share with other classrooms, parents, and community members.

Create a multicultural heritage garden. One teacher writes, “Each year English language learners interview their family members to discover vegetables that are staples in their native countries. Next, we design and plant a multicultural heritage vegetable garden. The students maintain gardening logs. They design and create mini-lessons and give informational presentations to their mainstream peers to showcase their gardening accomplishments.”

Conduct cultural interviews. Ask students to interview parents, grandparents, and other family or community members about culturally important recipes, special gardening techniques, plant or food folklore, members of plants used for celebrations, and so on. They can present what they’ve learned to the class via drawings and text, posters, stand-up presentations, or other means.

Describe garden flavors. Use food tasting to help students stretch their senses and descriptive skills. Over time, they might shift from a word such as “hot” to using words such as “peppery” or “zesty.” In doing so, they expand their openness to new flavors as well as their abilities to describe them.

More teaching ideas: Schoolyard Inquiry for English Language Learners.  In this fascinating article from the March 2007 issue of The Science Teacher, teacher Miriam Westervelt reveals the synergistic relationship between science inquiry and ELL strategies, points to supporting research, and describes how she used “inductive” observational outings, nature journaling, and multicultural gardening for development of language and science skills, dispositions, and understanding.

Additional Resources

1880s Agricultural Nation: Foods and Families on the Move
In this classroom activity from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, students use visual, analytical, and interpretive skills to examine primary sources related to migrant families and learn about how crops were harvested, transported and sold in 1880s America.

Food Around the World lessons
This series of Web pages from the California School Garden Network has links to lessons, fact sheets, and other resources.

Agricultural Webquests for English Language Learners
Developed by Missouri's Agriculture in the Classroom program at Missouri State University, this Web page offers 5 online lessons for English Language Learners.

* Stoddart, T., A. Pinal, M. Latzke, and D. Canada. 2002. Integrating inquiry science and language development for English language learners. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 39(8): 664–687.