K – 5th Grade

Discovering Sustainability Science

The Greenhouse Project K-5th grade curriculum is comprised of three sections per grade designed to cover one year of science instruction: the FARMING FOUNDATIONS, the Greenhouse Classroom/GHC CONNECT and the SUSTAINABILITY EXTENSION.

The Farming Foundations Unit provides 10 lessons to create a structure for establishing and maintaining your hydroponic farming systems in the classroom. In this way, students can easily grow and harvest many pounds of leafy greens throughout the year as they dig deeper into the science concepts behind every task. The idea is that students perform all hydroponics farming chores, year round, through short classroom routines mastered in this unit, as they become confident and independent farmer-scientists.  

This introductory unit comes with a toolkit for each of the hydroponic systems with materials designed to help students learn and interact with them (Word wall cards, jobs/tasks cards, hand lenses, tweezers, tape measures, and more!)

The GHC Connect Lessons are designed to match the unit themes of the new mandated NYC Science Scope and Sequence. This section of our curriculum offers 15 to 18  targeted lessons per grade, usually in sets of 3, connecting hands-on learning in the Greenhouse Classroom to the mandated science standards. Teaching the GHC Connect lessons within the connected NYC Scope and Sequence unit has maximum impact, but all lessons can be taught independently and at any point during the school year. 

The Sustainability Extension Lessons expose students to current environmental concerns as they explore sustainable solutions for a 21st century changing planet. This section of the curriculum offers 12 lessons per grade, also designed in sets, that include hands-on projects, engineering tasks, and opportunities to build a world-view through citizen action campaigns. The idea is to inspire and empower students to make science+sustainability connections, and to feel that they can affect meaningful and positive change within their own lives, their immediate communities, and the world. 

The K-5th grade curriculum includes special features such as the NY Sun Works Reports and the Student Journal Pages (SJP). The Reports are short, easy to read, highly visual and engaging guides of several topics discussed in the lessons. They are used to inform students while providing in-depth research. They are written by science experts and contributors. Topics vary from farming in Alaska, to fossil fuels, to genetics, to insects. 

The Student Journal Pages (SJP)  are a form of assessment embedded in the lessons. They are a formatted “lesson response sheet” used throughout the program and can be integrated into science notebooks as they involve direct answers and data collection tables. 

The Greenhouse Project Curriculum uses innovative technology to provide new possibilities for teaching and learning. All lessons are related to the Greenhouse Project systems through experimentation and practice. 

“I willingly leave my future in the hands of my students and I do so with genuine trust.”

—Shakira Provasoli,  Teacher at The Sun Works Center at PS333

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