Resources:

Year Four Educators: 1. Note to parents: Seeking -

Recycled or salvageable
Building a vegetable materials e.g crocs, tyres,
wooden pallets.

2. iPads + Camera

20th of October 2019.

3. Checklist and or anecdotal notes.

Dear Year Four educators, 4. Assessment rubric

5. Seedlings - provided by
As part of our Science & Design Technologies unit for
WoolWorths.

6. Equipment: seedlings, pens,

this term, students will be creating a sustainable
scissors, paper aprons, gardening
vegetable garden which links to the UN goals, 12, 15, 13.
tools and so forth.

This document will outlines the details of the project, if

there are any questions please do not hesitate to email.
This unit of work will take six lessons (this does not include plant growth observation time);
Lesson one: Living things depend on each other and the environment to survive. 
• During this lesson students will be taught the concepts of living things having cycles. Students will
be given a hand out explaining the task.
• Students will need to complete a KWL chart - this will be a reference point throughout the unit of
work.
• The groups will need to be allocated (three in each group). As you have received this information
three weeks prior to the commencement date, I please ask for teachers to decide on adequate
grouping before the commencement of this project, allocate students based on productivity.
• Students will then have time to create focus questions in their groups, these focus questions should
aid them in their work. Remind students, the more focus questions, the better but they need to be
of high quality and precision. Plants, materials, creation and presentation are the four components
for this task - students will need to make a minimum of two focus questions for each component.
This will be later used as success criteria. These focus questions can be done with the KWL chart
or separately if students believe they can not develop on their KWL.
• How will the students record their results (e.g measuring, amount of leaves)? Will this be on a chart
or tally? Either allocate a procedure or allow for the groups to decide.
• Remind students of safe practices although, it is your responsibility that students are aware of safe
practices and these are executed (e.g tools management).
• Please note: This must interlink with sustainability - students will need to explain the link therefore it
needs to be taught, use the United Nations goals for this teaching.
• Students will need to take photos of all stages of this project for a presentation at the end.
** Please make sure each component to this project is store in a safe place for assessment.**
• At the end of this lesson students will be handed a letter for their parents asking for volunteers and
materials for the project - this is due a week after the hand out date.
Lesson two:
• Students will be investigating different materials & ways of executing the project - they will need to
visualise and explore innovative design ideas and ways of connecting and assembling the
components of this project.
• In groups students will need to research and decide on the vegetable they would like to grow - each
vegetable can only be allocated twice. This is where students should refer back to their focus
questions. (e.g - what vegetables can grow together? Which vegetables need most sunlight? )
• Students will already be allocated an area - there will be no planning needed for the destination.
• In groups, the students must plan through an iPad or large worksheet.
• Once students have chosen four vegetables, they will decide on what materials (e.g what material
will best suit my plant? Egg carton for sprouts etc.).
• It is recommended that students make elevated vegetable beds (this enables better drainage).
Lesson three & four:
• This will be the producing stage of the project. Students will select and use materials, tools and
resources to assemble the vegetable garden holding spot - e.g the base.
• Students will be collaborating and managing a sequence of production steps.
• Parent volunteers will be needed for this and the next lesson as students will be creating the garden.
• Only two volunteers will be needed per classroom. Specific classrooms will be allowed more based
upon the needs of students (i.e, disability, behavioural issues), volunteers will be helping with
hammering, cutting and other jobs that are high risk or challenging . Please contact me for further
information regarding volunteers or EA’s.
• Make sure to roam the area assisting students when needed, make notes of each group for later
assessment and praise.
Lesson five: (Five & Six will be towards the end of term)
• Students will be recording the observations of each vegetable throughout the term. Some groups
will have different strategies and soils, which can be used for further teaching by comparison.
• The groups will have two lessons to create a presentation for the class - they will also have these
lessons to reflect on the project, refer back to their KWL chart and focus questions.
• The groups will need to evaluate the design ideas, processes and solutions based on criteria for
success - this needs to include for environment/sustainability (e.g how would vegetable gardens
benefit our world?).
Lesson six:
Present and reflect.
• Each presentation will be uploaded to sea-sew for the parents to see and the class captains will
present a chosen groups presentation to the school for assembly.
• Scan the QR codes for children’s literature that may aid your lesson and photo examples of
recyclable materials for the potting of the vegetables as well as success criteria & specifications.

Examples Teaching aids Details Children’s literature.