NJ AITC Lessons
Language Arts
Read and write while learning about agriculture
There are so many wonderful ways to link language arts to lessons about agriculture and the school garden. We start with our list of more than 150 fiction and nonfiction books about gardening and agriculture. Next there are ideas for linking the school garden to writing, and ideas for activities linked to favorite children books about farming and gardening. Each lesson is linked to the New Jersey Learning Standards for preschool through fifth grade. If you have questions about these lessons, please contact: njagliteracy@gmail.com.
Click on the lesson title to download the lesson.
Books That Bring the Garden Into the Classroom
Our list of more than 150 children's fiction and nonfiction books about gardening and agriculture.
Writing in the Garden
How to turn your garden into a hub for writing.
What Happens in the Garden When Nobody's There
Fun garden fantasy writing for children of all ages.
Talia and the Rude Vegetables
A Rosh Hashanah book about root vegetables.
Books for Little Ones:
PreK-1
Wow your young students with these cute books.
Garden Poetry
Use these books to get started writing poetry in the garden.
Teaching Garden Idioms
Do your students know what these garden idioms mean?
Fun Books to Start a Conversation About Nutrition
Get your students talking about nutrition with these zany books.
Plays to Explain What Happens in the Garden
Create plays to explain the plant life cycles, pollination, and more.
My Life As A Vegetable
Students imagine they are their favorite vegetable. They write a short story about their life and create a portrait of themselves as their vegetable of choice!
You Are Made of Sunshine
Create a play to explain how photosynthesis works.
Grow Your Own Folk and Fairy Tales
Use classic favorites to teach about the garden.
The Little Red Hen and Making Bread
Read this classic story to learn how wheat is turned into bread.
Read About the History of Growing Food
Learn how people throughout history grew their food.
Sophie's Squash
Learning the plant cycle by adopting a squash as best friend.
Seed School, Growing Up Amazing
In seed school, all types of seeds learn how to grow up and become plants.
Karl, Get Out of the Garden
This charming book shows how Karl Linnaeus named every living thing.