DIGS: K-12 Curriculum
K-12 instructional units that integrate ecology, botany, ethnobotany, & economic botany, health & wellness, literacy, & art.
Botanography’s DIGS are units of project-based lessons and activities that are aligned with Pennsylvania State Curriculum Standards and the newly adopted STEELS standards. Each unit lists standards addressed in lesson or activity content and encourage active, hands-on engagement with plants and a plant’s ecology. The curriculum integrates STEM, art, social studies, and literacy subject matter and activate classroom garden spaces and fieldtrips to arboretums, parks, or botanical gardens. Some lessons are directly aligned with Botanography's HIVE teaching tools. Most DIGS units will be available Fall 2024.
Pre K-K DIGS emphasize alphabet knowledge & phonological awareness using plants as a context. They encourage community & socialization in a garden and are designed to develop motivation and imaginative connection to ecology and plants through art projects and stories about plants that teach fine motor skills and the fundamentals of environmental literacy.
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Grades 1-2 DIGS emphasize phonological awareness, word recognition and vocabulary development using plants as a context. They encourage community & socialization in a garden and are designed to develop motivation and imaginative connection to ecology and plants through art projects that teach skills and reading stories about plants with a focus on the fundamentals of environmental literacy.
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Grades 3-5 DIGS emphasize word recognition and vocabulary development of botany and ecology concepts using plants as a context. They encourage community & socialization in a garden and are designed to develop motivation and imaginative connection to ecology and plants through art that teach observation skills, reading and writing stories about plants with a focus on the fundamentals of environmental literacy.
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Grades 6-8 DIGS emphasize vocabulary development of botany and ecology concepts from imaginative and scientific points of view using plants as a context as well as community & socialization in a garden. Lessons are designed to develop scientific observation skills and imaginative connection to ecology and plants through making art that teach skills in reading and writing to advance students’ environmental literacy. STEM career exploration is introduced.
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Grades 9-12 DIGS emphasize vocabulary mastery of botany and ecology concepts from imaginative and scientific points of view using plants as a context as well as community & socialization in a garden. Lessons are designed to encourage deep scientific and imaginative connection to ecology and plants through making art tthrough scientific observation, stories about plants to advance students’ environmental literacy from multiple points of view. STEM career exploration is introduced.
