Educator Overview

Collage of four people who are outdoors
Gardeners have many stories to tell about their lives and communities. Clockwise from upper left: Four Generations of Gardeners, A Passion for Insects, Watson and Bassett, and Women in the Food Movement.

Stories about gardens can tell us about where we have been and where we are going. The beliefs we hold, scientific innovation, foodways, and cultural and community traditions are reflected in our gardens. Conducting an oral history interview with a gardener captures an in-depth personal account that can provide unique insights into a larger story about community history, cultural traditions, and environmental issues. Community of Gardens, a digital archive hosted by Smithsonian Gardens, is an online platform designed to help preserve our diverse garden heritage through everyday garden stories. 

By completing the components of the Interview a Gardener Green Ambassador Challenge, students will learn how to conduct an oral history with a gardener then prepare submission for to Community of Gardens digital archive. Investigating local stories and voices can help students explore how they are a part of a community, learn more about where they live from fellow community members, and forge new connections with the green spaces around them. Students will also practice their listening, recording, writing, and analytical skills.

Grades

6–12

Standards of Learning

Common Core State Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.5 Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

Goals

By completing the Interview a Gardener Green Ambassador Challenge, students will…

  • investigate the role gardens play in local and personal history, cultural traditions, and community building.
  • construct clear and informed questions for conducting an oral history interview.
  • practice hands-on technical skills, such as audio and video recording and editing.
  • refine presentation skills by conveying their interviews and findings to their class.
  • develop interpersonal skills by interviewing family and community members.
  • synthesize the information in their interview, along with any multimedia, into a clear and persuasive written narrative.

Essential Questions

  • What can gardeners tell us about history, traditions, culture, and environmental issues in our communities?
  • Why is it important to document and share stories about gardens and green spaces?
  • How is green space in our communities changing?

Consent Forms

In order for a teacher to submit a student’s garden story to the Community of Gardens archive, the student’s parent or legal guardian must sign the parent/guardian consent form. Interviewees must also sign the interviewee consent form to give their permission for their story to be submitted to Community of Gardens. Teachers should retain both sets of these consent forms for their own records; they do not need to be submitted to Smithsonian Gardens. To respect the privacy of students and interviewees, publishing interviews to the Community of Gardens archive should not be the only measure of academic assessment. Student or interviewees may request to keep their interviews private.

Materials

Ready to get started?

Download the teacher packet or use the sidebar to navigate to the different project parts.