Learn about George Washington Carver's important contributions to agriculture by studying the sweet potato. First graders read about the inventor's observations and prepare sweet potato slips for the class garden. Additionally, they explore the life cycle of a sweet potato and complete an assessment to show what they have learned.

Concepts

gardening, george washington carver

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Additional Tags

gardening, class garden, george washington carver, sweet potatoes, science

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Instructional Ideas

• Bring in sweet potatoes for the lesson if you don't have a class garden, or if your harvest isn't ready yet
• Include the lesson in a unit about inventors, gardening, or nutrition
• Have kids write about an invention that they would create to make a difference in the world
• Include a cooking lesson as an extension, so kids can taste a sweet potato

Classroom Considerations

• Lesson takes place over a month or two, preparing the sweet potato slips to be planted
• You may want to collaborate with your class's teachers for the next year, as the lesson prompts kids to plant sweet potatoes to be harvested by next year's first graders

Pros

• Comes with many additional resources, including assessments, rubric, and links to reference pages and books

Cons

• None