Start with a Seedling: Uncovering the Kindergarten Language and Literacy Curriculum One Leaf at a Time

Authors

  • Lyndsay Moffatt University of Prince Edward Island

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20360/G2RC84

Keywords:

kindergarten, gardening, food, mandated curriculum, language and literacy, environmental sustainability, food security,

Abstract

While recent research has documented a myriad of benefits to school gardening and food programs, many educators and administrators voice concerns that such programs detract from the provincially mandated curriculum and few researchers have investigated how school gardening and food programs may support language and literacy curriculum expectations. Using a content analysis of transcripts of audio data from a school gardening and food program that matched 24 kindergarten children with 17 adult and young adult volunteers, this study illustrates how such a program may help support mandated language and literacy curriculum. Analysis suggests the children involved in the program practiced important oral language skills, such as asking questions and expressing experiences with their garden buddies at a high frequency.

 

Author Biography

Lyndsay Moffatt, University of Prince Edward Island

Lyndsay Moffatt is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island.

Downloads

Published

2017-07-26

How to Cite

Moffatt, L. (2017). Start with a Seedling: Uncovering the Kindergarten Language and Literacy Curriculum One Leaf at a Time. Language and Literacy, 18(3), 89–105. https://doi.org/10.20360/G2RC84

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 3 (2016)

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
    1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
    2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
    3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).