Winton Middle School

      Winton Middle School is a low-income school, the majority of students are English Language Learners. 100% of students receive free breakfast and lunch. WMS is solely funded through Title 1 funds. Students enrolled are in grades 6-8. WMS utilizes Common Core and NGSS Standards. The classroom in charge of the school garden is my class, the Special Day Class (SDC) in which students have a variety of disabilities and learning challenges. 

      Last year, WMS SDC students started a school garden by writing a proposal, asking for donations, and building 8 raised garden bed. This year, students are working on planting more variety of plants and vegetables. The challenge for them this year is to figure out a watering system that is sustainable and doesn't require students to take out watering cans daily.

     The garden helps to use PBL, inclusion, and UDL for the SDC students. My class does the heavy lifting of researching, planning, labor, and reaching out to the community. With the help of general education students, the garden becomes a community project. WMS teachers take their students out to teach in the garden. 7th-grade science teachers also use the plants when teaching about plant cells and structure.