TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF IRRIGATION-FREE EXPERTS

SPONSOR: ABRAHAM LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL, SAN FRANCISCO

As part of Abraham Lincoln High School Teacher Valerie Ziegler's Green Academy, we created curriculum for and have led workshops on how to engage students with their hands and senses in determining the drought adaptations of plants as a first step in becoming their own experts in creating irrigation-free landscapes. After a brief overview of how irrigation-free landscapes work and what the common drought adaptations of plants are, we dive into the main portion of the workshop, which is a hands-on, sensory-based exploration of plants themselves and having the students use their senses of touch, sight, and smell to figure out how each particular plant is able to withstand long periods without rainfall.