Plant-ivism! Using Persuasive Techniques to Add Greenery to Your Community,
Grades 4-5
8 class sessions, 1.5 hours per class (12 hours of instruction)
February 22 - April 11
Thursdays, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. PST
Course Description:
In this class, students will read about the positive effects of plants and gardening. We’ll read about how plants and gardens can improve mood, productivity, and overall social-emotional health. We’ll discuss how an environment full of plants and greenery can shape a community. Then, our class will culminate in a project where students will find a space in their own school or neighborhood that would benefit from a community garden or more greenery. We’ll study persuasive techniques and writing strategies to implement into our writing. We’ll take an in depth look at how we can support our opinions with evidence and strong reasoning so that students can write a proposal for their community garden ideas.
Instructor Biography:
Mr. Carranza was a fellow of the UCI Writing Project Summer Institute in 2021. He teaches English and Journalism at Jefferson Middle School in the San Gabriel Unified School District. After earning a BA in Literature at Cal State Long Beach, he went on to earn an MA in English at Claremont Graduate University where he learned the value of cross-curricular work. He believes strongly in centering students’ own experiences and voices in their learning and the lasting impact that their stories can bring.
In this class, students will read about the positive effects of plants and gardening. We’ll read about how plants and gardens can improve mood, productivity, and overall social-emotional health. We’ll discuss how an environment full of plants and greenery can shape a community. Then, our class will culminate in a project where students will find a space in their own school or neighborhood that would benefit from a community garden or more greenery. We’ll study persuasive techniques and writing strategies to implement into our writing. We’ll take an in depth look at how we can support our opinions with evidence and strong reasoning so that students can write a proposal for their community garden ideas.
Instructor Biography:
Mr. Carranza was a fellow of the UCI Writing Project Summer Institute in 2021. He teaches English and Journalism at Jefferson Middle School in the San Gabriel Unified School District. After earning a BA in Literature at Cal State Long Beach, he went on to earn an MA in English at Claremont Graduate University where he learned the value of cross-curricular work. He believes strongly in centering students’ own experiences and voices in their learning and the lasting impact that their stories can bring.