Cultivating Community Gardens Lesson Plan
Learning Objective
Students will learn about the concept of community gardens and their benefits, while developing their digital animation skills using Brush Ninja.
Materials
- Computers or tablets with internet access
- Brush Ninja animated gif maker
Procedure
- Begin by discussing the idea of community gardens and why they are important.
- Engage students in a discussion about the benefits of community gardens, such as promoting healthy eating, fostering social connections, and beautifying neighborhoods.
- Divide students into small groups and assign each group a specific aspect of community gardens to research.
- Encourage students to use reliable online resources or books to gather information about their assigned topic.
- Have each group create a simple plan for an animated gif that illustrates their assigned aspect of community gardens.
- Instruct students on how to access Brush Ninja on their computers or tablets.
- Provide a brief demonstration on the basic features and tools available in Brush Ninja.
- Guide students through the process of creating an animated gif that represents their researched aspect of community gardens.
- Allow each group to present their animated gifs to the class, explaining how it relates to their assigned aspect of community gardens.
- Facilitate a class discussion where students share what they learned from each other’s presentations.
Assessment
- Observe student engagement during the research phase and provide guidance as needed.
- Assess student understanding through their ability to create an animated gif that effectively represents their assigned aspect of community gardens.
- Evaluate student participation during the sharing and discussion session based on active listening and thoughtful contributions.
Extension
For further exploration:
- Have students create additional animated gifs highlighting different aspects of community gardening, such as composting, insect pollination, or the life cycle of plants.
- Encourage students to share their animated gifs with other classes or even display them on the school’s website or social media platforms to promote community gardening within the larger community.
← Creative Writing: Animating Short Story Scenes with Brush NinjaDemonstrating Surrealism →
How to animate with Brush Ninja
This video teaches the basics of using Brush Ninja
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Tweeted by St Paul's CofESo much fun with @TechCoachRobles this morning as we challenged these ALPHA students to learn about an environmental justice hero and create a representative gif using Brush Ninja. They were fabulous!
Tweeted by Rachel FriedrichFinally got around to trying brush.ninja & the kids LOVED IT. They didn’t want me to share because they weren’t done but I had to. Thanks to @timneedles for sharing at @NYSCATE
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Tweeted by Bryan Zevotek













