Horticulture Syllabus
Horticulture Elective 2023-2024 Syllabus Mr. Hill Rm. 18
Welcome to your Horticulture elective. Horticulture is the art and science of planting, maintaining and harvesting plants. In this course we will focus on the life cycles of flowers, fruits and vegetables. We will learn about the benefits of organic gardening, composting and eating locally grown produce. We will also study beneficial and detrimental insects and examine the benefits of planting native plants.
My goal in this class is to expose you to basic gardening theory. My hope is that this course will inspire you to plant your own garden. I have high expectations for all of my students. In this class you will be expected to show respect and care for all living things.
We are fortunate to have a large school garden that allows us to gain practical gardening experience through planting, cultivating and harvesting fruits and vegetables. The school garden is an outdoor classroom. You will be expected to follow instructions and maintain classroom decorum when we work in the garden. You will be graded on the energy and effort you put into your class work and garden work.
Please bring your Chromebook to class everyday as much of your work will be completed online. You will need to take your device home everyday to recharge.
The following consequences will be implemented if the class expectations are not met.
- Verbal Warning
- Contact parents/guardians
- Contact counselor or dean
- Parent Conference
There will be no academic homework assigned in this class. However, I will ask that each student bring one bag of compost material each week. Check the Period 5 Schoology homepage for details about compost material.
Your work will be weighed as follows:
` Journal Notes 20%
Garden work 30%
Classwork 30%
Homework 20%
Each grading period (every five weeks), you will earn your grade based on the percentage of points you earn of the total points possible. The grading scale is as follows:
A = 90 – 100%
B = 80 – 89%
C = 70 – 79%
D = 60 – 69%
Fail = 59% or less
Assignments will be posted in the Period 5 Course in Schoology under Materials. You will be able to access grades, updates and other important information about the class there.
Parents are strongly encouraged to sign up for the Schoology parent portal to check on assignments, announcements, and on your child’s progress. If you have any questions, or would like to schedule a conference, please send me a message through Schoology or email me directly at [email protected]. We can schedule a zoom meeting to discuss your concerns during my conference period between 2 and 3 pm.
You can find a copy of this syllabus under Materials in the Schoology Period 5 Career Awareness course homepage.
Mr. Hill