Lesson 10:

Harvest

Celebration

LESSON OVERVIEW:

In this final lesson of Dig In!, students will celebrate all that they have 

learned about fruits and vegetables and accomplished. They will reflect 

on their educational journey and create presentations to share with the 

rest of the school and local community. Everyone will get to enjoy the 

taste of a fresh harvest while eating and sharing their favorite fruit and 

vegetable dishes.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: What have I learned about fruits and 

vegetables? What have I learned in the garden? What have I learned 

about my own health? What was my growing moment?

TEACHING PROCEDURE:

Planning the Harvest Celebration

It’s time to share and celebrate everything that you and your students 

have learned, discovered, and created throughout the last nine lessons!

Your Harvest Celebration can be customized to suit your school, 

schedule, and community. You can have an all-day celebration, plan 

events throughout the week, or simply celebrate during a class period. 

Invite parents, the local community, media, and other classes to visit. 

Remember, it’s all about sharing your knowledge, having fun, and 

celebrating your garden harvests and student accomplishments!

Key Message:

Try more and eat new fruits and vegetables.

Explore the world of possibilities in the 

garden and on your plate! 

Subject Connections:

English Language Arts, Health, Science, Math

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to...

• Creatively share what they’ve learned about

 gardening, nutrition, and fruits and vegetables

 using a variety of media (written and oral).

• Promote the benefits of eating more fruits 

 and vegetables to a diverse audience.

Supplies:

• Harvest and clean vegetables and fruits

 ahead of celebration. See p. 66 for event

 ideas, preparation requirements, and 

 schedule suggestions.

• Letter paper (or card stock), poster board

• Art supplies (colored pencils, 

 markers, scissors, glue, paint, etc.)

• Computers with word-processing and 

 slide-show presentation software, projector

• Garden Journals

• Student handouts (p. 90):

 1. My Garden Fresh Moments

Featured Fruits and Vegetables:

Any fruits and vegetables from the garden

Below is a suggested schedule to help you plan the celebration:

2-3 months before

• Pick a date for your Harvest Celebration and add it to the school calendar and newsletter. 

• Write and send invitations to parents, community members, local agricultural vendors, and media to join in the Harvest Celebration.

• Ask for parent volunteers to help organize.

• Invite guest speakers (gardeners, farmers, chefs).

1 month before

• Put together a cookbook featuring favorite fruit and vegetable recipes created by the students, and print copies.

2 weeks before

• Write and submit a press release to the local media summarizing your garden activities and announcing the celebration and purpose.

1 week before

• Send reminders to parents and community members about the celebration.

• Enlist parent and community volunteers to help prepare the garden, fruit and vegetable dishes, presentation space, etc.

• Print and make copies of information for visitors to take home.

1 day before

• Harvest fruits and vegetables from the garden. ( pp. 104-105)

• Prepare dishes for the celebration. (If possible, wait until day of celebration to keep produce fresh!) 

• Set up sharing stations, put up signs, and finish displays and bulletin boards.

60 Dig In! • Grades 5-6 • http://teamnutrition.usda.gov

TOTAL TIME REQUIRED: 145 minutes / 3 sessions

Session 1: Getting Started 15 min;

 Activity I “Reflecting on Our Journey” 

 30 min (English Language Arts)

Session 2: Activity II “What We Learned” 

 40 min (English Language Arts/Health/

 Science/Math*)

Session 3: Harvest Celebration 60 min**

*Standards met will depend on project. See p. 11. 

**Time will vary. See suggested activities on p. 62.
61

LEARNING ACTIVITIES LESSON 10

Activity I. Reflecting on Our Journey (30 minutes, English Language Arts)

1. Distribute the handout My Garden Fresh Moments (p. 90). Have 

students reflect on their journey of learning about fruits and vegetables, 

nutrition, and gardening. Give them time to go through their Garden 

Journals and reread through their notes and reflections.

2. Ask: What was your favorite moment? What was your most memorable 

activity? What is the most important thing you have learned about 

gardening, your own health, fruits, and vegetables? What was your 

favorite new fruit or vegetable? What are you the most proud of?

3. Next, tell students they will take their personal reflections and turn 

them into a written piece to share. They will choose a “Garden Fresh 

Moment” in which they feel they learned the most, and write a poem, 

essay, song, short story, or article for the newsletter or the local 

newspaper.

4. Have students first work individually on their drafts, then in pairs to 

peer-edit their writing reflections. If they have time, they can create 

colorful illustrations of their favorite moments on the My Garden 

Fresh Moments handout.

Activity II. “What We Learned” Presentations 

(40 minutes, English Language Arts/Health/Science)

1. Divide the class into groups of three to four students. Explain that students 

will work together to create a five-minute oral presentation to share with the 

rest of the school and visitors during the Harvest Celebration. Students 

in each group should choose a different topic from the list below (or select 

their own topic from the areas the class studied): 

• The Food Supply System

• Nutrients in Fruits and Vegetables

• How to Make Healthy Food Choices

2. First, have students in each group list everything they have learned under 

their topic. Next, have them organize the information to identify the most 

important parts of that lesson. Students in each group must summarize 

what they have learned regarding their topic and how they reached their 

discoveries, and communicate clearly why it is important to know and 

understand this information. They can use computers and slide-show 

software to create their presentation. Encourage them to use photos and 

video to share information. Students may also create skits, songs, or 

prepare cooking demonstrations. 

3. Give groups opportunities to rehearse, plan, and revise their 

presentations at least twice before the Harvest Celebration. Have 

students practice in front of the class and ask for suggestions on 

how to improve their presentations.

ARTFUL DISPLAYS

Work with the art teacher 

to create colorful displays 

of your students’ work 

and gardening experiences. 

Collect images of students 

working in the garden and 

have students prepare 

a bulletin board that 

includes images 

and writings.

Dig In! • Grades 5-6 • http://teamnutrition.usda.gov 61