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Horticulture Today

Authors: Jodi Songer Riedel & Elizabeth Driscoll, 2017

This text is a course textbook for a high school horticulture, landscape management, greenhouse management, or similar course. Its primary content includes chapters such as: horticulture careers & business management; floral & landscape design; plant taxonomy, biology, & growth; horticultural tools; soils & soil media; plant & seed propagation; integrated pest management; and more. One reason I chose this text is because the publishing company produces many texts for high school agriculture classes, so I am confident the material will be appropriate for my learners, relate to national standards, and written at a level they can comprehend. The authors have experience in both the horticulture industry and education/working with youth. The text provides lots of relevant visuals that help students with comprehending the material and career & industry-related connections. The textbook is user-friendly for both students and educators; each chapter lists outcomes, terms, and study tips at the beginning as well as a summary and a long list of review questions and extension activities at the end. The beginning of the textbook also dedicates several pages to explaining the format of the chapter and additional resources available.

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Lexile score according to an approximately 400 word sample of the text: 1010L-1200L. Most of the text is appropriate for 10-12th graders that will be taking this course; it may present some challenges to students with lower reading levels or younger students, but it is an appropriate challenge. The Lexile score tells me that parts of this text may be appropriate for grades as low as 6th for more advanced students. This tells me that most of the text is appropriate for independent work with most high schoolers; however, an overview of discipline-specific terms used in the text is necessary. One strategy that comes to mind is pre-teaching vocabulary prior to using the text in class, or providing a reading guide to students who may benefit from that.

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The purpose of this text is to serve as an instructional supplement to a horticulture class. The way I see it being used is to provide literature for content intake or additional examples, as well as useful images and diagrams to help students understand a concept. It could even serve as a pre-lecture or pre-lab reading. Because this is an academic textbook, the text structure is mostly self-explanatory; there is a detailed table of contents as well as headings within each chapter where students can find the exact topic they're looking for. The written text often references additional diagrams, charts, and images and students may benefit from previewing these before reading. The text does not utilize much figurative, abstract, or ironic language; however, a pre-reading vocabulary review to identify discipline-specific words is very necessary. For example, there are horticulture-specific terms that are most likely new vocabulary for most students (ex. vermiculite, perlite, and peat moss as soil mediums) as well as words that have a different meaning than the common use of the word (ex: "nursery" as a place where plant seedlings are grown and sold, "bulb" as a type of modified plant stem). When using this text, students likely have basic background knowledge on plant anatomy and plant growth requirements that should be reviewed to prepare for more in-depth knowledge requirements. Pairing real-life examples and lab activities with the text will aid comprehension.

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One strength of Horticulture Today is the chunking of topics and text. The textbook does a good job of summarizing information in manageable pieces that provide quality detail without being too drawn-out. The text utilizes chapters, chapter sections, and section headings to piece together information in a logical sequence and signal the primary topic to the reader. It also uses images, graphics, diagrams, and charts to convey information visually and help the reader understand concepts and terms. Lastly, the text provides "Career Connections" that relate to each chapter, which is vital for a Career & Technical Education program such as agriculture/horticulture.

A weakness that may be seen on an initial browse through the pages is that some pages can appear very busy with lots of additional captions, questions, or other segments that relate to the text and serve as enrichment or expansion of the material but aren't completely necessary and can distract from the central text. Also, as an instructional aide the text does not provide as many hands-on activities and classroom learning supports for the teacher; however, it is a great informative piece for students learning about horticulture.

To differentiate my instruction according to these challenges, I can differentiate my instruction by only selecting certain portions of text that focus on select information. I could even block out unwanted sections of the pages. The primary supports I would need to supplement the text and increase student engagement include outside learning activities (especially as they relate to reviewing vocabulary and required diagrams) and labs or application activities to relate the textbook information to real life concepts.

This text addresses a lot of learning objectives. Primary categories include basics of horticulture, business management, safety, plant biology, growth & development, soil, propagation, landscape & floral design, greenhouse management, pest management, and plant production. This is a lengthy list to cover in one course; the instructor could definitely pick and choose the topics they want to focus on depending on course level and resources. One objective that the text does not cover in the way I would prefer is plant anatomy & physiology.

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University of Illinois Extension Horticulture YouTube Channel: "How to hand water your landscape plants" video/podcast

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University of Illinois Extension Horticulture YouTube Channel: "How to hand water your landscape plants" video/podcast

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University of Illinois Extension is a credible and quality source of information for farmers, gardeners, landscapers, and any agriculturalist. The Extension YouTube channel serves as a great resources full of all types of videos, from shortform clips of quick info to longer webinars and everything in between. They post consistently and the videos are meant to help the at-home horticulturalist. The specific video I chose is a webinar titled "How to water your landscape plants." This video would go along with the chapter on Landscape Installation and Maintenance and would be a good precursor to a class landscaping project. Since growing and maintaining plants is very dependent on location, using this video and channel will ensure the information is accurate to Illinois.

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University of Illinois Extension Horticulture

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How to hand water your landscape plants |#GoodGrowing

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Reader Considerations: Illinois Extension video

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Reader Considerations: Illinois Extension video

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This text reflects cultural identities and histories by learning about maintaining plants that they may see in landscaping in their own home or homes in their neighborhood/city. Students may be able to learn tips and tricks to take care of plants in their own home or in a future home. Some students may even have a landscaping related summer job or have family that works in this industry, which may increase interest in the topic. If students do not live somewhere with landscaping or where landscaping plants/lawns are common (i.e. cities, apartment complexes) this may be a new concept for them, so the text can be used as exposure to a new topic that relates to the course text. Students can choose to either watch the video or just listen to it depending on what format works best for them. An introduction to plant physiology (especially how plants uptake water and how changes in water access affect plant growth) as well as landscape maintenance terms and concepts would be necessary before viewing this text. This would allow students to analyze why the tips given in the video are necessary for healthy plants, and they could even do a demonstration of good vs. bad techniques. While this text is mostly just informational, I could connect it to global issues by discussing the world water crisis, water use laws in different states/countries, and how proper watering techniques can conserve water as well as keeping plants healthy.

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CO-Horts Blog: Bringing Home the Magic of Disney Horticulture

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CO-Horts Blog: Bringing Home the Magic of Disney Horticulture

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This is a post made on a blog from the Colorado State University Extension, specifically their horticulture specialists. The blog post offers an inside look from the author's perspective on horticulture in Disney World and the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival. The post discusses how horticulture is both a science and an art form and how those two worlds collide at one of the biggest theme parks in the world. The post discusses specific plants and why they are suited to growing at Disney World, how certain themes and color schemes are created using plants, how to prevent weeds, and more. The post includes several images of horticulture and landscape design in action at the parks as well. I chose this text because it discusses a unique application of horticulture that students may not be familiar with; it also provides a popular culture connection. The blog post is written almost as a story, and it includes colorful pictures to keep students engaged.

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Bringing Home the Magic of Disney Horticulture and a Fresh Look at the 2015 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival.

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A few weeks back I was on the phone finalizing some of my plans for my magical vacation to Walt Disney World where I would be attending…

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Reader Considerations: CO-Horts Disney Blog Post

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Reader Considerations: CO-Horts Disney Blog Post

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This supplemental text offers a pop culture connection to horticulture while offering a digital text format and career connections. High school students are likely familiar with Disney and Disney World, and some may have even been to Disney World before. This blog post allows students to see a different side of the park and consider the behind-the-scenes work that goes on in order to maintain the park, specifically the science and art of horticulture. The core text discusses horticulture as an art and how plants can be used to beautify a landscape and create a theme, but this text offers a real life example that students may be able to relate to if they've been to Disney; colorful pictures and examples of plants used will keep students interested and give them a visual to pair with the written text. To truly comprehend this text, students likely need to be familiar with Disney World and its overall goals and history to understand the emphasis put on artistic design in the parks, as well as what things like a “cast member” or “EPCOT” is. Students will also need to be familiar with basic plant growth concepts learned previously in the course such as growing season, color theory, irrigation, topiaries, weed control, etc. as these are mentioned several times in the text. To make global connections, this article can open up a discussion about Disney World in pop culture and as a business, as well as the business of the horticulture and floriculture industry in general. We can relate that to global issues such as sustainability, the economy, and marketing.

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The Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) strategy from the book "Literacy Instruction with Disciplinary Texts: Strategies for Grades 6-12" addresses reading comprehension. The strategy involves a framework (see above) that is explicitly taught to students prior to engaging with a text; the purpose is to allow students to work together and help each other comprehend the text, which is an especially useful strategy when working with struggling readers. This strategy is implemented before, during, and after a reading and in this case is best implemented with a more complex, highly scientific text section that students need to work at to comprehend. Before reading, the text is previewed and key components are identified; during reading, students read the text aloud, discuss it, summarize, and take notes; after reading, groups discuss their interpretation of the text and investigate any questions they may have. One way I can adapt this for my students is by intentional grouping students in a way where I know proper collaboration will occur and various levels of comprehension and experience are represented; I can also provide a CSR log as described in the text: a document that allows students to organize their thoughts during & after reading and discussing the text.

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This vocabulary strategy is called “Concept of Definition,” or a CD map. The source of this strategy is the book “Literacy Instruction with Disciplinary Texts : Strategies for Grades 6-12.” This strategy involves selecting a complex and nuanced word or phrase and then creating a multifaceted definition using a graphic organizer that includes sections for a category, characteristics, examples, and non-examples. I chose this strategy because there are numerous terms in horticulture that have a long list of characteristics and components to the definition, and I think this tool can help students fully understand the term or concept. I would plan to use this during or after reading; students may either use it to take reading notes on a concept (one that comes to mind is the plant classification and distinguishing between categories of plants, such as annuals/perennials/biennials, monocot and dicot plants, vascular vs. nonvascular plants, etc.) or read the section of the text first and then complete the graphic organizer together to help reinforce the concepts. I can adapt this strategy by allowing students to create their own concept maps with as many “bubbles” as they need to understand the term. I might also add sections for images or drawings that represent the term’s characteristics.

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I learned about the writing strategy of Microthemes from the E-book "Literacy for Learning: A Handbook of Content-Area Strategies for Middle and High School Teachers." A microtheme is described in the text to have a couple of different formats and uses; one use describes using it as a pre-essay writing summary, but the use that I see myself implementing is a short summary or prompt response on a notecard. This forces students to write concisely about the material and is quick for the teacher to assess. I would use this with the blog post in my text set because it is a little longer and can be wordy in certain sections due to the nature of the text type. I would ask students to complete this after reading and give students a specific guide or prompt; an example might be "Write 5 important considerations that Disney horticulturalists must make when planning and maintaining the park gardens." One important need that I see in almost all my students, no matter their age, ability level, or background/culture, is the need to summarize concisely and pick out the most important pieces of a text. This strategy supports that by getting students to practice writing in short sessions while choosing words intentionally and focusing on the main idea.

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Talk Strategy: Reciprocal Questioning (ReQuest)

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Talk Strategy: Reciprocal Questioning (ReQuest)

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The book "Literacy Instruction with Disciplinary Texts: Strategies for Grades 6-12" describes a discussion strategy for teachers to use in their classrooms called Reciprocal Questioning, or ReQuest. In this strategy, students read/view a text and then take turns asking the teacher questions about the text that the teacher must answer without referencing the text. Students try to "stump" the teacher with high level questions. Then, the teacher asks the students questions and the students must answer based on their knowledge of the text. I chose this strategy because it is a simple, low-prep activity that can require higher-order thinking from students and can even turn into a fun game that also challenges students. If I used this with the Illinois Extension video, I would use it after students have watched the video and already been instructed on relevant plant and soil topics such as soil absorption, root anatomy & health, plant diseases, etc. If students do not know what questions to ask, I could adapt this strategy by providing them with prompts (the course text provides several of these) that involve explanation, compare-and-contrast, and "what if" questions. This would be a great way to relate the simple topic of watering plants to much bigger horticulture topics such as plant health and resource sustainability.

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Critical Disciplinary Strategy: KWL Chart

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Critical Disciplinary Strategy: KWL Chart

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A KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) chart can be used most effectively with the blog post text I have chosen. I have been aware of KWL charts since I was a student in school, but I used the "Power Tools: 30 Critical Disciplinary Literacy Strategies for 6-12 Classrooms" text as a source for this post. A KWL chart typically involves students writing things that they know due to prior knowledge or experiences about a topic and things that they want to know or learn but haven't yet before a lesson or activity is conducted. After the lesson, students can record things that they learned in the chart. The text discusses how traditional use of a KWL chart can lead to students reinforcing misconceptions that they record for the "know" portion. To implement this strategy with the Disney Horticulture blog post, I would use it as a tool after introducing the landscape design and maintenance unit, which would be taught after a unit on plant care and physiology. Students would have learned about basic home landscape design, how to maintain common landscape plants, and will have knowledge on artistic principles of design. They can use this information for the "K" section of the chart as well as any information/experience with Disney World (if they have traveled there, for example). I could show a short clip of the landscaping at Disney prior to having students read the blog post, and they could record any new perspectives they gain or information about large-scale plant design and care as a result of reading the blog. This strategy serves as a review of course content while also allowing students to focus on applying information to real-world examples, which is important in a career & tech ed course such as horticulture. Students' interests and identities are supported by allowing them to choose what they find interesting and relevant about the blog post instead of a more cut-and-dry strategy where everyone's answers will be the same.

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In the book "Literacy for Learning: A Handbook of Content-Area Strategies for Middle and High School Teachers," one writing strategy listed for career and technical education content areas is simply writing out instructions for a task. This strategy works well with the Illinois Extension video in my mini text set because it is somewhat of an instructional video. In my classroom, I would use this strategy after viewing the video. Students could independently write a list of instructions for effectively watering plants that they extract from the video. They could add a "Tips and Tricks" list after the instructions and even add a drawing or image depiction to go along with the instructions. The instructions could even be made into an infographic as an extension activity. In my experience, students often struggle with following instructions (mainly because they do not take the time to read and comprehend them), so this activity meets their needs by allowing them to write instructions in a way they understand and also giving them a perspective of different interpretations of a task and how to communicate in a way that everyone can understand. They could also trade instructional steps and have other students evaluate the effectiveness of the steps.