K20 LEARN
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Seventy thousand different types of soil exist in the United States alone. Young scientists learn about the importance of soil to the food supply. They test soil for a variety of factors and determine the best place to set up a community...
Chemical Education Foundation
Teacher's Guide to Science Projects
Do you find the idea of having a science fair with all of your learners intimidating? Use a guide that provides everything you need to know to make project-based learning manageable. The resource includes options for four different types...
Curated OER
Task: Grain Storage
Farming is full of mathematics, and it provides numerous real-world examples for young mathematicians to study. Here, we look at a cylinder-shaped storage silo that has one flat side. Given certain dimensions, students need to determine...
Curated OER
America's Heartland: Step-By-Step Lesson Guide
An excellent resource gets kids looking at agricultural production to better understand the careers needed in distributing foods from the farm to the consumer. Book, poster, web, and video links are included for teacher use. There is...
Curated OER
Source Search: Agricultural Products
Farmers just farm, right? Find out how important agricultural products are to our modern society. Learners will explore the foods, textiles, and fuels made from industrial farm goods. They'll also explore the idea of choosing an...
Curated OER
From Genes to Jeans
This unit of lessons is designed for 7th through 9th graders. They are introduced to the world of agriculture and the genetic research and various technologies that are associated with agriculture. Pupils work together to come up with a...
Curated OER
Sustainable Livestock
Young scholars investigate healthy eating habits by researching livestock. In this food sustainability instructional activity, students research the negative impact factory farming has on our environment due to pollution. Young scholars...
Curated OER
Edible GMOs?
The debate over genetically modified organisms is on! Young biologists imagine that they have been asked to choose which corn chips will be sold for a fundraiser, one made with GMOs or one without. This four-day lesson plan requires...
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Learning Parliamentary Law
Let's make a match! Using the fun resource, scholars play a game to learn about parliamentary law. Working together, they match notecards containing questions and matching answers about the topic, and then discuss their answers with...
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Scope of Agriculture on Society
Butcher, trucker, inspector ... so many options, so little time! Scholars pick a career in agriculture and describe it, writing about the education requirements. They also receive direct instruction about the agriculture industry and...
University of Florida
Unhealthy Forests and the News
Everyone knows a tree makes a sound when it falls, but what do we know about dying trees? Class members learn background information about Laurel wilt disease from a teacher-led presentation. Team members work with partners to read and...
University of Florida
Six Bits of Abiotics
Collect clues and unwrap a mystery in an intriguing study about air pollution and urban forests. Teams share information to explore abiotic interactions and forest health. Scholars create a concept map using newly acquired knowledge and...
University of Florida
A Walk in the Woods
Take class members on a field trip to the forest without leaving the classroom. Scholars learn content-related vocabulary and factors affecting forest health with class discussions and during a presentation. Scientists combine forestry...
Smithsonian Institution
Strength in Solidarity: Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Campaign for Fair Food
Not all food is created equal. The lesson plan dives into the world of migrant farm workers to show their struggles to earn livable wages and better working conditions. Academics learn why the Coalition of Immokalee Workers was created...
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Demonstrating Identification Techniques for Beef Cattle
Welcome to the ranch. First, pupils learn about the history of cattle branding with an informative PowerPoint and class discussion. Then, individuals develop a unique brand and practice branding their own paper cattle.
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
GIS GPS in Agriculture
Let's navigate! Using the informative resource, pupils perform a WebQuest on the benefits of Geographic Information Systems and Global Positioning Systems. Then, they write a brief summary describing how both systems benefit the...
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
The FFA Creed and Song
Learners memorize the first sentence in each paragraph of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) creed. Once memorized, they complete a worksheet on the FFA creed before reciting the lyrics in rap form.
American Chemical Society
The Legacy of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
How do we protect crops and protect the environment at the same time? Using reading materials, learners explore the history of the use of pesticides and biocides. They create a timeline and then explore the current practices.
DiscoverE
Everyday Engineering: Water Pollution Clean Up
Water, water, everywhere, but pollution is a major problem. Scholars design a filtration device or process that removes dirt and other particles from water. They use various household objects such as marbles, cotton balls, or coffee...
DocsTeach
Analyzing the Cotton Gin Patent
Decode primary sources in a fast-paced activity. A quick guessing game helps pupils use visual clues to understand primary sources. Academics look at a picture of the cotton gin and must guess what it is without other knowledge or clues....
University of Waikato
Farming and Environmental Issues
Forming ethical arguments is sometimes a complicated task. Guide classes through a process for forming and presenting ethical opinions. Learners consider the views of all stakeholders on the impact of farming on the environment and the...
University of Waikato
Growing Soil Microbes
View how microbes grow in soil. Class members first create a Winogradsky column to grow bacteria. They then set up the column of mud in a plastic bottle and include a food source for the microbes and observe the column of mud over the...
University of Waikato
Investigating Soil Moisture Content
Class members analyze the water content in soil samples by drying out the samples and taking measurements every minute until all the moisture is gone. Scholars compare the initial weight to the dried weight to calculate the percentage of...
University of Waikato
Testing Water for Nitrate
How much is too much nitrate in the water? Young scientists discuss the question after they run their own nitrate tests. They also consider sources of nitrates and offer explanations for the levels.