|
It's the perfect time of year to use chicks, lambs, calves, piglets and their parents as an exciting and fun connection between agriculture and science, social studies, math, and health and nutrition.
Kindergarten through second-grade students are introduced to six major livestock species, and their needs for air, space, food, water, and shelter for survival. Students are and introduced to the life cycle of a farm animal.
|
Third-grade through fifth-grade students identify different breeds of chickens, examine physical characteristics, and determine the stages of a chicken's life cycle.
|
Third-grade through fifth grade students will explore concepts of heredity in beef cattle and identify dominant and recessive traits.
|
Victoria, MN, Eastern Carver County School District
Back: Danielle Boom, Kelli Brenny, Marilyn Clements, Pam Gades
Front: MAITC Regional Curriculum Specialist Toni Dauwalter, Becky Janes, Christine Olsen
This month we are featuring a TEAM of teachers that has embarked on a year-long journey of embedding agriculture into their first grade curriculum. In November, the team worked with the Minnesota Ag in the Classroom Curriculum Specialist in their area, Toni Dauwalter to apply for a MAITC grant that would allow them to have an ‘Ag Day’ every month. They received the grant and have had first-grade students rotate through stations related to agriculture monthly. Each station was part of a lesson taken off the MAITC Curriculum Matrix. All of the teachers are able to experience teaching the lessons and the students are having a blast! The first day they kicked off with the Source Search lesson and the kids not only learned what the word ‘AGRICULTURE’ means but also had their eyes opened to how much it affects their everyday lives. Now each month the students can’t wait for their next adventure during ‘Ag Day’! Still to come, they will be hatching chicks, planting their school garden, having llamas visit & more. The teachers are thrilled with how well it has gone, they have saved their plans and are excited to continue adding agriculture into their curriculum every year.
2019 Summer Teacher Tours
We are excited to offer Summer Teacher Tours that allow educators to get a first-hand look into the world of agriculture by visiting farms, processing centers, research facilities, and additional agricultural sites. Resources, hands-on activities, and interactive ideas for integrating agriculture in your curriculum will be also be discussed and shared.
 Tour stops: Dairy farm with automated feeders, Bongards Creamery, seed company, and drone demonstration
 Tour stops: Cattle farm, robotic dairy Farm, crop farm, strawberry farm, Grandview Valley Winery, and Shrimp Shop
 Tour stops: Avery Weigh-Tronix, Christensen Research Pig Farm, Morgan Creek Winery, Eversman Solar Farm, and Patsche Farm technology demonstration
 Tour stops: Farmamerica, Half Pint brewery, Midwest Hemp Farms greenhouse, hops field, hemp extraction site
Thank you to Sara Berning, 5th grade teacher at Northwinds Elementary in Buffalo, Minnesota, for sharing feedback on the High-Tech Farming lesson from our Curriculum Matrix. Sara was selected randomly from our Virtual Barn respondents to receive a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble.
If you use a MAITC lesson or resource, visit our virtual barn to share your feedback.
|
Congratulations to Michael Taylor for winning our April Trivia contest! Michael knew that carrots are classified as a root vegetable.
May Trivia Question: What is a newly hatched turkey called?
Send your answer to sue.knott@state.mn.us. The first two people to respond with the correct answer will win a reusable MAITC bag.
|
