2008 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference

June 25-28, 2008 - Costa Mesa, California

Mini-Workshops

Mini-Workshop Sessions – Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28

1. Lecciones de Agricultura en la Sala de Clase, Dalene Hodnett & Mary Ann Kelsey
The Oklahoma and New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom programs were awarded an ACE grant to translate lessons into Spanish.  Participate in lessons and leave with resources that will allow you to teach agriculture and Spanish.

2.  Travel the USA—the Ag Way!, Margaret Perret
Learn how agriculture virtual trips can be used by students to discover the United States. Geography, history, science, math and economics lessons will be transformed into fun experiences as students "travel" and "visit" point of interest in states along an Interstate route.
Download:
Handout (PDF, 56 KB)
PowerPoint (2.3 MB)

3. Reading and Tasting Your Way toward Health, Carol Lams-Welty
Popular children’s books and classroom lessons are used to introduce and reinforce nutrition and Ag concepts while building literacy skills. Students will discover the new Pyramid and be able to categorize food, recognize foods from various cultures, and learn about different gardening practices.

4. AG-cessible, AG-citing, AG-tivities, Christi Wilson & Lisa Owens
Join us for an "Ag-citing" showcase of the Teacher Resource Center, a unique agricultural literacy program. Learn how to create Make-and-Take work stations, traveling curriculum kits, interactive visual displays and monthly newsletter e-mails designed to help teachers incorporate new "Ag-tivities" into their daily lesson plans.
Download:
Handout (PDF, 14 KB)

5. Assessing Gains in Student Knowledge about Agriculture, Judy Roush
Featuring the results of an elementary student survey of the COSI agricultural science outreach program that reaches schools in Ohio and neighboring states. We will share details including survey tools, arrpoval procedure and statistical analysis.

6. Farm to Fork: Food Safety, John Fedors
Food Safety from Farm to Fork is an interdisciplinary educational unit for grades 5-7 linked to state standards in English, Math, and Science.  The activities include: Route of Foods-Transportation, Home Food Safety Factors, Transmission of Microbes, Food Forensics, and Dealing with BIG NUMBERS.

7. Fields of Energy, Al Withers
Much is going on today in the area of renewable energy from agriculture. "Fields of Energy" is a fast paced DVD designed for junior high science students. You’ll go one a series of field trips to learn how ethanol and biodiesel are made, how turkey litter is used to make electricity and how research into cellulose and biomass is helping shape the future of renewable energy.

8. Are You Thirsty?, Judy Ferrell
"Are You Thirsty" is an interactive, multidisciplinary lesson that helps students visualize the effects of pollution on drinking water.  This environmental awareness lesson includes activities written for grades 4-8.  Science, math, language arts and social studies are emphasized.
Download:
Handout

9. Food Science Oxidation Reaction, Audra Radcliffe
Using fruit, educators will observe the health benefits of vitamin C and other antioxidants.  Coupled with hands-on experiments, educators will be able to reinforce the benefit of increased fruit and vegetable consumption.

10. Influencing Insects – Queen Bees to Boll Weevils, Melinda Bunselmeyer
Insects have a tremendous impact on the quality, quantity, and cost of crops and food products. Spend a day in the life of a variety of insects, measuring wingspan, mapping migration patterns, learning about life cycles, anatomy, economics and social hierarchy patterns of common insects.

11. Heritage Holidays: Celebrating with Agriculture!
Holiday celebrations can be a fun time to incorporate the history and heritage of agriculture. Featuring a booklet of suggestions for fun lessons and hands-on activities that highlight the importance of agriculture in major holidays and lesser known days such as National Marshmallow Day.

12. Where the Magic Begins, Vanae Morris
Agriculture is a big concept for young children to understand.  Using children’s literature and music, the concept of agriculture can become easier for them to grasp.  In addition to teaching agricultural concepts using literature and music, participants will also learn about the most effective teaching strategies for introducing the concept of agriculture to young children.