Countdown to the First Day of School

We hope you had a wonderful summer break! It is hard to believe it is already August but we have a countdown set to the first day of school and we look forward to seeing all of you again soon.

Why Teach Agriculture?

Agriculture provides local connections to math, science and social studies

concepts. By offering agriculture in the classroom we can create real-world STEM opportunities. Did you know our National Agriculture Literacy Themes align with 90 Iowa Core science standards?

National Agriculture Literacy Themes:

1. Agriculture & the Environment 2. Plants & Animals for Food, Fiber & Energy 3. Food, Health & Lifestyle 4. Culture, Society, Economy & Geography 5. Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics

Below is a list of our Linn County Farm Bureau Education Outreach offerings.

PreK- Elementary Offerings:

1. Monthly schedule: Experience agriculture in your own classroom by inviting Linn County Farm Bureau Education Outreach to visit your classroom once a month. Visits typically last between 30 and 45 minutes. Lessons are Iowa Core aligned. Please fill in your preferred time slot in the link below with your name, school and number of students (when you know your schedule). If multiple teachers are participating from one school please collaborate and choose the same day.

2. 4th grade units (by request):

Fall (soil): Four 30 minute lessons. Students will explore soil components, soil particles, erosion and weathering.

Spring (plants): Four 30 minute lessons. Students will experiment with seed germination and parts of a plant.

3. Harvest kit in partnership with ISUEO-Linn County (by request): A fun fall curriculum for 3rd-5th grade classrooms. Learn all about farms and harvesting from local Linn County Farmers. The kit includes lessons that cover corn, soybean, pumpkin, apple, hay and straw harvests. Each kit provides hands-on lessons and activities, books and samples.

4. Publications (by request): My Family Farm Series, Iowa Ag Today Magazines, Flat Aggie Adventures (dairy or pork).

5. 21 Day Hatching Program in partnership with ISUEO-Linn County (application process): Curriculum for grades K-1.

Middle and High School Offerings:

1. Classroom visits: 30-60 minute lesson/presentations by request. We have lessons that teach about soil, water quality, renewable energy, food safety, GMOs, hydroponics and more.

Offerings for all ages:

1. FarmChat®: Take a field trip without leaving the classroom. Through FarmChat®, we can visit a farm or agriculture business through virtual technology.

2. Career presentations: Interested in bringing agriculture into your career days? Invite us to present to your students.

3. STEM Fests/Enrichment Days: Invite us to your school's STEM Fest or Enrichment days.

Offerings for teachers:

1. Summer Professional Development: Two-day professional development workshops for teachers will be offered throughout the summer and around the state by the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation and partner organizations. The workshops will help teachers apply Iowa Core standards including social studies, and science in the context of agriculture. The workshops will also use agriculture to teach other core concepts and skills like language arts and math. The workshops will be hands on and interactive with one day of site visits and tours and one day of practical classroom application. Many STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concepts will be integrated throughout.

2. Newsletters: Our monthly newsletters will serve as a place for: updates, upcoming Our monthly newsletters will serve as a place for: UPDATES ̴ UPCOMING EVENTS ̴ BLOG POSTS ̴ NEW LESSONS! events, blog posts and new lessons.

3. Grants: Visit Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation's website to learn more.