Tag: STEM

Jr./Sr. High School Resources

Ag in the Classroom has great e-learning resources for junior & senior high school students! Check out some of these options:

Journey 2050 – A virtual farm simulation that explores world food sustainability. Students explore how to sustainably feed the world’s growing population by 2050. Once you register as a teacher, your students can enter your teacher code before playing each level and the game will generate a student report.

Hungry Planet – What the World Eats – explore the global food supply with portraits of 30 families from around the world showing what one week of groceries looks like for their family

Purple Plow Puzzlers – hands-on STEM activities. Some of these can be done with simple materials that students may have around the house.

Growing a Nation – an interactive timeline of the history of Agriculture in the United States

Ag Explorer – virtual field trips to explore ag careers. Each one has an educator guide with options for extension activities.

Journey of a Gene – explore biotechnology and the science of genetic engineering with step-by-step videos, computer based activities and quizzes

Spring 2020 Purple Plow Challenge: Go with the Flow

Challenge your students to defeat the dead zones!

In this challenge, students will learn about the impact of runoff in rural and urban areas and its effects on the environment as well as plan for solutions to this growing issue of dead zones, hypoxia, and overall water quality.

Students will research, students will design, test and demonstrate a solution to answer the question: How can we improve the quality of our runoff and, in turn, reduce dead zones in our water resources?

Get all the resources here: https://www.purpleplow.org/challenges/

Challenge deadline May 15!

LeRoy Educator Earns Teacher of the Year Title

Katie Buckley, secondary special education teacher and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Educator across the district at LeRoy CUSD #2, has been named 2020 Illinois Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year for her outstanding efforts in incorporating agriculture into her classroom.

“I am so honored to be recognized for this award,” Buckley says. “My goal for my students is to give them an insight into agriculture that goes beyond farming. I try to find ways to incorporate agriculture into high interest topics such as drones, automated agriculture, and GPS. The job market for agriculture is going to continue to grow and students need to be aware of those careers.”

Buckley’s students have twice won the Purple Plow Challenge, a nationwide ag-related STEM competition. As a result, the classroom gained two 3D printers and $200 in giftcards.

Using a variety of grant funds, Buckley has also purchased drones, robotic components, tablets and more to enable students to explore the uses of technology in agriculture.

“I’m so excited to see Katie recognized as the Illinois Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year,” says Bridget Caldwell, McLean County Ag in the Classroom coordinator. “I’m amazed at her creativity plus all of the technology she uses and how she connects it to agriculture.”

Buckley is also an alum of the American Farm Bureau STEM on the Farm program, a professional development opportunity that offers educators the chance to learn firsthand about the science and technology of beef production.

Buckley will be recognized at the 2019 Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Chicago and will receive a trip to the 2020 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. She will also be the Illinois nominee for the USDA National Excellence in Teaching Agriculture Award. You can follow Buckley and her students on Twitter (@LeRoySTEM).

Ag Science Grants

Soil, genetics, animal science, engineering, technology – the possibilities are almost endless!

Apply for an Ag Science Grant from McLean County Farm Bureau Foundation to add hands-on learning to your classroom. Pick one of the recommended kits or submit your own idea!

Need ideas? Check out the kit list or see last year’s winners here!

Click here to apply.

IL AITC Project Grants

Expand your classroom resources with a project grant from Illinois Ag in the Classroom!

Grants for up to $300 can be used to purchase materials for agricultural teaching units, classroom presentations, career fairs and more.

Items that are not eligible for grant funding include field trips, landscaping, plants, incubators and one time use consumables.

Find all the details and apply here.

Application deadline: October 11, 2019

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