Teacher Guides

A Better-Tasting and More Digestible Soybean

7/25/2015

An agricultural genetics resource unit for grades 9-12, this curriculum explains techniques in agricultural genetics, uses, and bringing new food products to the marketplace.

Adventures with Mighty Egg

7/10/2015

This guide includes a compendium of standards, benchmarks, and sample instructional materials for grades K-12.

Agricultural Issues Where We Live

7/5/2015

A collection of non-fiction text booklets meant to help students understand the scope of current agricultural issues in Iowa.

Agriculture and the Environment, 3rd Edition Teacher Guide

6/30/2015

This resource is a teacher's guide for bringing the environment into a middle or high school classroom. This guide offers background information for teachers on the interrelated agricultural and environmental issues concerning pesticide use, food safety laws, water quality, wetlands, and endangered species. Each chapter has classroom activities to help bring these topics alive.

Agriculture and the Environment, 3rd Edition

6/30/2015

This resource is a teacher's guide for bringing the environment into a middle or high school classroom. This guide offers background information for teachers on the interrelated agricultural and environmental issues concerning pesticide use, food safety laws, water quality, wetlands, and endangered species. Each chapter has classroom activities to help bring these topics alive.

Fields of Genes; Making Sense of Biotechnology in Agriculture

6/25/2015

This aid breaks down concepts of biotechnology into smaller grade-appropriate ideas, like genetics, genetic engineering, as well as social issues, and environmental stewardship. Find something for any grade level with this resource!

All About Apples

6/25/2015

This packet includes numerous activity sheets, experiments, and other educational activities relating to apples, their varieties, development, and other facts about them.

All About Farmer's Markets

6/20/2015

Designed to help youngsters discover how their food gets from the farm to the fork, this guide uses the farmers market as a basis to become smart consumers, stewards, cooks, and citizens with a cross-curricular approach.

Bacillus Thuringiensis; Sharing its Natural Talent with Crops

6/15/2015

This four-module curriculum was prepared by the Office of Biotechnology at Iowa State University and published by ISU Extension for high school teachers or extension educators to use with grades 9-12 or adult audiences. DNA from the naturally-occurring soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis has been incorporated to produce resistance to certain insects in crops such as corn and cotton.  The curriculum has four modules that discuss the science behind Bt crops; specific Bt crops; production issues; and ethical, social, and legal issues.

Bean Team

6/10/2015

The included series of DVDs and worksheets have been designed to educate your fourth grade students about soybeans using subjects such as civics, English, health, math, science, and much more.

Beef it Up Teacher's Guide

6/5/2015

Use this set of informational sheets, worksheets, and tests to meet language arts and math standards while learning about beef production.

Biomass; Lesson Plans on Alternative Fuels

5/30/2015

Teach your middle and high school students about alternative fuels, specifically from biomass, with this lesson plan set. Included is a hands-on approach to learning, designed to supplement and reinforce students' preparedness for higher education goals.

Biotechnology School Enrichment, Grades 5-6

5/25/2015

Incorporate biotechnology into your science curriculum with this set of lessons from the Iowa State University Extension.

Biotechnology School Enrichment, Grades 7-8

5/20/2015

Incorporate biotechnology into your science curriculum with this set of lessons from the Iowa State University Extension.

Bringing Biotechnology to Life Teacher Guide

5/15/2015

This curriculum complements an included DVD, which explores biotechnology through the eyes of a student completing a science project. Introduce students to biotechnology with this fast-paced video and accompanying instructional materials.

Building a Culture of Conservation; It All Begins With You!

5/10/2015

This resource is built to accompany the video series A Culture of Conservation. The Troubled Waters DVD is included, and other related DVDs are available in the IALF Lending Library.

Caretakers All

5/5/2015

This resource was designed to teach students about how farmers and ranchers depend on the environment, and it is their responsibility to be caretakers of it. A teacher's guide, student activity sheets, and games are included.

Choose Well

4/30/2015

Health is extremely important for young students to learn. This funny, engaging curriculum helps students identify and develop healthy habits with the help of some lively videos.

Clean Water Team

4/25/2015

Learn more about how watersheds and agriculture are interrelated with this educational comic book.

Connect the Dots; Where Does my Food Come From?

4/20/2015

As students explore the world, we need to help them realize that the food system contributes significantly to the world. The lessons in this kit will help you meet national education standards in science and social studies while reinforcing skill development in language arts and health. Students will understand where their food comes from and how successfully America's farmers and ranchers have provided that sustenance for generations.

Crazy About Corn

4/10/2015

A curriculum guide for lower elementary classrooms, this packet includes a CD, student activity books, and lesson plans all focusing on corn.

Cut the Fat- Keep the Flavor

4/5/2015

Cut the Fat is a resource unit about the role of agricultural genetics in reducing saturated fat in food oils. Consider pairing it with a genetics or nutrition unit!

Cycling Back to Nature; Food Production and Pesticides

3/30/2015

How do living and nonliving things cycle in nature? This guide explains the basics of agriculture and food production, pesticides and the environment, minimizing exposure to pesticides, and talks about world population and food production.

Dive In! Exporing the Science of Water and Food Production

3/25/2015

This guide is a water education resource for teachers and volunteer educators. This is a relevant, purposeful tool that will engage students in the science of water and food production.

Earthworm Empire; The Living Soil

3/20/2015

This guide is an aid for teachers to link agriculture to science, history, language arts, and math.

Egg Science and Technology

3/15/2015

This packet includes information about eggs and egg products and is very adaptable to food science and technology. A CD and DVD are also included.

Eggspress Yourself!

3/10/2015

A newspaper-based curriculum designed for grades 4-6, this resource will complement language arts strategies using eggs as the context for learning.

Energy and Agriculture; High School Unit

3/5/2015

Discover the power of energy education and the unique connections to agricultural literacy with this classroom resource. Each unit provides five comprehensive, standards-based lesson plans and supporting resources.

Energy and Agriculture; Middle School Unit

2/28/2015

Discover the power of energy education and the unique connections to agricultural literacy with this classroom resource. Each unit provides five comprehensive, standards-based lesson plans and supporting resources.

Food and Farm Facts Teacher Guide

2/20/2015

Food and Farm Facts from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is a great set of resources that give context for the size and scope of the American agriculture industry. You'll find maps, statistics, activity guides, and more in this packet.

Food and Fiber Systems Literacy

2/15/2015

Help your students understand where their food and fiber comes from with this curriculum.

Food Biotechnology; A Communications Guide to Improving Understanding

2/10/2015

This resource is focused on improving students' understanding about foods produced using biotechnology, and helping develop communication skills around this topic.

Food Safety Curriculum; Serve it Up!

2/5/2015

What should students know about safely preparing and serving food? This resource can help! This curriculum would fit well into a foods, nutrition, or family and consumer science course.

From STEM to Plate: Careers in Food Science

1/30/2015

This resource contains a set of four lessons for grades 6-8 that explores careers in food science through labs, challenges, and investigative opportunities.

Gardening for Nutrition

1/25/2015

A comprehensive guide for educators designed to teach health, science, language arts, math, and more using a school garden.

Getting into a Food Mood

1/20/2015

Students can learn more about where food comes from. They will specifically discover how certain crops (like pumpkins, corn, and potatoes) are harvested.

Growing a Nation; The Story of American Agriculture

1/15/2015

This curriculum presents significant historical events and focuses on the important role agriculture has played in America's development. Students will gain an appreciation of our agricultural history and how agricultural events have affected our lives in America today. These accounts include multimedia resources, classroom activities, and statistics that help students analyze historical subjects and project trends for the future.

Growing in the Garden

1/13/2015

This curriculum helps grow students' curiosity about agriculture, natural resources, food, and people. This guide includes thematic units following a variety of different topics. Your students will learn about plants, animals, food, and even outdoor classrooms.

Innovation in Agriculture

1/10/2015

This flexible and exciting teacher resource guide allows integration of agriculture into the everyday classroom through categories like math, science, and language arts. Covering agricultural topics from agribusiness to economics and careers, this guide will help introduce agriculture into the classroom in an easy and convenient way.

Kids, Crops, and Critters in the Classroom

12/30/2014

Designed to provide teachers with ideas and materials to facilitate the integration of agricultural concepts into classroom activities. Provides many hands-on activities to encourage learning. The guide is organized into six categories: math, science, language arts, fine arts, and health.

Listening to the Prairie; Farming in Nature's Image (Grades Pre K-1)

12/25/2014

These activities serve as educational supplements to engage students and families about daily issues of agriculture and the food and fiber industry. Learn to explore natural resources in agriculture with this guide.

Listening to the Prairie; Farming in Nature's Image (Grades 6-8)

12/20/2014

These activities serve as educational supplements to engage students and families about daily issues of agriculture and the food and fiber industry. Learn to explore natural resources in agriculture with this guide.

Microscopes and Cells; Biotechnology School Enrichment

12/15/2014

Help young students begin learning about biotechnology by first introducing them to cells and microscopes! This guide is targeted at grades 4 and 5.

Monarchs on the Move Teen Facilitator Guide

12/10/2014

The 4-H Ag Innovators Experience has an agricultural emphasis that incorporates teamwork, communication, workforce development, and STEM skills. This challenge will focus on the importance of biodiversity, specifically as it relates to monarch butterfly habitats.

Mud, Muck, and other Wonderful Things

12/5/2014

Develops a sense of stewardship of the land and address basic ecology and critical thinking skills development. There are many outdoor and indoor activities in this guide available for educators to use.

Munchsters Talk About Food; Preschool Nutrition Program

11/30/2014

Introduce young students to the ideas of nutrition with the Munchsters! These lovable monsters will help students make positive choices about their diets.

National Agriculture Aviation Association Secondary Level Curriculum Guide

11/25/2014

Introduce your students to the importance of the agricultural aviation industry! Students will learn about industry regulations, standards, and more.

Nourishing the Planet in the 21st Century (Grades 3-4)

11/20/2014

This standards-based curriculum provides hands-on classroom applications to help tomorrow's generation realize the challenge of feeding our growing population.

Nourishing the Planet in the 21st Century (Grades 9-12)

11/15/2014

This standards-based curriculum provides hands-on classroom applications to help tomorrow's generation realize the challenge of feeding our growing population.

Our Mississippi

11/10/2014

This curriculum includes educational activities about the upper Mississippi River based on national education standards.

Project Food, Land and People; Resources for Learning

11/5/2014

This curriculum hosts a large collection of agricultural lesson plans written in Spanish and English. Lessons are cross-curricular and can fit into many different units.

Science in Your Shopping Cart

10/30/2014

Help your students learn about crop breeding and plant research with this interesting curriculum. Science in your Shopping Cart highlights the work of the Agricultural Research Service and how they help improve the food products that we rely on. A supporting DVD is also included.

Soybean Science Kit

10/25/2014

This extensive, three-unit curriculum includes lessons and activities on polymers, oils, and biotechnology.

Stop the Invasion- Get the Facts- Help Prevent Damage

10/20/2014

Invasive species are a growing concern, costing California more than $3 billion annually in damages to fruits, nuts, vegetables, and more. With the Stop the Invasion Fact Sheet Set, students will read about six different invasive species, the damage they cause, and how to stop their spread. The resource also includes accompanying lessons and activities.

STEM Lesson Essentials; Integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

10/15/2014

Want to know how to implement authentic STEM teaching and learning into your classroom? STEM Lesson Essentials provides all the tools and strategies you'll need to design integrated, interdisciplinary STEM lessons and units that are relevant and exciting to students. With clear definitions of both STEM and STEM literacy, the authors argue that STEM in itself is not a curriculum, but rather a way of organizing and delivering instruction by weaving the four disciplines together in intentional ways.

Successful K-12 STEM Education; Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

10/10/2014

Successful K-12 STEM education defines a framework for understanding "success" in K-12 education. The book focuses its analysis on the science and mathematics parts of STEM and outlines criteria for identifying effective STEM schools and programs.

Teach Me About Corn

10/5/2014

Help young students learn about corn with this short curriculum with lessons and activities.

Terra Nova Test Prep

9/30/2014

Help your students prepare for the Terra Nova test while learning about agriculture! Topics included are apples, beef, corn, cotton, dairy, and more!

Terrific Topics: Farm

9/25/2014

This activity book is full of creative activities that link the study of farm animals to all areas of the curriculum.

The Incredible Classroom Eggsperience

9/20/2014

This is a cross-curricular program that focuses on the areas of health, food and nutrition. Help your students learn about egg production while you meet health, language arts, and social studies standards.

The NEED Project

9/15/2014

The National Energy Education Development (NEED) Program includes innovative educational materials, teacher and student training programs, evaluation, and recognition. This program provides comprehensive and objective information about energy production and consumption and the major energy sources. This program emphasizes the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills using hands-on activities that encourage students to consider the trade-offs inherent in energy use.

Things We Can Learn From a Cow and a Worm

9/10/2014

This small resource pack includes a poster and accompanying activities that help students learn about how cattle and worms conserve Earth's resources, and encourage them to do the same.

Transportation Fuels; Ethanol

9/5/2014

Help your students learn about ethanol, and encourage them to evaluate its economic and environmental advantages and disadvantages as a transportation fuel.

Tug of War with Grain

8/30/2014

This guide allows students to explore science and math applications while learning about farm safety issues and grain entrapment.

Turkeys and Turkey Farmers

8/25/2014

This resource includes a ready to reproduce newspaper, activities, and resources for a lively learning experience.

Using STEM to Investigate Issues in Food Production

8/20/2014

Connect students in grades 5 and up with STEM with this book. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) is an initiative designed to interest students in specific career fields. In this 128-page book, students use science inquiry and integrated activities, solve real-world problems, and explore careers in food production. The book includes topics such as food systems, farming, hydroponics, food processing, and food preservation. It supports National Science Education Standards and NCTM and ITEA standards, and aligns with state, national, and Canadian provincial standards.

Where We Live

8/17/2014

Full of fun, hands-on activities, this guide will help teach about agriculture, natural resources, food systems and health where we live! Using benchmarks in the core areas, this guide is sure to help students understand the connection between themselves and where they live.

A Hog Ate My Homework Educator Guide

8/15/2014

A Hog Ate My Homework is a short, chapter book following Willie, a second-grader who has gotten into trouble. This educator guide will give instructional resources for how to implement the book into a classroom setting.

A Seed in Need; A First Look at the Plant Cycle; Educator's Guide

8/10/2014

Help expand learning from the book A Seed in Need with this educator guide.

Accurate Ag Books Educator's Guide (The Beef Princess of Practical County, Little Joe, Heart of a Shepherd)

8/5/2014

This educator guide includes resources for lessons and activities for three popular books about beef cattle: The Beef Princess of Practical County, Little Joe, and Heart of a Shepherd.

Awesome Agriculture Beef Cattle; an A-Z book Educator's Guide

7/30/2014

Continue the learning from Awesome Agriculture Beef Cattle; An A-Z Book with this educator guide.

Awesome Agriculture Pigs; an A-Z book Educator's Guide

7/25/2014

Continue the learning from Awesome Agriculture Pigs; An A-Z Book with this educator guide.

Awesome Agriculture; Corn (an A-Z book) Educator's Guide

7/20/2014

Continue the learning from Awesome Agriculture Corn; An A-Z Book with this educator guide.

Awesome Agriculture; Soybeans (an A-Z book) Educator's Guide

7/15/2014

Continue the learning from Awesome Agriculture Soybeans; An A-Z Book with this educator guide.

Corn in the Story of Agriculture; Educator's Guide

7/10/2014

Help expand student learning of the book Corn in the Story of Agriculture with this educator guide.

Farm Animals Educator's Guide

7/5/2014

Help integrate the book Farm Animals by Bobbie Kalman into your classroom with this educator guide.

Farmers Market Educator's Guide

6/30/2014

Help integrate the book Farmers Market by Carmen Parks into your classroom with this educator guide.

First Peas to the Table Educator's Guide

6/25/2014

Help integrate the book First Peas to the Table into your classroom with this educator guide.

I Drive a Tractor Educator's Guide

6/20/2014

Help integrate the book I Drive a Tractor into your classroom with this educator guide.

John Deere, That's Who! Educator Guide

6/15/2014

Help integrate the book John Deere, That's Who! into your classroom with this educator guide.

PB & J Hooray! Educator's Guide

6/10/2014

Help integrate the book PB & J Hooray! into your classroom with this educator guide.

Pigs & Pork in the Story of Agriculture Educator's Guide

6/5/2014

Help integrate the book Pigs and Pork in the Story of Agriculture into your classroom with this educator guide.

Senses on the Farm Educator's Guide

5/30/2014

Help integrate the book Senses on the Farm into your classroom with this educator guide.

Sleep Tight Farm Educator's Guide

5/25/2014

Help integrate the book Sleep Tight Farm into your classroom with this educator guide.

Soybeans in the Story of Agriculture Educator's Guide

5/20/2014

Help integrate the book Soybeans in the Story of Agriculture into your classroom with this educator guide.

The Apple Orchard Riddle Educator's Guide

5/15/2014

Help integrate the book Farm Animals by Bobbie Kalman into your classroom with this educator guide.

The Beeman Educator's Guide

5/10/2014

Help integrate the book Farm Animals by Bobbie Kalman into your classroom with this educator guide.

Using MyPlate Educator's Guide

5/1/2014

Help integrate the book Farm Animals by Bobbie Kalman into your classroom with this educator guide.

The Tree Farmer Education Guide

5/5/2013

Help integrate the book Farm Animals by Bobbie Kalman into your classroom with this educator guide.