Curriculum

Explore, download and share these proven real-world educational resources to help bring science and agriculture to life in your classroom. Relevant and engaging, you’ll find useful, easy-to-implement lesson plans and activities.

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GMOs: What do you know? Breakout

3 lessons, 8 files
How much do you know about GMOs? There is a lot of misinformation about what a GMO is and what foods are genetically modified. Use this unit as a review or a compelling way to engage students in the topic of GMOs using a “breakout,” …
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Engineering solutions in agriculture

2 lessons, 2 files
How does modern agriculture use engineering to address soil compaction? Looking for an activity that combines robotics, coding, and engineering with a real life problem? This unit uses MakeBlock parts, Scratch programming, and modeling to help students design a solution …
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Living the hive life: honey bees and pollinators

4 lessons, 9 files
How important are honey bees to our food supply? What’s happening to honey bees? This unit contains three different ways to learn about honey bees and pollinators: a video for all to learn more about bees and how to successfully keep them, a …
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Bioeconomy and soybeans: investigating challenges and exploring solutions

5 lessons, 17 files
What is a bioeconomy? What is the role of soybeans in the development of bioeconomies in Spanish-speaking countries? International markets are very important to soybean farmers across the globe. In this unit, students in a Spanish language class will explore the idea of a bioeconomy and research case studies of …
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Water Windmill Challenge

2 lessons, 2 files
How do engineers build strong support structures? This unit asks students to create a windmill structure using the Engineering Design Process. A farmer has hired your company, Wind Power Technologies, to engineer a derrick to support a …
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Gel electrophoresis basics

3 lessons, 13 files
How might students identify patterns in samples of DNA or proteins? In what ways can we see if the gene(s) of interest are present? This unit leads students through the process of setting up gel electrophoresis chambers, understanding the mechanics, and experimenting with various aspects of running gels.
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Central dogma: an integration of science and art

4 lessons, 15 files
How does DNA code become an expressed trait? Do your students struggle to understand the “central dogma” of biology? Are you looking for innovative teaching techniques? This unit is an integrated art and science project to teach transcription …
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Smart farming: using data to make decisions

5 lessons, 27 files
What kind of data do farmers use to make decisions? Where does that data come from? Become a "farmer" on a journey from pre-planting to harvest to see what decisions farmers are making every year as they farm. Growers across the country are gaining access to more and more data about …
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Healthy soils

1 lesson, 1 file
What makes soil healthy? What methods might farmers use to maintain healthy soil? “Soil” doesn’t just mean “dirt.” It is a mixture of minerals like rocks and clay, organic material like dead leaves, living organisms like worms, microbes, and insects, and even air and water. There …
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Stick a fork in it: biodegradable products

3 lessons, 2 files
Which biobased substrate will create a durable form of bio-plastic? Which biobased material has the least effect on the composition of compost and runoff through degradation? Compostable plastics are a new generation of plastics that are biodegradable through composting. They are derived generally from renewable raw materials like starch (e.g. corn, potato, tapioca etc), …
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Future of food

4 lessons, 6 files
How has agriculture changed? What is a GMO? What is the future of food? Society and cultures revolve around food. There are television networks solely focused on food and it is almost impossible to take a drive without passing a fast food chain. Billions of dollars are …
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Plenish® of ways to use oil

2 lessons, 6 files
Can you transform fats in your diet? Current trends in consumer behavior show that people want to eat healthier and are looking for simple ways to transform their diets. High oleic soybean oil features lower saturated fat while …