Curriculum

What are the current issues in biotechnology? There is a lot of resistance to genetic modification and the use of genetically modified crops. What is the science? This unit helps to provide some background in cell function and DNA properties,…

What role do soybeans and soy products play in my everyday life? Are soybeans everywhere? Really? Check ingredient labels in a variety of cookies, peanut butter, soups, chips, chocolate candy, microwave popcorn and other processed snacks. Many of the foods we eat…

How does the chemical composition of soybeans impact the characteristics of soy-containing foods? Have you ever looked on a food label and seen soy products on it, even though it wasn’t made from soybeans? This unit explores the various uses of soy in foods and how soy can be used to accomplish…

How can soybean products help solve world hunger? Have you ever heard students utter the words “What’s the point? What does this have to do with anything?” This lesson is an engaging 3 part challenge in which students apply their knowledge to…

What is a soybean? What value does it have? For younger students, a coloring book that introduces soybeans: the history and the uses in animal agriculture, bioproducts and the local grocery store. This is perfect for ag days, camps or after…

What are the ingredients of products you use everyday like soap? Does it matter where they come from? Soap made from soybeans? Sunflowers? Olives? Plant oils have different “fatty acids” that determine the characteristics of your soap—is it creamy? bubbly? hard? soft? It is the oil in plants that…

How do scientists and engineers work together to solve problems? Scientists and engineers work together to “industrialize” the use of agriculture products. Oil and protein from plants can be turned into many products. Design some new products using items from…

Should labeling of GMOs be mandatory? What do you know about genetic modification? Is genetic modification helpful or harmful? This unit will help to develop student thinking about genetic modification and food security issues around the…

How do we replace non-renewable resources with renewable resources in high-use products like inks? Create ink recipes and test the formulas. Ink is basically pigment mixed in a liquid that will not blur when put on paper. Inks made with soybean oil are made from a renewable resource, are much more…

How might soymilk, and other types of milk, help ensure food security? Investigate various milk sources and their composition through core disciplines of Science, Math, Social Studies and Language Arts to discover the availability of milk types within multiple cultures…

Why do farmers spend time and money to apply chemicals to their fields? In this threaded PBL*, (an effort to integrate agricultural understandings into the normal sequence of an Environmental Science classroom) students will conduct several “close reads” (reading for…

Can we predict the yield of a crop and forecast food production? Use hula hoops and math to predict how many bushels of soybeans are growing in a particular field. This fun activity was tested with 500 6th graders from Newark City Schools at the Devine Farms…