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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Gel electrophoresis basics
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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Soy fresh, soy clean: Using aseptic technique for food safety
How clean is your lab station? About 48 million people (1 in 6 Americans) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and …
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AFNR biotechnology
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, …
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GMOs go global: should they be labeled?
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 …
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Oh soy good! Milk types and food security
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 …
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Moving genes: intro to genetic engineering
How do we solve the problems created by 9 billion people? How will we feed 9 billion on about the same amount of land? An introduction to genetic engineering through hands-on and modeling activities that illustrate concepts, which will scaffold student understanding for lab activities to follow, especially focused on …
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Are you sterile? Using sterile technique to tissue culture plants
How do sterilization techniques affect our ability to preserve and culture organisms? In vitro collecting (IVC) is the process of starting plant tissue cultures with minimal disturbance to the plants when viable seeds are not available. Become the field researcher and learn how to …
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Soybeans: from ballast to biotech
What is the future of biotechnology? Create models to understand DNA and the gene transfer process used in biotechnology. Explore questions: Are there harmful side effects of biotechnology? Can biotech solve world hunger? Should GMO …
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Growing more food: biotechnology
How will we feed 9 billion people? Grow soybeans using Round-Up Ready seeds to illustrate how biotechnology can be used as a tool to increase production. Introduce students to different options for growing soybeans, investigate …
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Honey and biotechnology
What can we learn by investigating honey? Using biotech skills, students will determine potential locations where pollen was collected and test the qualities and characteristics of a honey sample, including the sugar content and pH.
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Be a food scientist
What is your protein IQ? Create a cookbook to learn Standard Operating Procedures for food safety and environmental monitoring. Test for proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids and compare plant and animal protein.