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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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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AFNR biotechnology

6 lessons, 7 files
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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Moving genes: intro to genetic engineering

5 lessons, 14 files
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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Maintaining our yield: assessing biotic and abiotic factors

3 lessons, 10 files
How do biotic and abiotic factors affect populations? Create experiments to test how abiotic factors impact soybean germination, go into the field and laboratory to determine the impact of aphid populations on soybeans, and experiment with aphid …
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Plant inhibition

1 lesson, 7 files
Why do some plants grow and some do not? Participate in a simulation that shows how various factors influence plant growth and what role probability plays. Powerpoint with instructions and information included.
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Soybeans: from ballast to biotech

5 lessons, 5 files
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

3 lessons, 9 files
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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What is Bioinformatics? It’s a BLAST

2 lessons, 3 files
How can we identify individual organisms in a complex mixture of DNA? What computer tools are needed to decode the source of a DNA sequence? Have you ever done a DNA extraction? Most DNA extractions are done with a known source and students can visualize DNA. The favorite items are strawberries or students’ own cheek cells. This unit …
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Soybean growth and genetics

3 lessons, 5 files
How might we predict traits in soybeans? Did you know that there are many traits in soybeans that have an impact on sales and export of soybeans? One of the major ones is hilum color. What is hilum color? What is pubescence? Take a tour of …
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Rise of the mutant weed: weeds and herbicide resistance

2 lessons, 5 files
How do farmers reduce competition for their crops? What weeds are resistant to herbicides? How does the mechanism of resistance work? Weeds present problems in farm fields—they rob sunlight, nutrients, and water from the crops. What can farmers do? Herbicides are one answer, but they may not do enough as some weeds have developed …
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Discovering and diagnosing honey bee killers

3 lessons, 7 files
How can we identify pathogens that are causing honey bee deaths? You may have heard about Colony Collapse Disorder, a syndrome likely caused by multiple factors that results in the deaths of many honeybee colonies. Become a diagnostic researcher and use …
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Chickenology sampler

4 lessons, 10 files
How do environment, heredity, and genetics affect living organisms? This STEM-based poultry curriculum uses immersive learning experiences and real genetic samples for your students to dive deep in the future evolution of our food. See how environment influences …