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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Living the hive life: honey bees and pollinators
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
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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Smart farming: using data to make decisions
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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Stick a fork in it: biodegradable products
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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Plenish® of ways to use oil
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 …
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Global trade in agriculture
Where did your food come from? How far did it travel? Many people are thinking about these questions prompted by the mantra “Buy Local.” But much of our food has been shipped by barge, ridden on rails and rolled on the road in trucks. Without …
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Nitrogen fixation and legumes: say what?
How do legumes fix nitrogen? If the atmosphere is about 80% Nitrogen (N2), but plants cannot use that form, how do they get nitrogen? In this unit, students plant and care for soybeans under one of five different …
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Barges, trains and trucks: Logistics and moving soybeans
Why is transportation for commodity crops so critical? Infrastructure is critical to the functions of the country, in particular the shipment of commodity crops such as soybeans. This unit introduces students to several types of infrastructure that are …
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Beans about water: soybeans and food science
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 …
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Soy in food: What is that doing in there?
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 …
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Soy and world hunger
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 help …
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Henry Ford and George Washington Carver team up to make bio-based products
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 …