This document printed from the University of Illinois Extension Adams/Brown Unit at http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/adamsbrown/
Adams County Ag Awareness Programs
All programs are interactive and incorporate reading, discussion and a hands-on activity. Lessons include at least one of the following components in math, science, language arts, social studies and nutrition. For more information or to schedule a program, please contact Sharon Knorr at 217-223-8380 or email knorr@illinois.edu.
Or please fill out the Ag Awareness School Program Form and send in. The form can be found on the Ag Awareness webpage under Forms and Downloads.
Topics listed followed by activities
Adams County Programs for 2009-2010
Adams County Farm Talk- Educators enroll to have their students write to an area producer to learn about agriculture. A farmer will be assigned to a classroom to write and answer student questions. Correspondence is requested at least once every other month. Participation is dependent upon farmer enrollment. The educator form is in your packet and available online under the "Forms and Downloads" tab.
ISATs: 10 Minutes a Day The IAITC Way- Illinois Ag in the Classroom has developed 20 weeks of review materials to use to prepare for ISAT testing. The material is ready for 4th grade teachers and will soon be ready for 6th grade teachers. The materials correspond with 20 Ag Mags which are in print or available online. A workshop on September 10th will cover the new material that you will get to take with you.
Poultry Incubation No Longer Offered- Ag Awareness will no longer offer incubation, but you may continue incubation in your classroom. The incubators, heat lamps, feeders, thermometers, etc. will be offered to teachers that incubated eggs durign the 08-09 school year on a first come first served basis. The supplies will be on loan to your school and must be used. Alison Dickhut and Stacie Anders have first choice of supplie since they attended the summer workshops. Bill York will provide eggs. You may contact Bill at: Yorkdmp@aol.com.
Scientific Inquiry with Butterflies. Recommended for grades 3-5, this curriculum can be adapted for other levels. Lessons include: insect anatomy, life cycle stages, survival mechanisms, and butterfly interaction with the environment. If your school is interested in a training on this curriculum, then please call to set up a training at your school. CPDUs can be offered for educator trainings.
Department of Natural Resources
The following kits are currently available through the Department of Natural Resources at Siloam Springs State Park:
Peoples and Animals of Illinois' Past
Illinois Fossils
Illinois Aquatic Trunk
Birds
Insects and Spiders
Mammals
Trees
Pre-School and Kindergarten Programs
Introduction to Illinois Agriculture: Study the relationships between geographic, nutrition and society using The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Barnyard Buddies: Explore livestock found on the farm.
Pumpkin or Apple Life Cycle: Literature and an activity will focus on the life cycle and needs of living things.
Popcorn and the 5 Senses: Literature and an activity will incorporate math and scientific inquiry.
Beanie Baby Seed Germination: Students use scientific inquiry with observation and comparison of natural phenomena.
Embryology: Poultry life cycle, egg nutrition and poultry characteristics are studied.
Insects: build an insect emphasizing insect characteristics.
Nutrition: handwashing and food groups are interactive lessons.
Pre-K educators can only schedule up to three programs during the school year.
Grades 1-3
Water Cycle: Analyze and explain characteristics and interactions of the Earth's physical systems. Water cycle components depend upon grade level.
Water Cycle Paper Chain
Water Cycle Beaded Bracelet
Soils: Know and apply concepts that describe the features and processes of the Earth and its resources.
Edible Soil (soil horizons)
Soil Perculation (soil particles)
Soil Sams
Livestock: Understanding economic (food and fiber) systems through livestock including supply and demand. Activities will vary with different specie.
Barnyard Buddies: explore livestock on the farm
Beef: build a cheeseburger, nutrition or products
Dairy: cottage cheese, yogurt
Poultry: Embryology and Incubation. Literature and activities will compare needs of living things, describecharacteristics, observe changes, and explore natural phenomena. There will be 2 class programs: incubation of poultry and the characteristics of poultry/eggs.
Sheep: wool, raising sheep andproducts
Swine: raising swine, ear notching and products
Seed Germination: Know and apply concepts that explain how living things function, adapt, change and interact with their environment.
Garden in a Glove
Beanie Baby
Corn or Soybeans: The study of how living things function, adapt, and change. Also, we'll focus on recycling, nutrition, and consumer education.
Corn Stations: popcorn, sweet corn, field corn and making corn plastic
Soybean Stations: edible and non-edible products
George Washington Carver: Soy
Insects: Identify functionality and interaction of insects to the environment.
Monarch migration
Insect physical characteristics
Bees
Insect mouth functions
Horticulture: What parts of the plant we eat, ingredient origin and consumer choices.
Pizza
Source Search – Farm, Factory, Store or Natural World
Machines in Agriculture: Know and apply concepts that describe the interaction between science, technology and society.
Simple and complex machines
Pumpkin or Apple Life Cycle: Students will learn about plant life cycle and sequencing.
Pumpkin: paper component orbooklet
Pumpkin: pumpkin pie in a bag
Pumpkin Charm
Apple: paper component or booklet
Apple: tasting and graphing
Fiber: Students will identify fiber origin.
Clothesline Sleuth
Nutrition
Tops & Bottoms
Handwashing
MyPyramid
Whole grains- Tortillas
Kits Available
Farm Safety
Adams County Grown
Adventures Around the Farm
Seasons Around the Farm
Grades 4-8 and High School
The following lessons are found in mAGic (multidisciplinary agricultural integrated curriculum) kits. The kits are available for loan or an Ag Awareness representative will present the lesson to your class. The mAGic kits are multidisciplinary, all inclusive curricula that are designed to teach students about agriculture through active discovery. Kits include lesson plans and supplies for activities and exercises. Educators using the kits on loan will replace the supplies. Otherwise, the supplies are provided if the coordinator presents the lesson.
Dairy mAGic Kit– Hands-on exercises let students explore the processes of using milk, acids, enzymes, and bacteria to make cottage cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. Students will find out how much milk one cow produces in its lifetime. They'll also dive into history and learn about issues of supply and demand in the dairy industry.
Insect mAGic Kit– Students will learn about the impact of insects on crop production through a variety of lessons and activities. Mapping exercises let students follow butterflies on migration patterns. Students track a day in the life of an insect and learn about wingspan, life cycles, anatomy, and social hierarchy patterns of common insects.
Machines mAGic Kit– Students will learn about the history of farm machinery and the impact of modern farming techniques on families and communities. They'll also learn how inventors John Deere and Cyrus McCormick helped shape modern agriculture. Hands-on exercises let students identify machinery parts and estimate farm machinery costs.
Poultry mAGic Kit– Students will uncover interesting facts about U.S. Poultry production through exercises and hands-on experiments. They'll learn about the anatomy and nutritional value of an egg. They'll also learn about the history of egg production and find out how poultry dishes are prepared around the world.
Plant mAGic Kit– This kit offers problem-solving activities in plant propagation, production, and processing. Students will conduct experiments to learn about plant differences and plant ecosystems. They'll also sequence plant products, research the discoveries of George Washington Carver, and look at the impact of crops on the national economy.
Soils mAGic Kit- Soils are alive, as students will discover through the lessons in this kit. Students will learn to conduct experiments in soil pH, create soil profiles, and understand the components of soils. They will also unveil the history of crop rotation and dig into the Dust Bowl.
Illinois mAGic Kit- The Illinois lessons allow students to see the 7 wonders of Illinois, watch prairie plants adapt right before their eyes adn tour Illinois Indian cultures. Students will experience the Lincoln-Douglas debates, investigate Illinois sites, meet famous Illinoisans, stop at McDonald's fora bit of history and discover all the great things that come from Illinois including: waterways, coalmines, trees, plant products, settlements and soil. Teachers are welcome to check out the kit for a couple of weeks!
Adams County Grown Kit- This kit will be available in the fall of 2009. The kit will focus on food and fiber production in Adams County. Lessons are organized by food system: production, transportation and storage, processing, packaging and marketing, retail, and consumers. The kit is made possible through a grant from the American Farm Bureau White-Reinhardt Fund for Education.
Farm Safety Kit- This kit is available for use by educators and FFA chapters. The kit features lessons on farm safety for every age with items for demonstration. Videos are included for all ages to teach about safety: equipment, electrical, power tools, livestock, personal safety, and ATV. The kit is made possible through a grant from the Illinois Farm Bureau and COUNTRY Financial.
Additional Resources
Fiber: plant, animal or man-made
How Far Does Your Food Travel?
George Washington Carver and Soybeans
High School
GPS – Global Positioning Systems
GIS- Geographical Information Systems
Ag Careers
How Far Does Your Food Travel?
Careers in Horticulture
Horticulture Science
Energy Bike
University of Illinois Extension staff can bring the following topics to your classroom:
The Risk Simulation
Financial Fitness for Life
Welcome to the Real World
Colors
Engaging Generations
Fruit & Vegetable Production
Nutrition
Going Solo
Power of the Wind
There may be fees associated with some programs from U of I Extension staff. Please call for office to schedule.
For educators only:
U-Facilitate
New Kits
Farm Safety
Adams County Grown
Recycling Kit
History CD - for upper elementary through high school. Each cd requires classroom internet connections.
Illinois Agriculture: Students take an interactive journey through Illinois history using multimedia and multidisciplinary lessons.
Growing a Nation: The Story of American Agriculture: Students will journey from 1600 AD to present using interactive activities related to specific events in history.
Resources
mAGic Kits are available for loan for 2 weeks. It is up to the educator to replace the supplies.
Ag Mags- Whenever possible, Ag Mags will be handed out to students in programs. Otherwise, teachers are welcome to request Ag Mags for use in their classrooms. Go to the Illinois Ag in the Classroom website for a listing of Ag Mags.
Ag Awareness Video Library- There are several agriculture VHS and DVD titles available.
