AgMag Spring 2017-2018 Lesson And Activity Ideas
AgMag Lesson & Activity Ideas
Lesson Ideas
Increasing Food Production with Precision Agriculture
This hands-on lesson teaches students how precision agriculture uses geographic information systems (GIS) to help farmers and manufacturers make smart, efficient, and responsible decisions about how and when they plant, grow, irrigate, harvest, and transport crops.
How Much Is Dirt Worth? (Grades 3-5)
Students will understand that topsoil is a limited resource with economic value. Activities include slicing up an apple to demonstrate the distribution of Earth's soil resources and exploring scenarios involving the dollar valuation of soil.
Students will be able to demonstrate rain drop splash (splash erosion) and determine its impact on bare soil, ultimately being able to visually identify types of erosion.
Students will be able to understand the basic geography of a watershed, how water flows through the system, and how people can impact the quality of our water.
Students will observe and understand that water changes states as it moves through the water cycle.
Fertilizers and the Environment
In this lesson students will recognize that fertile soil is a limited resource to produce food for a growing population, describe the role fertilizer plays to increase food productivity, distinguish between organic and commercial fertilizers, and recognize how excess nutrients are harmful to the environment.
Students will measure the weight and length or circumference of various vegetables. After studying the vegetables, students will classify the vegetables based on plant parts and explore chemical reactions from cooking colored vegetables in acidic and basic water. Students will also use a variety of vegetables to prepare soup.
Natures Partners: Pollinators, Plants and You
This is an inquiry based learning curriculum for 3rd-6th grade students from the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign. Inquiry activities and hands-on investigations allow students to see the important role pollinators play and how they can help create and protect pollinator habitat.
Activity Ideas
- Take a field trip around your school grounds and/or community. Have students make observations about the natural resources present and how they are being protected as well as polluted.
- Investigate how farmers and agriculturalists are working to protect and conserve water and soil on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Conservation Practices website. Lead students in discussing the benefits and challenges to some of these techniques.
- Use the data collected through the USDA Farm to School Census to discover how your district, schools in Minnesota, and schools across the U.S. are connecting local farmers to their cafeteria. Look for trends in areas of the state and/or country that have the most farm to school connections. Investigate which farm to school foods (apples, squash, lettuce, etc.) are the most popular.
Additional MAITC Resources
- Minnesota School Garden Guide
- Food for Thought Geography Resource and Interactive Maps
- Agricultural Products Poster
- History of Minnesota Agriculture Timeline
