Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom News 
April 2015

 

Agriculture books  
Juanita Reed-Boniface and Ann Olson Bercher display agriculture themed children's books at the Oliver Kelley Farm near Elk River.

 
What is your Favorite Ag Book?
New MAITC Book Bundles are in the works!

The Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom Program (MAITC) is excited to develop two new children's literature book bundles.  One bundle will focus on accurate agriculture books for K-2nd grade students and the second bundle will be directed to 3rd-5th grade students.  We need your ideas for books to include in these bundles.  Send us an email with your suggestions!!
In This Issue
Teacher Feature Rachel Friske
Rachel Friske
5th grade teacher
St. Michael School, Prior Lake, MN 
  

 Ms. Friske is one of our MAITC Teacher Champions who is inspiring her fellow teachers at St. Michael to integrate agriculture in their curricula! 

 

How has agriculture in the Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom program impacted your students?

MAITC has impacted my students because I've been able to put them in the drivers seat for their learning. My 5th graders pair up with Kindergarten buddies, meeting several times a year. We've been able to take several Kindergarten Ag lessons and adapt them to be taught by my 5th graders. It gives them the chance to be the teachers, which they really enjoy doing! It has also been a great resource to help increase awareness of the high impact that agriculture has on our community in ways that they would have never considered prior to reading the AgMag or doing the lessons. 

Students completing tops and bottoms activity
One of Ms. Friske's 5th graders and her Kindergarten buddy complete a Plant Tops and Bottoms activity.
Summer Teacher Tour 
The Many Faces of Minnesota Agriculture

MAITC is excited to offer a unique summer tour that allows educators to get a first-hand look into the world of agriculture. If you would like to see, smell, hear, touch and taste the agriculture, food and natural resources that allow  for our survival, while earning CEUs and graduate credits, register today!

 
MAITC at the MN FFA ConventionFFA members
 
MAITC is looking forward to presenting a workshop at the 2015 Minnesota FFA Convention. Encourage FFA members you know to join us on Tuesday, April 28th at 8:30 AM in Ruttan Hall room 143 to learn more about "Growing Future FFA members in School Gardens  ."
Fantastic Resourcesback of animal bookmark
  
NEW Farm Animal Bookmark
Learn details about eight livestock species raised in Minnesota.  Available FREE on the MAITC website. 

All About Corn
This website, developed at the U of M with funding from the MN Corn
Growers Association, includes a series of interactive online modules targeted to high school students.  Among the lessons covered are:
* Corn Uses - types of corn; how corn is utilized for feed, food, fuel, etc.
* Corn Production - cropping systems; crop adaptation; how farmers select hybrids, plant and harvest corn, and manage pestscorn
*  Corn Breeding - Native American breeding, hybrid innovation, modern techniques including traditional and transgenic breeding
*  Biology of Corn - parts of the corn plant, growth and development, taxonomy
American Farm Bureau Foundation's Recommended BooksAmerican Farm Bureau Foundation logo
Explore the AFBF's listing of recommended accurate agriculture books    http://www.agfoundation.org/recommended-pubs 
Email us with the titles of your favorite books! 
Agricultural Trivia
  
Congratulations to Emily Sicilia, for being the first person to respond with the correct answer to our March trivia question.  She knew that a newly hatched turkey is called a poult.  Rounding out the Top Ten first responders were: Jen Schoenfeld, Tammy Moon, Sarrah Britton, Linda White, Denise Jorud, Denise Schnabel, Georgia Storms, Gretchen Bohl, Karolyn Zurn.
 
April Trivia
The first person to email the correct answer for the question below will win a Minnesota Department of Agriculture Coffee Mug!

What is the scientific name (Genus and species) for soybeans?
Email your answer to  Sue Knott to be eligible for the prize!