Soybean alliance to provide ag curriculum to teachers
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The Indiana Soybean Alliance says a new partnership with Illinois-based nonprofit Cutting Edge Curriculum will help Indiana middle school teachers teach agriculture. Cutting Edge developed a variety of online, educational programs in a variety of fields, such as ag education, family and consumer sciences, and industrial technology.
The ISA is footing the bill for the subscription-based program that will give middle school teachers access to the ag curriculum.
The nonprofit’s MYCAERT system delivers educators with lesson plans and support materials, signature E-Units for student use, and web-based assessments aligned to academic standards.
The soybean alliance says providing additional tools through a paid subscription not only allows for teachers to feel appreciated but provides them with an inquiry-based lessons to strengthen student knowledge.
“Most of the students who are studying this material will not become farmers, but teaching all middle school kids about agriculture is important to all of us who farm,” said ISA Vice Chair Kevin Cox, a farmer from Brazil. “Better understanding builds trust. As these young minds learn more about agriculture, trust will grow between farmers and our neighbors.”
The lessons use an inquiry-based format known as a 5E lesson plan. Accordingly, each lesson encompasses the following: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate.
“As a teacher who teaches something different in every class period, I’m grateful to have this system and curriculum to help,” said Whitney Sauerheber, an eighth-grade teacher at North Harrison Community Schools. “This is my first year teaching eighth graders. It has been a goal of mine to get back to teaching the basics of agriculture. This curriculum is helping me do that.”