This lesson offers learners the opportunity to understand the importance of nutrition in the livestock industry and the differences between species in terms of anatomy, physiology, and nutrient requirements and/or deficiencies. This represents a portion of the Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) series in Nebraska middle and high school agricultural education.  

This lesson presents an overview of the role of genetics, breeding, and reproduction in animal agriculture. Learners will become familiar with fundamentals of genetics, complete a Punnett square, understand phenotypes and genotypes, identify parts of reproductive systems, and discuss breeding systems used in the animal industry. This represents a portion of the Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) series in Nebraska middle and high school agricultural education.

This is a lesson that can be used to teach beginning Introduction to Agriculture students about the types of drugs we administer to animals. Students then get to complete a hands-on lab activity where they learn about and demonstrate four types of injections.

In this lesson, students will discover how to administer three different types of injections (Subcutaneous, Intramuscular, and Intravenous) though a hand-on activity. Students will use actual syringes and needles to administer medication to their animal (hamburger buns in a sandwich bag). Along with the injection lab students will learn the difference between medications and vaccinations, and why they are both important!

The uses of animals in biotechnology are expansive, and many times overlooked.  This lesson will have students exploring the wide range of uses of animals in biotechnology and formulating an opinion about the uses of animals in biotechnology.

Using the context of apples, students will apply their knowledge of heredity and genetics to distinguish between sexual and asexual reproduction as they explain how new varieties of apples are developed and then propagated to meet consumer demand for a tasty, uniform, consistent product. Photo by Sokmean Nou on Unsplash

In this lesson, students will explore apples using their five senses. Includes activity instructions, extension activities, songs, and apple and five senses realted reading list.

NGSS: K-ESS3-1, 1-LS1-1

Time: 30 minutes

Materials: "Apples Grow on Trees" or other book about apples.

In this lesson, students are introduced to trees and the many things we commonly use that come from trees. Includes introductory movement activity, guided discussion, a matching game, and fun facts.

NGSS: Partially meets 1-LS1-1, 2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-2

Common Core: W.2.7, W.2.8

Time: 30 minutes

Materials: "Apples to Oregon" book and three paper lunch bags labled: wood, food, cellulose.

Can your students identify food aromas? In this lesson, students will have an opportunity to sniff and identify up to 32 aromas. This is part of the Food Science CDE in FFA as well!

Students will summarize an article on an agricultural topic and reflect on what surprised or interested them, and name other keywords/topics for future research they found in the article.

This lesson will serve as an overview of the motivation, values, and principles necessary to enhance character and leadership development. This represents a portion of the Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) series in Nebraska middle and high school agricultural education.

Part 2 Nutritional Unit for Animal Science. This lesson goes over 6 basic nutrients in relation to what they provide for the animal's body. AFNR.HS.2.2.a Demonstrate management techniques that ensure animal welfare.AFNR.HS.2.2.b Analyze procedures to ensure that animal products are safe for consumption.

Part 3 Nutrional Unit for Animal Science. This lesson goes over how to read a feed label and information found on animal feed labels. AFNR.HS.2.2.a Demonstrate management techniques that ensure animal welfare.AFNR.HS.2.2.b Analyze procedures to ensure that animal products are safe for consumption.

Part 4 Nutritional Unit for Animal Science. This lesson goes over Pearson's Square and calculating feed amounts. AFNR.HS.2.2.a Demonstrate management techniques that ensure animal welfare.AFNR.HS.2.2.b Analyze procedures to ensure that animal products are safe for consumption. 

In this activity, kids will work on two fundamental early math skills – sorting/classifying, and graphing. There will also be some great fine motor skill practice! Includes place-based discussion questions, activity instructions, extension activities, songs, and student graph worksheets.

NGSS: K-LS1-1, 1-LS1-1, partially meets K-ESS3-1 (book and discussion)

Common Core: MP.4

Time: 45 minutes

Matierals: bag of dried beans ("16 bean soup"), paper bowls, glue, chart paper, the book "One Bean" or similar book about growing food plants, especially beans.

Download this complete set of lessons for an elementary, NGSS-aligned inquiry that foregrounds engineering practices. During the days that are supported by this investigation, students observe flowers on their 14 to 16 day old Fast Plants along with bee structures, learning to connect how the shape of a structure is related to its function. Then, students make and/or use bee sticks to conduct pollination. Finally, students look closely at how pollen is carried on bee bodies and where pollen moves within the flower as concrete examples of the relationship between structure and function. Then, students have the opportunity to use a wide variety of materials to design a solution to a problem (no bees). The solution will be a simple model that mimics the function of a bee in pollinating plants.Complete kits are available from Carolina Biological for this investigation, or everything to grow Fast Plants can be built or obtained locally, using the instructions available on the Fast Plants website. This stand-alone inquiry is a subset of lessons from a comprehensive life cycle unit that is NGSS-aligned, titled "Investigating Plants Needs with Wisconsin Fast Plants" (also available in the Fast Plants digital library).

Learners research the effects of melting sea ice in the Bering Sea Ecosystem. They create research proposals to earn a place on the scientific research vessel Healy and present their findings and proposals to a Research Board committee.

This curriculum builds upon many years of educating students in the garden and scales up content across grades and lessons for instructional scaffolding. It is designed as an interactive teaching tool to be co-taught with classroom teachers and garden instructors as leads. Each lesson connects directly to standards: Next Generation Science, Common Core State, Physical Education, and Environmental and Health Education. The concise and easy to-follow lessons are a packed 45 minutes for preschool through fifth grade. Flexibility is important, so some lessons include several activities that teachers can choose from to accommodate their lesson plans. Consistency is also important, so lessons follow themes and structures found in the Curriculum Map. 360 pages.

After reviewing the many products that can be made from corn and soybeans, students will create biodegradable plastic using corn and soybean ingredients. These ingredients are as simple as cornstarch and vegetable (soybean) oil!  Source: https://grownextgen.org/media/pages/curriculum/meet-the-bean/fun-and-games-with-soybeans/7e281dd28b-1565628888/biodegradable-soy-plastic.pdf

There is life all around us! Look out a window, and we see a variety of living things. Even in the middle of a big city, plants grow in between cracks in the sidewalk. All that life is called Biodiversity. Check out the Natural Resources Intern video to learn how high school students are improving biodiversity on an Eastern Oregon ranch. Then, in the Discovery Challenge video, investigate biodiversity at two different sites by collecting data at each sites. With your data, you will be able to compare the biodiversity at the two sites.

This lesson introduces NGSS standards, and those standards are listed in the lesson and is part of the Explore Science Club series, an online Career Connected Learning program developed by the Greater Oregon STEM Hub. To learn more find us at: www.go-stem.org.