George Washington Carver often said that a weed is a flower growing in the wrong place. He might have said this about himself. As the child of slaves, he grew up eager to learn, but was unable to find a school in his neighborhood that would accept black students. It was twenty years before he had enough money saved to go to college, but eventually George Washington Carver became a professor at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. There he was able to teach poor farmers the value of plants such as the sweet potato and the peanut - crops that were almost unknown at the time, but for which he invented hundreds of uses.Written and illustrated with affection for "a wonderful man who devoted his whole life to making life better for others," Aliki's biography tells the remarkable story of a great figure in African American history who is now recognized as the most prominent Black scientist of the early twentieth century. This book needs to be returned. 

Students will sharpen their observation, listening and vocabulary skills with this poetry writing exercise that features items with an agriculture connection. The Poetry of Agriculture lesson is included with the kit and can also be viewed here. Take a look at Fresh-Picked Poetry - A Day at the Farmer's Market, an excellent companion book for this activity.This kit does not need to be returned. This Kit Includes:Agriculture related products, paper bags, and a paper lesson planPlease put the number of students in your class in the quantity section at checkout to ensure the correct number of supplies gets to you.

Middle school students learn science through studying diet and activity choices. They learn about how the human body works, and how food and activity play a role in its well-being. Students engage in hands-on investigations of food preference, our food environment, energy intake and expenditure, lifestyle-related diseases, and more. Finally, they explore and analyze their personal food choices through scientific reasoning and apply what they have learned to personal decisions related to their diet, physical activity, and overall health.

This instructional unit is versatile and can be adapted to various grade levels. The guide contains information and lesson plans about the ecosystem, microorganisms, farmer role-playing, pesticides, and the environment, and world populations and food production. Well written and teacher friendly. These materials would be very useful in 5th grade science and economics education for grades 4-9.