30 min lesson
This fast-moving relay race teaches students that before any product leaves a factory, or enters a store, it began as a resource or product of the natural world – most likely agriculture. Students will work in teams and run a relay race where they have to quickly decide the source of a product and then race to place it into one of the buckets marked Factory, Store, Farm or Earth. Source Relay is a great interest approach activity for older students!
Check out the adapted online, student worksheet version for elearning puposes!
Answer Key to Source Relay with explanations.
*This lesson plan is similar to our Breakfast Relay lesson plan. Click the link to check it out!
90 min lesson
Garnish your math, literacy and science curriculum with sweet or spicy microgreens! Students will explore a tasty way to learn about life cycles and calculate area through real-life applications.
60 min lesson
This lesson introduces plant needs and the basic principles of garden design. Square foot gardening is a method of food production that allows gardeners to grow a large amount of food in a small space. Gardens are divided into a square foot grid, with every individual square measuring 1ft by 1ft. The size of the plants at maturity will determine how many of each plant type can fit into a single square. This method requires students to use their math and measurement skills to design a garden that fits the uniquely sized beds at their school. This lesson can be used to emphasize fraction practice for older students and simple units of measurement and counting for younger students.
This lesson was adapted from the Junior Master Gardener Learn, Grow, Eat, and Go! Curriculum. You can purchase that here: https://jmgkids.us/lgeg/
100 min lesson
Students will discover that plants need an adequate amount of nutrients to grow and stay healthy. Plants uptake nutrients from the soil, so it is important to test soil regularly to determine if there are enough nutrients to support plant growth. The soil test kit will help students identify whether soils in their garden, yard, park, etc. are fertile or deficient in nutrients. Keep in mind that all plants need nutrients, but requirements vary depending on the type of crop, shrub, tree, etc.
45 min lesson
Throughout the years, farmers have dealt with a wide range of challenges. In this activity students will experience the challenges of modern-day farmers through a simulation card game. Students will discover the work required and choices made for the food they eat.
30 min lesson
In this activity, students will observe barley seed heads and sort them to compare and contrast traits with parent barleys, showing that offspring are like, but not exactly like, their parents. Lesson developed by Barleyworld, Oregon State University.
60 min lesson
Discover the law of buoyancy and its importance in the production of cranberries! Students will explore whether or not a cranberry floats and the phenomena of the buoyancy force.
min lesson
Students explore the use of beeswax, a by-product in honey production, by developing a useful beeswax product.
120 min lesson
Many foods we eat and grow in Oregon are not indigenous or native to North America. In this lesson students study the origin of fruits and vegetables from around the world and understand how the Columbian Exchange altered people’s lives.
60 min lesson
Students will explore the use of Punnett squares and rudimentary statistical math through the lens of a real-life barley breeding scenario. Students will be introduced to the genetics of two barley varieties and will work towards an objective using Punnett squares and reasoning. In this activity, students will cross the Buck and Lightning varieties to create an F1, then cross two F1s to create an F2, to satisfy the objective. Finally, they will use a Chi-square calculator to evaluate a set of real-life data in comparison to their results. This lab assumes that students have already had a basic introduction to Punnett squares, their uses, and how to complete them. It is designed as a potential culmination of, and not a replacement for a genetics and Punnett square unit.
