March 9, 2021
Free Virtual Reading Program Celebrates Agriculture, Literacy
Teachers, parents can sign students up to participate in virtual literacy program with special guest readers taking place March 22-26.

To celebrate National and Colorado Agriculture Days, the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture (CFA) is hosting seven read-aloud sessions for students as part of the Colorado Literacy Project. The sessions are scheduled for various times throughout the week of March 22-26, 2021. Each session will feature a different special guest who will read the book Still Good: The Faces of Family Agriculture aloud to all participants, followed by a question-and-answer session with the students and guest reader. 

This is a free program, and each session will last 30 minutes. Pre-registration is required to allow for CFA staff to send materials to the teachers prior to each session. All participating classes will receive a free copy of the Still Good book, written by Rachel Gabel and illustrated by Liz Banman-Munsterteiger to keep. CFA has also developed curriculum to go along with the book, which supports Colorado Academic Standards for reading, writing, and communicating and history. Sessions will be recorded and shared on CFA’s YouTube channel. 

Seven outstanding leaders and representatives of the Colorado agricultural community have agreed to volunteer their time and talents to serve as guest readers for these sessions. To pre-register, click on the schedule links below or visit www.GrowingYourFuture.com. The schedule for these special guest reader sessions is as follows (all times are MST):

The Colorado Literacy Project is a way to bring agriculture into the classroom while reinforcing reading comprehension. During the spring, farmers and ranchers across Colorado visit classrooms and read a book to the students. They answer questions and talk about their connection to agriculture. A different book is selected each year. This annual program reaches approximately 10,000 students and 400 teachers across Colorado per year. 

This year’s book, Still Good: The Faces of Family Agriculture, is a new book and features Colorado farming and ranching families. The publication of this book is a joint project between the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture and the Bessie Minor Swift Foundation on behalf of The Fence Post Magazine. Additional funding for this program has been provided by the Colorado Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee, Bank of Colorado, Colorado CattleWomen’s, Inc., and various individual donors. 

In the book, a young boy finds his grandpa’s photo album that includes 1950s-era photos of a produce stand, a sheep ranch, the Denver Union Stock Yards, a farm with a milking Shorthorn cow, and aerial sprayer, and a tractor. He spends time listening to stories and then adds his own stories with modern-day photos and information from various current farms and ranches across Colorado. Comparing and contrasting the two eras, the book’s main character notes changes but sees that agriculture is, in fact, still good. 

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and ever-changing school learning environments, CFA is providing multiple virtual and in-person options for schools to participate in the Literacy Project this year. In addition to these special guest reader sessions for Ag Day, schools may sign up for individual virtual or in-person sessions. For the individual sessions, teachers may read to the class themselves, find their own guest reader, or CFA is more than willing to find a guest reader to complete the visit. To sign-up for an individual school or classroom experience, please complete the form available here: http://bit.ly/3t98WFp

For questions or more information on the Colorado Literacy Project or any Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom program or resource, feel free to contact Jennifer Scharpe, CFA executive director, at Info@GrowingYourFuture.com or 970-818-3308. The Colorado Foundation for Agriculture is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational corporation with the mission of connecting educators and students to their food, fiber, fuel, and natural resources. Tax deductible gifts are accepted to help achieve this mission and the overall vision of advancing agricultural literacy. To learn more, visit https://bit.ly/donatecfa.

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Contact:
Jennifer Scharpe
Colorado Foundation for Agriculture Executive Director
10343 Federal Blvd Unit J Box 224
Westminster, CO 80260
Office: 970-818-3308; Direct (cell): 720-788-3224
Jennifer@GrowingYourFuture.com