January 2024 | Issue #148 | |
*make sure to click "View entire message" to get access to the full newsletter!* | | | |
Read ME 2024 Registration & Volunteer Readers | | | |
|
|
Our 2024 Read ME Agriculture book is
The Wakame Gatherers by Holly Thompson.
The program will be held March 18-22, 2024. Every classroom that participates will receive a copy of the book and accompanying educator’s guide, with aligned classroom activities.
To best serve the hundreds of classrooms that participate in Read ME each year, the 2024 program will be a hybrid model where classrooms can choose from in-person and virtual options. Classrooms may choose their own reader or ask MAITC for help. Contacts may register their own classroom or schools may choose 1 contact to register multiple classrooms.
MAITC is planning separate virtual sessions for grades PK - 1 and 2 - 4 this year.
If you are interested in participating, please complete this google form by February 9, 2024 and MAITC will contact you by email to fine tune your participation.
| | |
|
As we host our 16th year of the “Read ME Agriculture” program, once again we are we are looking for volunteer readers from across the state. Volunteers will visit hundreds of Pre-K – Grade 4 classrooms to read “The Wakame Gatherers,” written by Holly Thompson and illustrated by Kazumi Wilds. Most visits will happen during National Ag Week, March 18-22, although some may be the week before or after.
If you or someone you know is interested in being a reader, please fill out this form and we will be in touch to (try to) pair you with a classroom in your area. (Please note this form is for volunteer readers only, classroom registration can be found above.)
| |
| |
|
The Northeast Livestock Expo (NELE) Kids Day is back for 2024 at the Windsor Fairgrounds on Friday, May 17th! This is a full day field trip event for Grades K-6 students. With up to 30 different opportunities to visit with animals, insects, history, and more, NELE offers a unique experience for students to interact with livestock commodities and the Maine agricultural industry.
Bus transportation reimbursements will be available for schools within a 60 mile radius of Windsor Fairgrounds on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Pre-Registration is MANDATORY; registration closes on February 16th. Please email maitc@maine.gov with questions.
| | | |
Maine Nutrition Council Winter Educational Event | | | |
Maine Farm & Sea to School Institute Informational Webinar | | |
|
The Maine Farm & Sea to School Institute is a year-long professional program for school food system change. Learn more about the institue by attending the informational webinar on January 24th from 3-4pm via zoom. Register here.
You can check out the MFSN website for additional information as well.
| | | |
MAITC K-8 Teacher Workshop | | | |
|
|
Join Maine Agriculture in the Classroom for a day long K-8 teacher workshop at Woodlawn Museum in Ellsworth! Teachers will receive lessons, resources and training to integrate agriculture into core curriculum subjects. All lessons and activities are tied to Maine Learning Standards, NGSS and the Common Core.
All participants will receive 6 contact hours or .6 CEU's from the University of Maine.
There will be hands-on lesson demonstrations, materials for your classroom, online resources shared, and lunch is included!
When: April 4, 2024
Where: Woodlawn Museum, Ellsworth, ME
The cost for this workshop is $40.
Find more information and registration here.
| | | |
Educational Gaming is a Powerful Way to Teach! | | |
 | |
Journey 2050
Journey 2050 is a free agricultural education program that challenges students to answer the question, “How will we sustainably feed nearly 10 billion people by the year 2050?”
The program allows students to make decisions through interactive video games and witness their impact on society, the environment and the economy on local and global scales. As students interact with farm families, they learn the role of best management practices in feeding the world, reducing environmental impacts and improving social performance through greater access to education, medical care and community infrastructure.
Journey 2050 comes Monday-morning ready with all lesson plans provided. It can be completed in 7 hours or you can choose the topics you want to learn about. The program was written with teachers to ensure it complements state standards and STEM curriculum, especially for grades 7-12. Educators do not need an agricultural background to facilitate the program; detailed lesson plans, animated video clips and supporting resources are provided systematically.
Click here for Journey 2050.
| |  |
|
Farmers 2050
The number one question students ask after finishing Journey 2050 is, "Can I play these games at home?" Journey 2050 is a school-based program; however, students can virtually farm at home with Farmers 2050! It uses the same sustainable agriculture concepts and game-based technology as Journey 2050, but it's intended to be played at home without educator instruction.
Farmers 2050 is free to play and there are no advertisements or in-app purchases. It is available on the App Store and Google Play.
Click here for Farmers 2050.
| |
My American Farm
My American Farm is an educational game platform used to engage pre-K through fifth grade learners. This free site offers agriculturally-themed games and more than 100 free educator resources such as ag lesson plans, activity sheets and comics. Many games are also available in app form.
Click here to learn more and play!
| | | |
School Garden Exchange Google Group | | | |
|
This group was created to help Maine school garden educators and supporters exchange resources. It is intended as a place where people can not only share digital resources, but also physical. Items that you have in surplus and want to give, sell, or trade may be listed. This is also used for sharing information on upcoming events, curriculum questions, etc. It’s a great resource to be a part of! Join here. | | |
 |
Maine DOE is Seeking Educators to Pilot MOOSE Modules
Do you want to explore and implement innovative curriculum this spring? Are you interested in expanding your impact outside your classroom/school? The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is currently looking for educators to pilot MOOSE modules and would love to have your class participate! They are looking for Maine educators interested in using an existing MOOSE module in their classroom with five (5) or more students and providing feedback about the experience. You get to decide the module(s) you want to pilot based on what works best for you and your students. Stipends will be provided for up to two modules ($500 each) that you have piloted and provided feedback on. All required elements must be completed by June 30th, 2024.
If you are interested in applying but still have questions please contact Project Manager Jennifer Page (jennifer.page@maine.gov).
If you are ready to apply applications can be found here.
Applications are due by Sunday, January 14th, 2024.
| | |
|
Grow a Career in Food Justice - Apply to FoodCorps Today!
FoodCorps Maine is currently hiring for next years’ cohort of FoodCorps Service Members who will start in August 2024. This is a full-time, year long, paid opportunity to nourish kids’ health, education, and sense of belonging.
Find more information here.
The Benefits:
- You'll receive a $33,000 living allowance/ stipend
- You'll receive a $7,395 education award upon completion
- You'll receive health, dental, and vision coverage!
- You'll participate in equity-centered training and development
Choose Between Two “Tracks”:
👩🏾🍳School Nutrition Service Members support nourishing and culturally relevant school meals and menu change by getting feedback from students like you can read about here!
👩🏻🌾Food Education Service Members teach kids to grow, cook, and love the nourishing foods that celebrate their cultures and communities like in this video.
| | | |
Harvest of the Month - January is Maine Potatoes! | | | |
Teacher Resources Section | | |
|
Agriculture and Me. Grades. K-2. Students categorize sources of basic agricultural products alphabetically.
Agriculture Counts. Grades K-2. Students read a story about our nation's first survey of agriculture, discuss reasons for counting things, and gain practice by sorting and counting a variety of objects related to agriculture.
My Farm Web. Grades 3-5. Students use the visual representation of a web to explore the role of agriculture in their daily lives and understand how most of the necessities of life can be traced back to the farm.
My Agricultural Connections. Grades 6-8. Explore how we are each connected to agriculture through our food, clothing, shelter, fuel, and more. Students will be introduced to agriculture and begin to recognize the depth and complexities of agricultural systems locally and globally.
The Big Deal About Big Ag. Grades 9-12. Discover how technological advances and economic forces influence the size of farms in the United States. Evaluate the pros and cons of large-scale agriculture for the production of our food, fuel and fiber and identify the similarities and differences in commercial vs subsistence farming.
Looking for more? Explore the Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix HERE
| | |
|
What Is Sustainable Agriculture?
Check out this video series highlighting common practices farmers and ranchers use to improve profitability, qualify of life, and environmental stewardship.
| | |
|
New Wabanaki Studies Materials. After months of collaboration between Wabanaki advisors and educators from across the state, under the direction of the Wabanaki Studies Specialist, Brianne Lolar (Panawahpskek), the Maine DOE website has been revamped to include a plethora of new resources.
Potato Farming in Maine's Changing Climate – Middle School Curriculum. From the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Potatoes are an important part of Maine’s economy and as the climate changes, so do growing conditions throughout the state. Increased drought, pests, storm intensity and changes in temperatures have created new challenges for farmers in Maine, but also new opportunities. In this module, students investigate some of the challenges facing Maine farmers, with a particular look at potato farmers, and explore some of the changes and solutions being tried as farmers and scientists work together to build a more climate resilient future for our community.
Local Seafood in Maine Schools – Middle School Curriculum. From the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. People throughout the region are working together on Sea to School partnerships in order to get more seafood into school cafeterias. This curriculum module, developed with support from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, focuses on the importance of seafood across communities and cultures and celebrates its environmental, economic and nutritional benefits.
Aquaponics Resources from Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Their Aquaponics to your Curriculum series focuses on the implementation of aquaponic systems throughout the Agriculture and Culinary Arts and Hospitality CTE pathways. And their Introduction to Aquaculture Curriculum Bundle is a curriculum that will equip you with the needed knowledge to run your own Farm-to-Table experience with operating a sustainable aquaponics system.
Farm to School Podcast. Join hosts Michelle Markesteyn with Oregon State University, and Rick Sherman of Oregon Department of Education as they explore what it means to bring local food into the school cafeteria, and teach kids about where their food comes from.
Farm Profile Cards. NEW from the AgClassroom Store: Enhance students' understanding of farms with our Farm Profile Cards, which enable them to visualize farms of various sizes, ownership structures, types, and locations. Inside this kit, you'll discover six sets of 21 cards, totaling 126 Farm Profile cards. The cards are color-coded to facilitate group organization and cohesion.
| | |
This document is a compilation of agriculture related resources to be used in virtual and remote learning.
Pictures, videos, and words are hyperlinked throughout the document.
| |
Funding from this plate has impacted up to 200,000 students annually with lessons, materials, volunteers and teacher training. Annually up to $60K is distributed in grants to schools, FFA, 4-H and other Non-profit programs for Ag education initiatives by the Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Council.
| |
Donate today to The Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Association
The Non-profit, completely volunteer, portion of MAITC. These funds are used directly to support teacher scholarships and recognition, and support volunteer participation for Ag education programs. Your donation is completely tax deductible and you can make a one-time donation or a recurring monthly donation which will support the mission, "to promote the understanding of agriculture and natural resources among students, educators, and the general public." If you have any other questions or would like to join this group please contact the chairman, Maryjane Stafford. Donate Here.
| |
Our Mission Statement
"To promote the understanding of agriculture and natural resources among students, educators, and the general public"
| | |
|
28 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
(207)287-5522
| |
| | | |
