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THANK YOU to everyone who has particiapated in this year's Read ME Agriculture program!
If you participated, please fill out the evaluation form that pertains to you.
We value your response! Your feedback is crucial in helping us continue to improve our program and ensure it comes back next year!
Teacher Evaluation
Volunteer Reader Evaluation
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This year's Read ME Agriculture program happened in over 800 classrooms throughout the state. We want to thank all of the amazing volunteers who helped make it happen! AT RIGHT: Louisa Crane from the Knox Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District puts together 80 teacher packets for the classrooms that signed up in her counties. | |
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MAITC Association Fundraiser | | |
The Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Association is organizing a fundraiser for materials and teacher scholarships this year. Hats and T-shirts with the MAITC logo and a picture of the agriculture specialty license plate are available to order for a small donation. For more information contact Nancy Wright at dnwright191@gmail.com | |
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MAITC Summer Teacher's Institute | | | |
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Through tours, presentations from industry experts, and hands-on lesson exploration, you will be inspired and prepared to share the world of agriculture with your students. PreK-12 formal and informal educators in all disciplines from across the state and beyond are welcome. Participants will receive 38 contact hours or 3.8 CEU's from the University of Maine for re-certification credit. Scholarships are also available for Maine teachers – apply by email to maitc@maine.gov. | | | |
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Join Maine School Garden Network for Maine School Garden Day 2024, on Saturday, May 18th at Kingfield Elementary School. Immerse yourself in workshops and discussions designed to support the launch and maintenance of school garden programs, featuring insights from skilled professionals in the field and ample networking opportunities. Connect with the school garden community, participate in insightful workshops, network with local peers, tour the school garden, and have a chance to win exciting door prizes! Affordable accommodations are available for those interested in extending their experience to a second day of planned activities. For more details and the complete agenda, please visit the registration page. | | |
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NAITCO Classroom Resource Grant
The National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization (NAITCO), with funding from USDA-NIFA, is pleased to provide a grant opportunity to provide pre-K to 12th grade general education teachers access to resources and materials to increase the ag literacy efforts within their classrooms.
This year's grant will provide up to $500 to purchase materials and resources to supplement the ag literacy education efforts within preK-12th grade classrooms. For the purpose of incorporating agriculture into their core content areas, grant funds may be used to purchase resources and materials, including ag-accurate books, from one, or both, of the following sources:
Grant Qualifications:
- State-certified classroom teacher
- PreK-12th grade teacher
- Currently employed by a public or private school
Application deadline is April 15, 2024.
More info here.
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School Food System Innovation Grant
Applications for the School Food System Innovation Grant, funded by USDA Food & Nutrition Service’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative and administered in Maine by Full Plates Full Potential, are now being accepted.
These Grants were created to ensure that Maine schools have the necessary support to make significant and sustainable increases in the amount of Maine-sourced foods they are using. Due to the short growing season, limited capacity of school food authorities (SFAs), and Maine’s rural nature, many SFAs throughout the state face challenges when trying to incorporate products from Maine into their menus.
This grant will fund pilot projects that address one or more of the focus areas: collaboration, distribution, processing, procurement, team support. Funding decisions will prioritize new initiatives and/or groups that represent historically underserved and/or underfunded communities.
Grant application period closes on May 1, 2024. More info here.
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MAITC Grant Applications are OPEN! | | |
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In 2024 $70K is earmarked for grants in multiple categories! This support of Maine agriculture education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12 is a direct result of the Maine Agricultural Specialty License Plate. Submit your application to support your endeavor using agriculture as a context for learning! More information about our grants program and links to applications can be found on our website.
DEADLINES:
Category 1 - Agricultural Awareness Grant - Up to $1,000: 4pm on August 30, 2024.
Category 2 - Agricultural Awareness Grant - Up to $2,000: 4pm on August 30, 2024.
Category 3 - School Garden & Greenhouse Grant - Up to $2,000: 4pm on August 30, 2024.
Category 4 - Agriculture Leadership Grant - Up to $1,000: The revolving deadline is 4pm on: June 28, August 30, and December 13, 2024.
Category 5 - Statewide Agriculture Education Organization Grant - Up to $2,000: The revolving deadline is 4pm on: June 28, August 30, and December 13, 2024.
For more information about our grants program, contact: maitc@maine.gov
For questions regarding the application process, contact: kelsey.maitc@gmail.com
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Harvest of the Month - April is Maine Dairy! | | | |
Teacher Resources Section | | |
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The Soil We Grow In. Grades K-2. Students determine the importance and complexity of the Earth’s soil.
Caring For the Land. Grades 3-5. Students explain why people have different opinions regarding soil management and identify cause and effect relationships relating to agriculture and the environment.
Eat Plants, Save the Planet. Grades K-6. Lesson 8 from the Healthy Kids Happy Planet Curriculum, recommended for April in recognition of Earth Day. Bean & Cultural Connection: BLACK Bean & Brazil-Amazon Rainforest (Earth Month). Nutrition Focus: Eating for the Planet, Water is Life! Fun and engaging worksheets with recipes too!
Farmers Celebrate the Earth Every Day. Grades 6-8. From Fuel Up: In this unit, students learn about how dairy farmers harness the elements and work in harmony with nature: Earth (land), Air (breath), Water (hydration) and Biosphere (ecosystem), and about seasonality in farming, including dairy farmers’ work with the land to ensure they have enough feed for their cows. Students will discover how the elements are connected to each other, to animals, to farm foods, and to their bodies.
Journey 2050. Grades 6-12. Journey 2050 is a program helping students engage in world food sustainability at a local and global scale. The program contains seven lessons which are aligned to education standards for both 6-8th grade and 9-12th grade.
Earth's Land and Soil Resources. Grades 9-12. Students discover that topsoil is a nonrenewable resource and use an apple to represent how Earth’s land resources are used. Through critical thinking, students study agricultural land use and consider the sustainability of current land use practices including the use of land to feed and graze livestock animals.
Check out the Gulf of Maine Research Institute's climate related education resources, including:
Maine DOE MOOSE Modules
Weather and Seasons. PreK-2 Learning Module. Through this module, you will learn how weather changes seasonally and what the difference is between weather and seasons.
Small Changes = Big Impact…How can you help with climate change? 3-5 Learning Module. Learn about climate and weather, explore graphs, and make goals to create change!
Tick Talk About Climate Change. 6-8 Learning Module. Learn about the effects of climate change on the tick population in Maine.
Small Actions Make Big Changes. 9-12 Learning Module. In this module, you will explore avenues and resources to help you make a positive change in your community to help fight climate change.
Looking for more? Explore the Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix HERE
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Slicing Up Earth's Land Resources
How much land is available on Earth to grow the food we eat? No matter how you slice it, agricultural land is a limited resource. This demonstration uses an apple to represent the Earth.
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Earth Day Virtual Field Trip
In 2021 Nutrients for Life took classrooms on a virtual field trip to three different farms in Virginia, Iowa and Kansas. Consider taking your students on this trip as we celebrate Earth Day!
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If Earth Was an Apple
Just a small percentage, only 3%, of our Earth's surface is available for farmland. Click the video to learn exactly how much land is available, and this lesson is in the free curricula in lesson 5 of the middle school and high school versions.
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Earth Day, Every Day with Citizen Science Webinar Recording
Make an impact in your community this Earth Day. In this webinar, you’ll learn to use free apps like NASA’s Globe Observer Trees and National Geographic’s Debris Tracker to investigate and report on the health of your neighborhood. Use technology to track garbage near your home, measure trees in your local parks, and fight pollution and climate change where you live. With a little training, you can make the world a better place this Earth Day and every day.
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Conservation Word Scramble. Check out this learning activity. Farmers care for the land. Use the clues to help unscramble each word!
Keys to Stewardship. Online game from My American Farm. In this game solve a series of tangrams and discover the cool way farmers and ranchers are stewards of our natural resources and wildlife.
Pollinator Garden E-Comic. Pollinators are very important for a healthy Earth! Learn all about pollinators and what they do in this eComic!
Garden Activities for Earth Day. From Kidsgardening.org. Every day should be Earth Day! How can we expect the next generation to care for our environment if they have little interaction with the natural world we are asking them to protect? These activities highlight some garden-related fun that helps kids get motivated to protect our planet.
Four Ways Farmers Steward the Land. These are just a few examples of how farmers steward the land by using soil conservation practices. Farmers work hard to keep the land and soil healthy now and for future generations. They know their actions affect the environment. No one is closer to the earth than farmers and it is important to them to care for the land, water and natural resources.
Maine DOE Climate Education Page. Did you know the Maine Department of Education has a climate education specialist? To learn more about Teddy Lyman and climate education in Maine, visit the Climate Education web page.
Nutrients For Life Kahoot Games. Our Earth is our most vital resource, providing all we need to live. It's important we protect it for today and for the future! Treat your students to some fun using the following Kahoot! games created for Earth Day. Kahoot 1. Kahoot 2. Kahoot 3.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Our Mission Statement
"To promote the understanding of agriculture and natural resources among students, educators, and the general public"
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28 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
(207)287-5522
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