Join us for the National
Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Salt Lake City!
June 23-26, 2020
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on conference details. Registration for the conference will open in January 2020.
Apply to Present in 2020!
The 2020 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference is seeking workshop proposals that demonstrate how agricultural concepts can be used to teach reading, writing, math, nutrition, science, social studies and more. The conference called 'Agriculture Elevated' is set for June 23-26 at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City, UT.
 
Preferred workshop topics include, but aren't limited to, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Math), animal science, aeroponics, aquaponics, hydroponics, embryology, phenomenon-based learning, problem-based learning, GMOs, virtual reality approaches to learning, and learning with school gardens, among others. Workshop presenters receive a $50 reduction on their conference registration.

The deadline for workshop proposals is Friday, October 4 . 
Apply for the 2020 Utah Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award
Utah Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) is looking for an outstanding teacher who increases student awareness about agriculture and instills in students an appreciation for our food and fiber system. Certified teachers currently engaged in integrating agricultural concepts into classroom settings at the K-12 grade levels in Utah are eligible.

One award will be given to a Utah teacher. The teacher selected will receive $500 for their classroom and have up to $1,500 of their related expenses paid to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference. The state-winning application will also be submitted for the National Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award.

Application for the state award is due Friday, November 29, 2019. Read about Utah's 2019 state and national winner, Brad Hendershot, here . If you have any questions or would like to discuss ideas for your application, please contact Denise Stewardson at 435-797-1592 or denise.stewardson@usu.edu .
$500 Classroom Grants Available!
Utah Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) is awarding ten $500 grants to Utah pre-kindergarten through 12 th grade core education teachers whose innovative classroom projects use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, healthy lifestyles, science, or social studies. The deadline for grant proposals is October 4, 2019 . All applicants will be notified of award status by email on or before October 15, 2019.

The purpose of the Utah AITC Classroom Grant is to encourage teachers to use agricultural concepts to teach core subject areas. The grant is designed to fund projects that will educate Utah Pre-K—12 students about the importance of agriculture. Grant reviewers will use this Utah AITC Grant Rubric to evaluate proposals. Please review the rubric and the information provided below before beginning the application, which is linked at the bottom of the page.

Grant awardees may be considered as applicants for the Utah Agriculture in the Classroom Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award. The Utah teacher selected by Utah AITC education specialists for this teaching excellence award will receive a complimentary trip to the 2020 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference (includes conference registration, transportation, lodging, and traveling workshop) and will be asked to apply for the National Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award.
 
Eligible Applicants:
Certified, core academic teachers engaged in classroom instruction in Utah at the pre-kindergarten through 12th grade level who wish to use agricultural concepts to teach core subject areas and enhance students’ understanding of agriculture are eligible to apply.

Timeline:
  • Grant proposals must be submitted online by midnight, October 4, 2019.
  • Awards will be announced via email on or before October 15, 2019.
  • A final report from grant awardees will be due to Utah AITC by April 17, 2020.

Funding Guidelines:
  • Ten $500 grants will be awarded to Utah teachers.
  • Grant money may be used for plant science, animal science, agriculture-related history, or nutrition projects such as school gardens, embryology studies, aquaculture projects, ranch-related projects, field trips, or farm tours.
  • Grant money can be used to purchase resources including seeds, plants, incubators, hydroponics materials, greenhouse building materials, or other items necessary for the agricultural project.
  • Grant money cannot be used for salary or compensation, clothing, promotional items, or technology (e.g. computers, tablets, cameras, etc.).
  • Grant check will be made payable to the school, not to an individual.
  • Grant checks not cashed within 60 days after receipt will become null and void.
 
Grant Requirements:
  • Pre-K—12 students must be directly involved in the funded project.
  • Teachers will be asked to reflect on their submitted agriculture-based lesson by completing a “Lesson Plan Reflection” at the end of the project that describes the number of instructional hours and students involved, the types of teaching strategies used, additional activities presented, and evidence that students understood the objectives of the lesson.
  • A budget outline and timeline must be included with your application.
  • A final report is due to Utah AITC no later than April 17, 2020. Photos will be required in the report along with signed photo release forms.

Join us as we Celebrate Utah AITC's 25th Birthday!
Enter for a chance to win a $50 gift card for classroom resources! In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Utah Agriculture in the Classroom, we are inviting Utah Pre-K—12 teachers to participate in our birthday celebration challenges! At the beginning of each month, we will post lessons relevant to that month's theme. Teachers will implement one of the lessons in their classroom, snap a picture, and post the picture in the comments (on Facebook) accompanied with #HappyBirthdayUtahAITC . You will then be entered in a drawing to win a $50 gift card to the Agriculture in the Classroom e-store. We will award four gift cards each month to Utah teachers—one to a Pre-K—2 teacher, a 3-5 teacher, a 6-8 teacher, and a 9-12 teacher. Join our celebration of 25 years of agricultural literacy!

September's theme is Sustainable Agriculture. Snap a photo of you teaching one of the lessons below and you could win a $50 gift card for classroom resources!
A Harvest of Activities:
An Update on Utah AITC
Brad Hendershot—a teacher at Excelsior Academy—is named a
National Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture award recipient
in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Utah AITC stayed busy this summer attending national conferences and presenting at various professional development workshops for Utah teachers.

In June, our team attended the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. We explored agriculture in "The Natural State" and learned about rice production in Arkansas. We attended various hands-on workshops presented by teachers from all over the United States. Our own Brad Hendershot, who teaches at Excelsior Academy, was recognized as one of eight recipients of the National Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award. Our team is now gearing up to host the national conference in Salt Lake City,
June 23-26, 2020.

In July, our program director, Denise, attended the National Children and Youth Garden Symposium in Madison, Wisconsin. She presented Utah AITC's School Garden Center resources to formal and nonformal educators. This was an excellent opportunity to make educators aware of the many lessons and companion resources available on both the Utah and National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix.

We finished the summer by hosting a three-day traveling institute for K-12 Utah teachers. Our Summer Agriculture Institute provided teachers with hands-on experiences and inservice training. We enjoyed touring various agricultural businesses and industries, including the USU Botanical Center, Cold Springs Trout Farm, Pettingill's Fruit Stand, the USU Caine Dairy and South Farm, USU's new Aggie Chocolate Factory, USU's spider silk lab, Johnson Family Farm, and Gibbons Green Gate Farm. Teachers found numerous ways to infuse their existing curriculum with the depth and real-world relevance that agriculture can bring to classroom learning experiences.
Highlights from
Summer Agriculture Institute
New Lessons on the Matrix

Food processing is the action of transforming raw agricultural products, like grains, vegetables, meat, or milk, into end products ready to be sold. Most foods that we consume require some processing. Everything from chopping to mixing ingredients to cooking can be considered a part of food processing. A processed food has been changed physically or chemically after being harvested. The amount of processing varies from food to food, ranging from minimal to high.

In this 3rd-5th and 6th-8th grade lesson, students will explore different levels of food processing and the ways in which processed foods affect the health of our diets by looking at examples of foods from the grocery store and by closely examining food labels.

Before the Plate, a Canadian documentary produced by Dylan Sher, features John Horne, the executive chef at Canoe, a Toronto restaurant. John goes on a journey to discover the story behind the food he prepares at his restaurant. Where did it come from? How did it get there? Recognizing there is a disconnect between the farmer and the chef, John takes action by selecting ten primary food ingredients and following them from the farm to his restaurant. 

In this secondary lesson, s tudents will view the 2018 documentary Before the Plate and follow Canadian chef John Horne as he journeys to the source of ten primary food ingredients used in his restaurant. Using critical thinking skills, students will explore the farm-to-table journey of food.
Companion Resources
The  Before the Plate  website contains information about the Before the Plate documentary and videos and explanations for each step of the farm-to-fork process for beef, potatoes, honey, milk, and sunflowers. 
Would you like to learn more about the ingredients in your food? Common questions about our food include: Does it contain GMOs? Does the packaging contain BPA? and What are the ingredients? This website contains detailed information about these topics for common foods such as soups, sauces, juices, pasta, crackers, and cookies.

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