Agriculture in the Classroom’s mission is to educate children about the
importance of agriculture. Through our innovative programming and educational
resources, children of all ages are connected to agriculture and begin to have a
greater respect for its role in their lives. As generations continue to be further
removed from the farm, AITC provides a vital link to help students and their
educators appreciate and understand the people and processes that provide
food, fiber, and fuel to the world. Such an understanding is agriculture’s best
defense against misconceptions and misleading claims.

Soybeans are frequently integrated into educator training and materials. Many
educators are shocked to learn of the vast number of products that contain
soybeans. Forming the foundation for these trainings is “Sprouting Success,”
AITC’s core curriculum unit. This unit is distributed at all professional
development events and includes all lessons demonstrated at the session.

Additionally, the book is distributed throughout the year as a component of all
C.A.R.E. (Creative Agriculture Resources for Educators) packages. The spiral
bound, professionally printed unit is intended to give educators a lasting and
tangible resource to continue to incorporate agriculture into their curriculum.
We are seeking funding for the creation and publication of a new and revised
curriculum book. This signature curriculum piece is a key part of the foundation
of our educational program and its impact is among the largest of our
educational initiatives. Originally, written and printed over five years ago, our
current curriculum book is in need of updates, revisions, and additions.
The completed project will include
• New focus on agriculture-related career paths
• Emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) content and
integrations
• Minimum of 20 K-8 lessons that utilize agriculture to teach core academic
content
• Distribution to approximately 1000 educators annually

Agriculture in the Classroom will create and print a professional-level curriculum
book that will
• Highight agriculture-related career paths while also emphasizing STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) content and integrations
• Include a minimum of 20 K-8 lessons that utilize agriculture to teach core
academic content, resulting in a more agriculturally literate audience that
understands and appreciates the role of agriculture in their daily lives
• Be distributed to approximately 1000 educators annually as the key
foundational piece of AITC's educational program.

Successful completion of this project will by evidenced by
• Creation of a new curriculum book that will include no less than 20 K-8 lessons
that utilize agriculture to teach core academic content. Curriculum will highlight
STEM integrations and agricultural career pathways as appropriate.
• Distribution to at least 1000 educators in the first year of use. The book will
form the backbone of both professional development trainings as well as
available to upon request through AITC’s educator resource request.
• Usage by at least 75% of educators to whom the curriculum is distributed.
Success will be measured by formal surveys after distribution of curriculum.