Companion Resources

This 15-minute, 1977 video narrated by Orson Wells provides a historical look at fiber, following the history of wool from before Egyptian times to the present day. This movie ties easily to social studies curriculum, as it discusses how England withheld sheep from the early colonists to control the economics of the colony. Old and new spinning techniques and looms in operation are shown. This video is available on DVD or YouTube. Order this DVD online from agclassroomstore.com.

Browse a collection of short video clips about growing wheat.

The stars of this DVD are 10-year-old girlfriends who are given an assignment to report on "where things we use every day come from." The students discover, with the help of a friendly farmer who magically "leaps" with the girls from the mall to farms, that the answer is agriculture. Agriculture is the source of products we eat, wear, use, and need every day. Order this DVD online from agclassroomstore.com.

Although this television series is no longer being aired, the YouTube videos provide invaluable footage of factory production. A wide variety of foods and other products created from raw agricultural materials are explored in five-minute segments. Browse the "Food Collections" playlist to learn about a variety of foods from farm-to-fork.

In just under five minutes, this video shows how cotton is processed in modern factories. See cotton cleaned, carded, coiled, drawn, stretched, spun, and wound onto giant spools—all by machines. In 48 hours raw cotton is transformed into cotton yarn.

This 60-minute DVD contains a six-segment program that brings fundamental lessons of soil science from the countryside to the classroom in a way that is sure to keep students entertained and motivated. Although designed specifically for Utah fourth-grade students, segments on soil texturing, soil layers, and composting are valuable resources for teachers in any state. This video is available on DVD or YouTube. Order this DVD online from agclassroomstore.com.

It's common knowledge that honey comes from bees. But many people don't know how bees make it and why. Honey making is a collective effort between nature and man. It's a process that involves bee colonies, native plant life, agricultural crops, and of course beekeepers. This Field Trip! explores historical uses of honey, the basics of honey bee behavior, the process through which honey is made, factors that affect honey flavor, the process of removing honey from the hive, and more.

One-third of the world’s food supply depends on pollinators. This full-length movie uses stunning imagery to explore the interactions of butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and bats with flowers. Use this DVD as a companion resource to any lesson on pollinators.

This five-minute video travels from field to hive to factory, illustrating all the steps involved in making honey. Get a close-up look at a beekeeper opening a hive and a queen bee in the midst of her hive, and watch frames of honeycomb go through a factory to yield a number of products.

This three-minute video does a great job of quickly explaining several key concepts. Cleverly animated peas illustrate the difference between dominant and recessive traits and how these traits can be diagrammed using Punnett squares. The difference between genotype and phenotype is also covered, and the importance of Mendel's discoveries is nicely put into a modern-day context.

Photographer Anand Varma raised bees in his backyard and in front of a camera to get an up close view. This National Geographic project gives a lyrical glimpse into a beehive and reveals one of the biggest threats to its health, a mite that preys on baby bees in their first 21 days of life. The footage is set to music from Rob Moose and the Magik*Magik Orchestra. (This talk was part of a session at TED2015).

The documentary, FARMLAND was created to educate the public about farms and the source of their food. This documentary highlights six farmers and addresses organic vs conventional farming, risks involved with farming, the public perception of animal welfare, farming stereotypes, and the steps involved in producing an abundant supply of safe and nutritious food for a growing population. This film can be used to supplement secondary lessons.