Students observe soil ecosystems to investigate how human impact affects the biodiversity of soils using the Simpson's Index of Diversity. Then, students conduct an investigation using field corn to determine how the introduction of nitrogen fertilizers impact soil microorganisms and biodiversity.
Students examine how cows help conserve natural resources by identifying the important role dairy cattle have in reducing, reusing, and recycling food processing by-products. Students identify each stage of the ecological cycle and the important role of decomposers.
Students investigate rangelands by growing their own grass to represent a beef or sheep ranch.
Students discover the sources of various fish and seafood, compare wild-caught and farm-raised aquaculture systems, and use a simulation to determine how overfishing can damage the ocean ecosystem.
Students read How to Grow a Monster, describe the needs of a zucchini plant, identify the structure and function of zucchini plant parts, grow classroom zucchini plants, and experiment with different environments and growing conditions.
Students investigate how and where sorghum is grown and discover its health benefits.
Students explore the sources of a variety of agricultural products and discover that farms can be diverse in size and in products that are grown and raised.
Students investigate the transfer of energy in the process of making milk, discover that there are different forms of energy, determine that living things need energy to survive, and identify the sun as the primary source of energy.
Identify common Thanksgiving foods and their farm source, determine if those foods can be produced locally, and locate the common origins of their Thanksgiving day dinner.
Students observe how a seed sprouts and investigate the conditions necessary for germination to occur.
Students observe how a seed sprouts and investigate the conditions necessary for germination to occur.
Students discover the needs of a seed to germinate and the needs of a plant to grow while exploring the life stages of a flowering plant.