Lessons

Students estimate the size and weight of pumpkins, sprout pumpkin seeds, and make pumpkin pie in a bag.

Students investigate the phenomenon of decomposing pumpkins as a part of the plant's life cycle.

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.

In this lesson students will learn that agriculture provides nearly all of the products we rely on in any given day by participating in a relay where they match an everyday item with its "source."

Students examine the modern and historical importance of soil erosion in Utah and on the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl.

Using various forms of maps, students will analyze public lands in the western United States, describe how ranchers raise food and fiber on federally owned land, and discuss different points of view concerning public lands use and public lands grazing. This lesson covers a socioscientific issue and aims to provide students with tools to evaluate science within the context of social and economic points of view.

Students investigate the importance of light to plants by creating a desktop greenhouse investigation and exploring the process of photosynthesis.

Explore concepts of sustainability by evaluating the water footprint (WF) of food. Students are introduced to irrigation practices throughout the world, consumptive and non-consumptive water use, and investigate the water requirements for various food crops.