My career as an educator started with raising four children. I was decidedly determined to be an active participant in their formal education, so I took the opportunity to work closely with the science specialist at their elementary school; this was my first experience with science in the classroom.

In 2015, my school was fortunate enough to receive a large grant for a self-sustaining greenhouse, in which I was able to implement agricultural literacy outcomes including “Agriculture and Environment,” “Science, Technology, Engineering & Math,” and “Culture, Society, Economy, and Geography” into core standard lessons.

My students are strengthening their understanding of “Agriculture and the Environment,” “Plants and Animals for Food, Fiber & Energy,” “Food, Health, and Lifestyle,” “Science, Technology, Engineering & Math,” and “Culture, Society, Economy & Geography” through everyday integration of agriculture. This strategy has truly transformed my students’ learning.

The national agriculture literacy themes Agriculture and the Environment; and Plants and Animals for Food, Fiber & Energy enrich science curriculum and enhance instruction in both my Mission to Mars class and my Eighth Grade Integrated Science classes. With the themes as a guide, students develop agricultural literacy on their path to science proficiency and galactic citizenship.

Our students are growing their understanding of “Plants and Animals for Food, Fiber & Energy Outcomes” as we dig deep into “Science, Technology, Engineering & Math.” As an educator, I am constantly looking for applicable strategies that inspire my students to learn core concepts through agriculture. Projects like our pumpkin growing contest, breeding new cultivars of flowers, hydroponics, and embryology studies have helped my students apply the skills taught in everyday lessons and gain an interest in—and appreciation for—agriculture.

At Excelsior Academy, our Greenthumbs students learn about agriculture using the themes “Food, Health, and Lifestyle,” and “Science, Technology, Engineering & Math.” The Greenthumbs Program began in 2011 when several of my 8th grade science students asked me if we could build a school greenhouse. We had just finished a unit on photosynthesis, and my students absolutely loved testing the germination rate of sunflower seeds under different conditions.

My ancestors farmed the hills of North Carolina. They grew crops, raised chickens, and lived off the land—this was their way of life. I realize that our lives today have changed in many ways, but we still have the same obligation to care for our land and resources, and be knowledgeable regarding where our food and fiber comes from.

Tiffany Porter, Learning Coach at Crimson View Elementary School in the Washington County School District, has been chosen to receive the Utah Agriculture in the Classroom (Utah AITC) Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award.

“Using the curriculum 'If You Build It, They Will Grow!', my seventh and eighth grade students are addressing all five of the National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes (NALOs) themes of Agriculture and the Environment; Plants and Animals for Food, Fiber, & Energy; Food, Health, and Lifestyle; Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math; and Culture, Society, Economy & Geography.”

“Our current projects began with a former student building us a chicken coop as part of his Eagle Scout project. Once we had a place to raise our chickens, I ordered 24 eggs from Thanksgiving Point Farm Education Center.We proceeded to use the lessons available through Ag in the Classroom to prepare for our adventure.”

My students are far removed from the farm. That is why it is essential that agricultural concepts are not just integrated, but infused, into my curriculum. My goal is for students to learn what not everyone in the world understands: that everything we use is either grown or it is mined. To reach this goal with my 8th grade U.S. History class, we completed a three-week, in-depth study of the Columbian Exchange.

I teach an integrated 8th grade science curriculum (ecology, chemistry, geology and physics). Previously I taught one term of each discipline but I wanted to find a way to integrate these science disciplines to demonstrate how the sciences overlap in real world applications.

Yes, a middle school Career & Technology business teacher can incorporate agriculture into her instruction! Adding agriculture to my curriculum has contextualized our state standards and made my instruction more relevant, exposing my students to career opportunities and the importance of agriculture.

Communities, cultures, connections, cycles, and relationships: all are themes in our first grade class. Without a doubt, I can lecture to my students all day long. However, their listening interest will last about 1 minute, if we are lucky. Fortunately, this is not my teaching style. Learning is fun! It is an active process.

The theme for my first grade classroom this year was cycles in nature and our world. I wanted my students to be able to recognize cycles in the world around them and then draw on this knowledge to help them discover how other things in the world worked. This turned out to be an effective learning strategy.

Do you know where your food comes from? If not, the students in Paula Marquez's sixth grade class at Backman Elementary School in Salt Lake City may be able to help. Ms. Marquez and her students spent the past year studying science, social studies, reading, math, and healthy lifestyles using agriculture in their classroom.

There is a growing excitement about agriculture in Ms. Patti Seeholzer's second grade classroom at River Heights Elementary School. Traditional core subjects of reading, writing, and arithmetic are supplemented with hands-on activities using eggs, cotton, and honeybees to teach students about math, science, social studies, and healthy lifestyles.

Using resources from the online course—Food, Land & People (FLP)—offered through Utah State University—Marie's students do not simply learn about agriculture during Agriculture Week; they have the opportunity to experience it on a weekly basis.

Ms. Tenhor's innovative instructional methods and strategies in teaching agriculture have made a huge impact on her students. The third graders were involved in real-life, hands-on activities in learning about where their food comes from, processing, distribution, science, and the environmental issues of food and fiber production.

Using current information and diverse teaching techniques helps Alzina Barnhill of Cook Elementary address the different learning styles of the students. She developed Agricultural Vocabulary Flash Cards to ensure her students understood agricultural terms.

"This is the best work we have ever had!" says a student of Lisa Wiederholt, a fifth grade teacher at St. John the Baptist Elementary in Draper, Utah. Lisa earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Louis University and later a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Portland.

Ms. Peggy Wittwer was inspired by Agriculture in the Classroom to create a summer science camp which focused on environmental issues and agriculture. Ms. Wittwer received a grant to organize and present programs for the week-long workshop.