CTE Lesson Plans for Ag Tech
Are you looking for an agricultural lesson plan? Teaching students about sustainable agriculture is an important topic when you teach about food and cooking because our world is changing. Did you know that about 50% of the world’s habitable land is used by the agricultural industry? And that by 2050, the expanding world population will need 60-70% more food.
As Chef Rene Redzepi said, “Learning about issues such as sustainability and locavorism are things that you need to have as part of you as a chef because it will make you cook more delicious food.” Good cooks understand the importance of fresh, local ingredients. Incorporating ag in the classroom is an important life skill!
It is important for middle school and high school food students to understand the impact the food they choose to eat has on the environment. For instance, if they choose a veggie burger or chicken sandwich instead of a hamburger, they leave a smaller carbon footprint. If they choose local fruits and vegetables when they are in season, they support local businesses and reduce the need for food transportation.
This video is a great way to explain the impact of students’ food choices and is a great addition to any agriculture lesson plan. It helps to explain the future of farming and food production.
We made this presentation and worksheet to help explain to students about food sustainability and its role.
These task cards are a fun way to review the content and have them brainstorm solutions to food sustainability problems. I like task cards because they get the students involved in their learning and they brainstorm ideas in groups or pairs.
We showed our students real-world sustainability solutions with videos such as this one about urban farming during the pandemic.
Fellow teacher Melissa Litherland told us about a dairy farm in her Wisconsin neighborhood that is turning cow manure into a gas, mainly methane with some carbon dioxide that powers their farm and homes nearby. Here is a video describing their “green story”.
When preparing to cook in class we began discussing foods that are more sustainable such as locally grown foods, organic foods, and meat alternatives. You could do a food sustainable recipe!
This website has some great sustainable food recipes. You can even have your students research food sustainable recipes themselves and give suggestions.
This Agriculture lesson plan discusses the history of food production and includes a slideshow, guided notes, and questions. Students learn about plant domestication, the farm-to-table movement, and more!
Other Agriculture Lessons that Will Help Your Students Stay Engaged
This vegetable lesson is a great activity on food seasonality. Students really benefit from learning about the health benefits of seasonal foods and sustainability.
Technology integration: Technology can be integrated into agricultural education such as:
- students can learn how to use GPS technology to map fields, use drones for crop monitoring
- technology can also be used to teach students about marketing and supply chain management in agriculture.
