IALF-Annual-Report-2020

www.IowaAgLiteracy.org
www.IowaAgLiteracy.org
INSPIRING EDUCATORS
Teacher professional development workshops and courses give
educators the skills, tools, and background they need to be able to
teach agriculture in their classroom. IALF conducted 11 of these
courses – virtually – this past summer. IALF also provided three
graduate level courses and as well as presentations at teacher
conferences.
FOCUS ON STUDENTS
IALF conducts classroom programming – in person or virtually – on demand
with programs like Journey 2050 that teaches sustainable agriculture in a fun,
online gaming platform. Virtual STEM festivals, virtual farm tours, and even
virtual fair activities allowed students to learn in a hands-on fashion even while
practicing social distancing.
CREATING RESOURCES
More than 180 lessons for grades K-12 are available on the IALF website
connecting agriculture to a variety of subjects and core standards. There are
also more than 450 lessons aligned to national standards through the curriculum
matrix. Student magazines targeted toward elementary and middle school
students enhance science, social studies and language arts learning. The
publications are available in Spanish. There are also now eight books in the My
Family’s Farm series that highlight major Iowa commodities.
SUPPORTING LOCAL AND REGIONAL EFFORTS
County Farm Bureau organizations and other partner and affiliate organizations
offer Agriculture in the Classroom programming to schools and students in their
local and regional areas. This team of education providers ensures that students
across the state are learning about agriculture. IALF supports their efforts in a
variety of ways with resources, curriculum, and training.
RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE
Clarke Community Elementary School teacher, Tara Norman, was recognized
as the Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture award winner. She has
integrated agriculture in math, science, social studies, and other subjects. She
even started an elementary agriculture club for students in grades 3-6.
In times of
struggle, like a global
pandemic, we often
go back to the basics
of what is important in
meeting our needs -
things like food. In this
light, the importance
of agriculture cannot
be overstated. This
challenging year has
brought disruptions to
the food supply chain,
but that teachable
moment has ushered
in more awareness to
how our food gets
from the farm to our
fork.
That is one of the
reasons why I am so
passionate about
agricultural literacy
and so proud of the
work that the Iowa
Agriculture Literacy
Foundation has
accomplished this
year. With schools
closing in the spring
and distance learning
or hybrid learning in
the fall, IALF met the
needs of teachers
and students with
virtual adaptations of
lessons and virtual
programming.
Our mission is to
educate Iowans
regarding the breadth
and
global
significance of
agriculture. Iowa’s
role in producing
corn, soybeans, pork,
beef, turkey, eggs,
and dozens of other
commodities and
goods through the
agricultural sector
puts us in a leading
role on the world
stage. I have seen
Agriculture in the
Classroom efforts
across the state
expand over the past
six years with
enthusiasm. Since
2014, IALF has
worked with or
engaged nearly
115,000,000
students and more
than 20,000
teachers!
But we couldn’t
do it without you.
Thank you for your
support of IALF!
Lindsay Calvert
IALF Board Chair
Iowa Corn Growers Association
Thank you!