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Ag Literacy Lines

A blog featuring fun information on agriculture for youth and adults.

August 19, 2010

Substitute Teacher Guide

Are you a substitute teacher or a teacher who is looking for ideas to leave for your substitute? Illinois Ag in the Classroom has put out a Substitute Teacher's Guide that may be of help. The guide offers information on being a substitute, classroom activity ideas, and organizational tools.

Learn how to become a substitute and get some substitute teacher tips from this guide. There are also activity track sheets and seating chart templates available. There are 10 recommended activities/lessons that can be completed in one class period as well as a recommended children's agriculture book list.

This guide can be obtained by downloading it at www.agintheclassroom.org under teacher resources or by contact Aimee Chandler at 815-268-4051 or alchandl@illinois.edu.

Posted by Aimee Chandler at 11:31 AM | Permalink |

August 5, 2010

Soy Fun!

The Illinois Soybean Assocation has recently added some great educational resources to their website. Their main website is www.ilsoy.org. Check out these wonderful learning tools for both youth and adults!

Soy Cam - Through the Soy Cam you can see pictures and learn about how soybeans are growing on farms in Illinois and Brazil. View and compare web cam photos of soybean fields - six at farms throughout Illinois and two in Brazil. Check back often to view updated camera images, read growers' blogs and learn how each crop is progressing. You can see how the plant grows from seed to full grown plant. Farmers will inform viewers of how they take care of their plants from pest control to seed varieties.

Pod to Plate - Under the Educational Materials link you can find the latest educational tool called Pod to Plate. This is an interactive website for grades 4-8. While visting the Pod to Plate website users will follow Sam the Soy Biodiesel Semi to learn about soybean production, transportation, processing, products, and exports. There is also a teachers guide and worksheets to go along with this interactive website.

Sam's Soy Trek - Grades PreK-3 can also follow Sam the Soy Biodiesel Semi in Sam's Soy Trek. This peel 'n stick adventure book was developed complement Pod to Plate. Beginning at a soybean farm, the book's story also journeys to other destinations that touch on soybean processing, soy transportation and soy products. The softcover book includes sheets of vinyl-cling stickers that youngsters can attach, remove, rearrange and store in the book for additional use. The stickers feature Sam the Soy Biodiesel Semi and his friends: other soy biodiesel semi-trucks named Rocky, Dixie and Hank, as well as J.J. the Tractor, Carl the Combine, Gus the Bus, Toby the Tugboat and Alice the Train. The books do cost $6.00 each and can be ordered through the www.ilsoy.org website.

These are just a few of the educational resource on the Illinois Soybean Association's website. While you are there check out the Thinkin' With Lincoln Game, many coloring pages and activity sheets, and more!

Posted by Aimee Chandler at 9:49 AM | Permalink |