Conference Highlights - 2013
Conference Workshops
July 12-13, 2013
Del Mar Fairgrounds
San Diego, California
Saturday Morning
1. Food Science From 'STEM' to Plate
Del Mar Fairgrounds
San Diego, California
Grades: 6-8
Presenter: Shaney Emerson, CFAITC
Description: In this workshop, participants will discover how easy it is to integrate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) into agriculture literacy efforts. Attendees will receive a free copy of this new lesson from Cal-ifornia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom's new four-lesson unit highlighting the STEM skills and careers involved in food safety. Career highlights include food packaging specialist, food scientist, industrial engineer, and food safety specialist.
2. How to be an Effective Volunteer 'Agvocate'
Grades: K-16
Presenter: Tricia Stever Blattler, Tulare County Farm Bureau
Description: This workshop will focus on helping volunteers connect with local schools in their community. Everyone is invited to join the discussion on how best to make contacts with their local schools, arrange classroom presentations, work with teachers, curriculum directors, site administrators, and more. Learn about strategies for promoting agriculture education in your local schools and building meaningful relationships as an ‘agvo-cate' in your community.
3. Expanding Nutrition Education Lessons in the Classroom
Grades: K-12
Presenters: Heather Berkoben, Dairy Council of California
Description: This interactive workshop will provide an overview of nutrition information, demonstrate how to use the organization's free classroom programs and how to integrate web-based resources. Participants will discover how healthy and physically fit students achieve more academically.
4. Sustaining Your School Garden
Grades: 2-4
Presenter: Diane Bailey, San Diego Master Gardeners
Description: A school garden is a living, growing laboratory providing students learning opportunities to investigate, observe, problem-solve, and get their hands dirty. Schools today need garden-based learning in an outdoor classroom more than ever. Participants will experience hands-on lessons that are easily taught in the school garden.
Saturday Afternoon
1. Schoolyard Habitats and Gardens: Nature-based Learning Right Outside the Classroom
Grades: K-12
Presenter: Anne S. Fege, Ph.D., San Diego Children and Nature Collaborative
Description: Transform part of your schoolyard into an outdoor classroom, so that students can observe, learn about, and appreciate local nature every day. Learn how to plan a native plant garden in your schoolyard, select and maintain native plants, and offer nature-based lessons that meet standards and engage student's inquiry, dis-covery, sense of place, and stewardship.
Download: Slides | Handout
2. All About Plant Nutrients
Grades: K-8
Presenters: JShaney Emerson, CFAITC
Description: This workshop will provide teachers with a preview of CFAITC's two new resources: The Educator's Guide to Fun With the Plant Nutrient Team for K-3rd grades and How Much is Too Much? How Little is Too Little? for 5-8 grades. Both resources are designed to introduce students to the connection between soil nutrients and the food they eat. The lessons consist of a series of demonstrations and hand-on experiments to show that plants require nutrients in certain quantities. Workshop participants will get their hands dirty as they carry out an investigation to learn that soil is more than just dirt! Participants will also get an overview of lesson topics, extension ideas, standards alignment and will sign up to receive a free copy of each unit upon completion later this year
3. Adventures in Agriculture After School
Grades: 2-6
Presenters: San Diego Ag in the Classroom
Description: Experience mini lessons and hands-on activities that relate agriculture to students' everyday lives while meet-ing Content Standards for California Public Schools. See what activities you can do with your students that will link schools, parents and communities, and the variety of resources available!
4. "Steer" toward STEM: Careers in Animal Agriculture
Grades: 3-5
Presenters: Mindy DeRohan, CFAITC
Description: Workshop participants will engage in hands-on activities from California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classrooms' recent science, engineering, technology and math (STEM) unit. The five-lesson unit focuses on the science, technology, engineering and math involved in animal agriculture. Careers highlighted include agriculture engineer, range manager, animal physiologist, animal nutritionist, and animal geneticist. Free hard copied will be available for all participants.