3-ESS2-1:
Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.

How Weather Impacts Farms: Students explore different types of weather and discover how weather conditions can impact farms.

3-ESS2-2:
Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions around the world.

How Does Your Garden Grow?: Students synthesize what they know about soils, plants, and the environment to plan a garden, present their plans, and explain why they made the decisions that they did.

Powerful Potato: Students will explore life science concepts by observing a potato grow with and without soil. They will further learn about geography and world cultures by charting potato geography on a world map and holding a potato dress up contest.

3-ESS3-1:
Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impact of a weather-related hazard.

How Weather Impacts Farms: Students explore different types of weather and discover how weather conditions can impact farms.

Keeping Soil in Its Place: Students will be able to demonstrate rain drop splash (splash erosion) and determine its impact on bare soil, ultimately being able to visually identify types of erosion.

3-LS1-1:
Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

A Rafter of Turkeys: Students will learn about the domestication and life cycle of the turkey, recognize how turkeys are raised on farms, and identify turkey products.

Eggology: Students will identify how the basic needs of a growing chick are met during egg incubation. Activities include identifying and diagramming the parts of an egg and hatching eggs in class.

Farming in a Glove: Students observe how a seed sprouts and investigate the conditions necessary for germination to occur.

Got Guts?: Students will investigate the different digestive systems of livestock and learn how animals have unique nutritional needs based on these structures. Students will also discover the responsibilities of an animal nutritionist.

Growing Almonds: Fact or Opinion: Students will learn about the process of getting almonds from farm to table and distinguish the difference between facts and opinions as they learn about each stage and season of almond growth.

Honey Bees: A Pollination Simulation: Students will identify the parts of a honey bee, the stages of its life cycle, and its role in pollination.

Inside the Egg, Hatching Chicks: Students will learn about biology by studying embryo development in chicken eggs.

Magic Beans and Giant Plants: Students will plant seeds and make considerations on which conditions affect plant growth. They will design and conduct experiments using a problem-solving process and compare and contrast to understand the parameters which influence the health and growth of living things.

Science and Poetry with Almonds: Students will learn about the almond tree life cycle including tree dormancy, pollination, bloom and kernel development of an almond.

Seeds, Miraculous Seeds: Students will develop an appreciation and understanding of the natural development of seeds, learn the anatomy and function of each seed part through a seed dissection and classify seeds as monocots or dicots.

Topsy-Turvy Soybeans: Students will observe how plants respond to gravity by germinating soybeans in a CD case and rotating the case as they grow.

Truth or Hogwash?: Students will work in teams to play a game in which they answer true/false questions about swine and then research and develop questions of their own.

Wild Rice: Students explore the life cycle of wild rice, compare the steps of the traditional Native wild rice harvest with a cultivated wild rice harvest, and create their own wild rice bowls.

3-LS3-1:
Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from their parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.

A Rafter of Turkeys: Students will learn about the domestication and life cycle of the turkey, recognize how turkeys are raised on farms, and identify turkey products.

Apple Science: Comparing Apples and Onions: Students will explore heredity concepts by comparing observable traits of apples and onions, collecting data on the traits of different apple varieties, and learning about apple production. Additional activities include hands-on methods for testing apple ripeness.

Build-a-Calf Workshop: Students will explore concepts of heredity in beef cattle and identify dominant and recessive traits.

FoodMASTER: Vegetables: Students will measure the weight and length or circumference of various vegetables. After studying the vegetables, students will classify the vegetables based on plant parts and explore chemical reactions from cooking colored vegetables in acidic and basic water. Students will also use a variety of vegetables to prepare soup.

From Chicken Little to Chicken Big: Students will identify different breeds of chickens, examine physical characteristics, and determine the stages of a chicken's life cycle.

Hatching Science with Classroom Chicks: Students will explore how an embryo develops inside of a chicken egg over time, discuss life cycles and other natural cycles, and observe similarities and differences between parents and offspring.

Inherited Traits in the Living Corn Necklace: Students will observe the growth of Indian corn and popcorn seeds, observe similarities and differences between the two varieties, and discuss heredity.

Paint’s Family Tree: Students will explore the complexity of heredity by studying horses and creating a horse’s family tree.

Peas in a Pod: Students will explore the concept of inherited traits and understand the significance of Gregor Mendel's discoveries related to heredity.

Rock, Paper, Scissors - Dominant and Recessive Traits: Students will explore how dominant and recessive traits are expressed and learn how knowledge of heredity is important to agriculture.

Roll of the Genes: Students will learn about genes and how they affect important traits such as growth, reproduction, disease resistance, and behavior. Students will also discover the responsibilities of an animal geneticist.

Sheep See, Sheep Do: Students will explore the difference between inherited and acquired traits and understand why knowledge of inherited and acquired traits is important to agriculture. Activities in this lesson include trait sorting, two short movies, a PTC taste-test, and student presentations.

Wheat Germ DNA: Using wheat as an example, students will explore how DNA determines the genetic traits of a plant and how plant breeders change the DNA of a plant to produce desired characteristics.

3-LS3-2:
Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.

Build-a-Calf Workshop: Students will explore concepts of heredity in beef cattle and identify dominant and recessive traits.

Do You Know GMO?: Students explore the process of genetic engineering and discover the 10 genetically modified crops approved in the United States.

Flower Power: Students will observe physical characteristics of flowers and explore principles of pollination.

Roll of the Genes: Students will learn about genes and how they affect important traits such as growth, reproduction, disease resistance, and behavior. Students will also discover the responsibilities of an animal geneticist.

Sheep See, Sheep Do: Students will explore the difference between inherited and acquired traits and understand why knowledge of inherited and acquired traits is important to agriculture. Activities in this lesson include trait sorting, two short movies, a PTC taste-test, and student presentations.

3-LS4-3:
Construct and support an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

Backpack Garden: Through project-based learning, students use school resources to construct and grow a school garden to supplement the school Backpack Program with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Beef Basics: Students will explain the importance of the beef cattle industry, including the products cattle produce, the production process from farm to plate, and how cattle can utilize and obtain energy from grass and other forage.

Build it Better: Students will investigate animal handling preferences and design a cattle corral system that is durable, efficient, and effective. Students will also discover the skills needed to be an agricultural engineer.

Desktop Greenhouses: Students will investigate the importance of light to plants by creating a desktop greenhouse investigation and exploring the process of photosynthesis.

Do You Know GMO?: Students explore the process of genetic engineering and discover the 10 genetically modified crops approved in the United States.

Eggology: Students will identify how the basic needs of a growing chick are met during egg incubation. Activities include identifying and diagramming the parts of an egg and hatching eggs in class.

Eggs: From Hen to Home: Students will trace the production path of eggs, beginning on the farm and ending in their home. Students will identify the culinary uses and nutritional benefits of eggs.

Exploring Aquaponics: The students will identify the basic needs of plants and fish and engineer, assemble, maintain, and observe a small-scale aquaponics system that meets plant and fish needs.

Farmers Market Finds: Students explore the value of farmers markets to local communities and discover the benefits of locally-grown food.

Growing Plants in Science and Literature, More Than an Empty Pot: Students will use the story of The Empty Pot to explore literature and science, practicing story mapping and learning about the needs of plants and the importance of soil and water. Like the characters in the story, students will plant and observe the growth of seeds.

Many Types of Farms: Students will explore the sources of a variety of agricultural products and discover that farms can be diverse in size and in products that are grown and raised.

Pigs on the Farm: Students will explore the basic needs of animals and create a model of a modern pig barn that will help farmers meet the needs of animals.

Terrariums: A Look at the Living and Nonliving World: Students will observe the interactions between living plants and other living and nonliving things in a small terrarium environment. They will also learn about farms and discuss similarities between the terrarium environment and the farm environment. 

What’s Bugging You?: Students will learn the definition of a pest, examine how pests affect other living organisms and the environment, and identify how pests are managed in agricultural settings.

3-LS4-4:
Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.

Build it Better: Students will investigate animal handling preferences and design a cattle corral system that is durable, efficient, and effective. Students will also discover the skills needed to be an agricultural engineer.

Caring for the Land: Students will explain why people have different opinions regarding soil management and identify cause and effect relationships relating to agriculture and the environment.

Exploring Aquaponics: The students will identify the basic needs of plants and fish and engineer, assemble, maintain, and observe a small-scale aquaponics system that meets plant and fish needs.

Farmers Market Finds: Students explore the value of farmers markets to local communities and discover the benefits of locally-grown food.

Homes on the Range: Students will design a board game that reinforces how rangelands provide habitat for livestock and wildlife while benefiting humans, animals, and plants. Students will also learn about the responsibilities of a range manager.

Significant Surroundings: Students will identify basic animal behaviors and hypothesize what causes them. Students will also discover the responsibilities of an animal physiologist.

Tropism Twist: Students will investigate how light affects plant growth by observing changes in a plant’s growth and movement as light availability is altered through an experiment.

What’s Bugging You?: Students will learn the definition of a pest, examine how pests affect other living organisms and the environment, and identify how pests are managed in agricultural settings.

3-PS2-1:
Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

Drones in High-Tech Farming: Students will discover the science behind how a drone works, explore how drones are used in agriculture, and program and operate a drone for the purpose of surveying a field.

Machines and People: The purpose of this activity is for students to define the word "machine" and understand how machines are used in agriculture to produce food and fiber. They will observe a variety of machines and compare and contrast them.

Machines in Agriculture: The purpose of this activity is for students to make connections between the six types of simple machines and the complex machinery used to produce food and fiber.

Made to Move: The purpose of this activity is for students to use simple machines to examine the relationships between force and motion. Students will complete a science journal and participate in group activities demonstrating the use of simple machines.

Six Kinds Do It All: The purpose of this lesson is for students to become familiar with the six kinds of simple machines—the inclined plane, pulley, screw, wedge, lever, and wheel and axle. These machines are combined to form complex machines.

3-PS2-2:
Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

Drones in High-Tech Farming: Students will discover the science behind how a drone works, explore how drones are used in agriculture, and program and operate a drone for the purpose of surveying a field.

Machines and People: The purpose of this activity is for students to define the word "machine" and understand how machines are used in agriculture to produce food and fiber. They will observe a variety of machines and compare and contrast them.

Machines in Agriculture: The purpose of this activity is for students to make connections between the six types of simple machines and the complex machinery used to produce food and fiber.

Made to Move: The purpose of this activity is for students to use simple machines to examine the relationships between force and motion. Students will complete a science journal and participate in group activities demonstrating the use of simple machines.

Six Kinds Do It All: The purpose of this lesson is for students to become familiar with the six kinds of simple machines—the inclined plane, pulley, screw, wedge, lever, and wheel and axle. These machines are combined to form complex machines.