From the Ground Up:
DECEMBER—Sugarcane
December is the perfect time to celebrate one of Louisiana’s sweetest crops—sugarcane! Sugarcane plays an important role in Louisiana agriculture and in many of our favorite holiday treats. And what better way to celebrate than with a batch of sugar cookies?
Explore lesson plans and resources that take students on a sweet journey from sugarcane field to holiday cookie. Discover how sugarcane is grown, harvested, processed, and transformed into the granulated sugar we use to bake, decorate, and celebrate the holidays.
Did you know sugarcane is actually a grass, related to corn and bamboo? Louisiana is one of the top sugarcane-producing states in the United States. Louisiana sugarcane farmers grow hundreds of thousands of acres of this sweet crop across the state's southern parishes. Learn all there is to know about sugarcane and try our sugar cookie recipe.
Lesson Plans & Resources
GRADES Pre-K-2:
AITC Sugarcane Coloring Page
Color your way through Louisiana agriculture with our fun-fact, elementary coloring sheets.
Fit-to-page printing option recommended. See more coloring pages.
GRADES 6-8:
FoodMASTER Middle: Sugar
Learn the concept of simple carbohydrates (sugar) in the diet and their role in providing energy to the body, compare saturated sugar solutions, and evaluate the sugar content of common beverages and sugar consumption in your own diet.
GRADES 9-12:
How Sweet It Is: Investigating Sugars and Sweeteners
Investigate natural and artificial sweeteners by sorting examples, tracing sugar from field to table, and comparing the pros and cons of artificial alternatives. Build nutrition literacy by evaluating food labels.
GRADES 6-8:
Nutrients to Get Less Of
Introduce sodium and sugar as dietary nutrients we should consume less of. Identify the foods and beverages you should limit and recognize how to use the Nutrition Facts label to measure sodium and sugar intake.
GRADES 9-12:
Nutrients to Get Less Of
Introduce sodium and sugar as dietary nutrients we should consume less of. Identify the foods and beverages you should limit and recognize how to use the Nutrition Facts label to measure sodium and sugar intake.
Companion Resources
Make Your Own Gumdrops
Use flavored gelatin to make gumdrops.
Sugar Crystals
Make rock candy with a simple recipe.
Higher or Lower: Ingredient Investigation
This is a "Price is Right" style activity designed to help illustrate the sugar and salt content found in processed foods. This activity can supplement nutrition and food processing lessons.
Sweeteners Flowchart
This six-page informational sheet describes the process of how sweeteners are grown and harvested, how they get from the farm to the store, and nutrition facts. Print your own or order a set of charts.
The Sugar Association
The Sugar Association is the scientific voice of the U.S. sugar industry. It is a STEM.org Accredited Educational program that offers real sugar STEAM resources.
Books
“From Cane to Sugar” by Jill Braithwaite
This book illustrates the production of sugar, following the process from the farms where sugarcane is grown to the factories where the sugar is extracted to the stores where the sugar is sold.
Videos
'Big Sugar:' How America Works
Host Mike Rowe goes in-depth into the American sugar industry, from cane to candy, on How America Works.