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News
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Helping teachers teach kids about agriculture
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9/1/2010
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Article Content Suggested lead
With the doors to school about to open in Oregon, agriculture is finding its way into the classroom:
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Audio 01
Oregon's chapter of Agriculture in the Classroom achieved a milestone last year by reaching 100-thousand students. But Executive Director Tami Kerr is looking to go even further this school year:
KERR: "I think it's more relevant than ever to provide accurate information to students about agriculture. Since all students eat food and wear clothing, one very natural connection for them is the very real world of agriculture." :17
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Audio 02
Ag in the Classroom is a non-profit educational foundation that provides resources to teachers that helps them incorporate agriculture into their daily lesson plans. Hands-on classroom activities, books, videos- all find their way into more and more schools, even those in rural areas:
KERR: "My family is from Tillamook. We have a dairy farm where I grew up. You would think that most of the students would have a pretty strong understanding and knowledge of the dairy industry. That just isn't the case." :11
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Program materials are being used in all 36 Oregon counties. With more kids today having gone to a zoo than a farm, agricultural education is critical for the next generation to understand and appreciate today's farmers and ranchers. In Salem, I'm Bruce Pokarney.
Additional audio: Audio 03
KERR says the Agriculture in the Classroom Program has grown by leaps and bounds the past few years- and that's a good thing:
"During this last school year, it was the first year that Agriculture in the Classroom statewide reached over 100,000 students. So we are very excited about that. I think each year, more teachers are learning about our program and the resources we have." :12
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Additional audio: Audio 04
KERR would like to see the program find its way into more Oregon classrooms over the next few years:
"I just hope that we can continue to improve the quality and delivery of our program and to make quality resources available to teachers across the state and that they realize the value of including information about agriculture to their students." :16
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Full story
http://oregon.gov/ODA/news/100901aitc.shtml |
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