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Ag in the classroom update I \~ tliouxnnds 01 Canadian clitltltcn ‘Niii\' luck llllt" the routine ol' school .iitcr stiirtiiict holidays. it's .1 sale bet that \L’l} Ic\\ ol them are sttttiting agriculture, But there is A groutng iiimcmcnt .ictim the country 0i \ole untccr groups trying to till that gap in our children's education. These gt nups. composed oi t'cprc‘scntttlh es llUlll hum organirtitions. agribusiness. gmeititne‘nt and education officials, .uc promoting a program called Agriâ€" cliiltltcl \gi in the Classroom t.â€"\ITC), The goal of \g in the Classroom is to help students .icquirc enough islluuic‘dgt.’ to function et‘t‘ccthely as .igricultttrttll)-litcrate citizens supe Pk‘rlhl.‘ nt‘ msc agricultural policies and programs \g in the Classroom] turns [0 get educators to teach more about the source of our food and the role of agriculture in the total econ- Hill} and \Dc‘lCU. Some e\Citing things are happening as agricultural groups uork cooperamel} uith educators uho are eager to acquire new re- sources in the face of shrinking budgets and enrolments. O\cr the past three years in South- western Ontario. more than 500 eleâ€" mentar) school teachers have been involved in Five teacher training workshops held in Middlesex. Oxford, Perth and Elgin counties. Teachers participated in farm tours. listened to quality speakers, gathered resources and here gnen complete agri-kits I'caturing puppets. toy farm machin- ery, seed and soil samples, audio- tisual and print materials to use in the classroom. The reaction of teachers has been wry enthusiastic as they disc0vered resources and teaching strategies that note never betOre available to them. in Middlesex County. teachers of the Extended Learning Program for the (lifted in Grades 6. 7 and 8 worked “1th the Women For the Support of Agriculture to produce a learning unit entitled “issues in Agribusie ness". Issues such as the rural urban interface, land annexation and exproâ€" priation, economic pressures, mar- keting boards and free trade were studied. A wide variety of resources such as videotapes. slide tape shows, and a monopoly-style board game enâ€" titled "The Farming Garlic" were used sticccssl'ully. in September 1986. all high schools in Saskatchewan will receive a new curt iculttin package entitled “Current issues in Agriculture“ to be presented in economics, social studies and science classes. Some of the issues discussed in the package include: 1. Agriculture as 3 Producer of Foods and User of Service 2. Agricultural Product Pricing 3. Farm income Variability 4. Agriculture. Technology and Bio- technology Mr. Ted Padbury of Saskatchewan Agriculture and Coordinator of the Curriculum Committee. states that "We think all students should have an appreciation of basic agriculture before they graduate from high school. This should help them in their deci- sions regarding agricultural issues they may encounter. no matter what profession they select”. Agricultural Representatives will be meeting with teachers to help them implement the new curriculum. Similar workshops are being held in Ontario where the Grade 9 science curriculum was recently revamped to include agricultural topics. In the agriculture I .. l‘l iLlli’ in the classroom United States where “Ag in the Class. room” has been flourishing for over six years. annual budgets for this pro- gram range from $6.000 in New Mex. ico to $370,000 in Texas. Funding is being received through donations. AlTC memberships. government grants. and from foundations. Although the national thrust for AlTC in Canada has just begun, groups involved are confident that they “can do" a great deal to set- it flourish. The first national Ag in the Classroom conference is being planned for April 13. 14. 15 at the Universitv of Western Ontario, London. if you would like more information, contact Suzanne Leitch at (519) 461-0767. This report by Women for the Support . of Agriculture ; (WSA). 6 H & C Oct. Nov. Dec. 1986