Why Ag in the Classroom?
Agriculture means survival. Over time, fewer and fewer people have close contact with farming and the total agricultural sector. They’re not aware of their own and society’s total dependence on agriculture. People must be agriculturally literate in order to make responsible decisions affecting this giant lifeline.
Teaching students to be agriculturally literate brings their learning to life. Helping students understand the farm-to-table connection is important in our consumer-driven society. That’s what the student Minnesota AgMag Series is all about.
About Your AgMag
The AgMag is a great supplement to your social studies, science, or language arts curriculum. The AgMag has particular appeal to the study of Minnesota history and geography. You’ll get two issues per school year: October and March.
AgMag Theme: Helping You Every Day!
- Agriculture is Everywhere
- Agriculture is in your School and your Home
- How Does Agriculture Help You?
- Goods and Services at the State Fair
Integration Ideas
Math
- For counting activities, students can use the AgMag as a resource. Have them count how many animals are on a page, or how many food items they see.
Social Studies
- Invite a local farmer, vet, or fair volunteer to talk about their job and whether they provide goods, services, or both.
English Language Arts
- Use the AgMag to help students identify different letters and sight words that you are focusing on.
- like, use, which, you, want
Glossary
Some words in your AgMag may be unfamiliar to your students. Many are defined in the articles. There is also a glossary on the AgMag website: https://mnagmag.org/glossary/. Words you might wish to pre-teach are:
Agriculture
Growing plants and raising animals that people use for food, clothing and many other things every day. It’s also harvesting those farm products and getting them to us so we can use them. Agriculture is the industry that grows, harvests, processes, and brings us food, fiber, fish, forests, sod, landscaping materials, and more. It uses soil, water, sun, and air to produce its products. The process starts on farms, orchards, gardens, and ranches with the growing and the harvesting of crops and livestock, then moves to processing plants before finally traveling as finished products to stores, farm markets, lumberyards, greenhouses, and more where consumers buy the products. Agriculture is connected in some way with almost everything we eat, wear, and use.
Quote from an Unknown Source: “Agriculture is not simply farming. It’s the supermarket, the equipment factory, the trucking system, the overseas shipping industry, the scientist’s laboratory, the houses we live in, and much more. It has an effect on the air we breathe, the ground we walk on, the water we drink, and the food we eat."
Minnesota Academic Standards Connection
| Subject | Standard Code | Benchmark |
| Social Studies | K.2.1.1.1 | Distinguish between individual needs (conditions necessary to survive) and individual wants (conditions desired to be happy). |
| Social Studies | K.2.10.1 | Distinguish between goods (objects that can be seen or touched) and services (actions or activities). Identify goods and services that could satisfy a specific need or want. |
| English Language Arts | 0.2.1.1 and 0.2.4.4 | With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. |
| English Language Arts | 0.2.7.7 | With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts). |
AgMag Cover: Agriculture is Everywhere!
Discussion Prompts:
- What is Agriculture?
- What are things that come from Agriculture?
- As this may be the first time your students are hearing this word, you may need to help prompt them in the right direction. (Food, clothing, paper, glue, etc.)
Define:
Because this may be your student’s first introduction to agriculture, make sure to really emphasize the definition of Agriculture.
Agriculture: Agriculture is making things that grow on farms, like plants and animals, into things that we use.
Matching:
- Sheep → Mittens
- Potato → French Fries
- Tree → Paper
- Chicken → Drumstick
Page 2: Agriculture is in Your School and Your Home
Discussion Prompts:
What is Agriculture? (You will want to review the word and its meaning many times to help students solidify their understanding)
Find 8 Items activity:
To help the students get started, remind them that we learned on the cover page that paper comes from trees! What paper items do they see in the picture? Circle it!
Eight items include:
- Paper is made from trees
- Books are made from paper that is made from trees
- Ruler is made from trees
- Glue – some glue contains gelatin from animals
- Carpet can be made from wool from sheep
- Fabric used in displays and learning activities are made from fibers that can come from
plants and animals - Tabletops and some desks are made from wood, which comes from trees
- Rocking chair is made from wood that comes from trees, and the cushions are made from cotton that grows on cotton plants
Drawing Favorite Food:
- Brainstorm with the class what their favorite foods are. Remind them that all food comes from agriculture.
- Have a few students share their favorite food with the class. Try and help them make the connection of where that food comes from, and how it ties into agriculture
- Ex: Ice cream is made from milk, which comes from a cow!
Page 3: How does Agriculture Help You?
Discussion Prompt:
- What is a need, and what is a want? Help students understand the difference.
- I need to drink water every day. I want to eat pizza every day!
Page 4: What People Buy and Do
Discussion Prompts:
- What is a good?
- What is a service?
- What are goods and services that remind you of the fair?
- Have you ever been to the state fair? Have you ever been to a county fair?
Extension Activity
You could extend this goods and services page by introducing many examples of goods and services in the classroom. Here are some examples for consideration:
These are physical, farm-related items you might see, buy, or use at the fair.
- Corn on the Cob – Freshly cooked and served, grown on Minnesota farms.
- Honey Jars – Local beekeepers sell honey in different flavors and containers.
- Milk – From dairy cows raised on Minnesota farms, served at the dairy booth.
- Wool Mittens – Made from sheep’s wool, show how raw farm goods become clothing.
- Apples – From local orchards, often sold fresh or in snacks like caramel apples.
- Cheese Curds – A dairy product made from milk, always a fair favorite.
- Jam or Jelly – Homemade from Minnesota-grown berries, like strawberries or blueberries.
- Vegetable Baskets – From the agriculture building, showcasing garden produce.
- Soybean Crayons – Eco-friendly crayons made from soybeans grown by local farmers.
- Eggs – Displayed or sold by poultry farmers, often near the livestock barns.
These are people doing work or demonstrations related to agriculture.
- Bus Driver – Drives fairgoers to the Minnesota State Fair to explore agriculture at the fair.
- CHS Miracle of Birth Center – Shows baby animals being born and cared for.
- The AgMag photo shows a veterinarian caring for the piglet.
- Amusement Park Ride – Used farm-grown fuels like corn-based ethanol to run.
- The AgMag photo shows a fair worker, standing in a pool, helping with the ride.
- Farmer Demonstration – A farmer explains how they grow crops or care for animals.
- 4-H Student Exhibits – Kids present projects like growing vegetables or raising animals.
- Beekeeper Presentation – Shows how bees are raised and how honey is harvested.
- Animal Groomers – People wash and brush cows, sheep, and pigs before shows.
- Tractor Driver – Offers rides or demonstrates how farming equipment works.
- Ag Educators – Teach kids about where their food comes from using displays and activities.
- Butter Sculptor – Carves butter into statues, showcasing a dairy product and artistic service.
- Veterinarian Booth – Explains how they care for farm animals.
- Master Gardener Advice – Volunteers give tips on planting and growing food at home.
- Food Stand Operators – Make and serve farm-fresh items like turkey legs or corn fritters.
Classroom Activity Idea: "Our Own Mini State Fair"
- Set up booths in the classroom with toy animals, pretend food, and tools.
- Students role-play as farmers, chefs, beekeepers, and gardeners.
- Create signs that say “Good” or “Service” and place them on the booths.
- Hand out pretend “fair tickets” so students can “buy” a good or “experience” a service.
Do This at Home
Encourage students to make connections between agriculture and their everyday lives by completing one or more of these simple at-home activities:
- Find Agriculture at Home: Ask students to find one thing at home that comes from a farm (food, clothing, wood items, etc.). They can bring an item, draw a picture, or simply share what they found with the class.
- Family Job Chat: Have students ask a family member about their job. Help students identify whether it provides a good (something you can touch) or a service (something people do to help others). Invite students to share their answers.
- Favorite Farm Food: Invite students to bring in or talk about a favorite food that comes from a farm.
These quick activities help extend learning beyond the classroom and reinforce the idea that agriculture is part of students’ daily lives.
