Farmers Celebrate the Earth Every Day!

In this UNIT: Let’s Get Elemental!

In this unit, students learn about how dairy farmers harness the elements and work in harmony with nature: Earth (land), Air (breath), Water (hydration) and Biosphere (ecosystem), and about seasonality in farming, including dairy farmers’ work with the land to ensure they have enough feed for their cows. Students will discover how the elements are connected to each other, to animals, to farm foods, and to their bodies.

To drive home what they’ve learned, students complete a Likert Scale-style survey on the elements and concepts learned in the lessons (e.g., How important is it to conserve water for animals to drink?), and then work in discussion groups to analyze their overall responses.

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NGSS

Next Generation Science Standards

MS-LS1-7.

Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.

MS-LS2-3.

Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

MS-ESS3-3.

Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

MS-ETS1-1.

Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

MS-ETS1-2.

Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

CASEL Framework

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Framework

SELF-AWARENESS:

The abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts. This includes capacities to recognize one’s strengths and limitations with a well-grounded sense of confidence and purpose. Such as:

Identifying one’s emotions
Experiencing self-efficacy
Having a growth mindset

SELF-MANAGEMENT:

The abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. This includes the capacities to delay gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation & agency to accomplish personal/collective goals. Such as:

Managing one’s emotions
Identifying and using stress-management strategies
Exhibiting self-discipline and self-motivation
Setting personal and collective goals
Using planning and organizational skills

CDC NHES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Health Education Standards

6.8.1 Assess personal health practices.

6.8.2 Develop a goal to adopt, maintain, or improve a personal health practice.

6.8.3 Apply strategies and skills needed to attain a personal health goal.

6.8.4 Describe how personal health goals can vary with changing abilities, priorities, and responsibilities.