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The National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix

Overview

The National Center for Agricultural Literacy has developed and maintains the content in the National Agricultural Curriculum Matrix.

The National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix is an online collection of educational resources that are relevant, engaging, and designed to meet the educational requirements and agricultural literacy outcomes for formal educators. The Matrix was developed using curriculum mapping procedures. The Matrix is essentially a three-dimensional curriculum map. A curriculum map includes standards and objectives, lesson plans, supportive or companion resources, and assessments that help teachers get students from point A to point B in terms of learning.

The Matrix is a collaborative effort where agriculture literacy professionals submit resources for inclusion to the database. Submissions are reviewed and evaluated based on how well they connect with agriculture literacy outcomes, content standards, and Common Core standards.

Teachers at all grade levels can access the Matrix materials through an easy-to-use search engine on the National AITC website. For example, a search of "dairy" reveals two lesson plans – grades K-2 and 3-5 – as well as a companion activity (making butter in a baby food jar), three booklets (one downloadable), a companion resource (making cottage cheese in the classroom), and a companion resource website that features a cleverly-produced science fiction tale of an alien race finding much-needed calcium in Earthly cows.

Visually, we are on a journey to agricultural literacy – the National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix is a curriculum map that contextualizes core education standards as waypoints in the context of agriculture to reach our agricultural literacy destination. Debra Spielmaker

Creative Commons License National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix (2013) developed by Debra Spielmaker and is licensed under a Creative Commons