Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom
Do you want to teach your students how agriculture affects them every day? Do you want to be sure they know where their food, fiber, and agriculture products come from? Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom is here to help you teach about Agricuture, Farming, Gardening, and Farmer Career Exploration.
Alaska AITC has been around for over 30 years and is a program dedicated to the providing teachers with the resources to integrate agriculture literacy into their classroom learning.
FSWCD is the coordinator for the Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom program (AK AITC). Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom is a statewide program.
Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom is a 501c3 educational program begun by the Alaska Farm Bureau  to help Alaska's students understand that farms are the source of their food and flowers, as well as fabrics and fuels.
You can email us at alaska.agintheclassroom@gmail.com if you have a request or want more information about our program and what we offer.
What Is Agriculture in the Classroom?
The mission of Agriculture in the Classroom is to "increase agricultural literacy through K-12 education." An agriculturally literate person is defined as "one who understands and can communicate the source and value of agriculture as it affects quality of life." Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) programs seek to improve student achievement by applying authentic, agricultural-based content as the context to teach core curriculum concepts in science, social studies, language arts and nutrition. By encouraging teachers to embed agriculture into their classroom, AITC cultivates an understanding and appreciation of the food and fiber system that we all rely on every day.
- From the National Agriculture in the Classroom (click for link) website.
National Agriculture in the Classroom
Alaska Agriculture
Agriculture in Alaska is amazing and quite different from agriculture in many other places.  Yes, Alaska has some extreme temperatures, but because it also gets more hours of daylight in the summer, some crops actually grow better in Alaska.  Click HERE for an overview of Alaska Agriculture statistics.
Indoor Gardening Curriculum
Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom is pleased to share the Alaska Indoor Gardening Curriculum.
This curriculum is a compilation of lessons developed by the Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom program, the National Agriculture in the Classroom (NAITC) organization, and educators throughout Alaska who have developed, reviewed, and piloted many these activities. All lessons are easily downloadable and ready to use. Please feel free to share this resource with anyone who can use it.
Click HERE to go to the Indoor Gardening Curriculum.
PreK Lessons
Our newest set of lessons for children ages 3-5 was made possible with a generous grant from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and was made possible through the creative and professional talents of Diane Hunt.
They include activities for Alaska based agriculture stories and age appropriate reading, learning and exploration, movement, music, nutrition, and crafts. They are based on early childhood learning guidelines from the state of Alaska.
Please click HERE to see the new Pre-K lessons.
Celebrate Alaska Agriculture Day
Alaska Agriculture Day is the first Tuesday of May each year. On this date, learn more about the farms around you and the state. Celebrate with Alaska Grown foods and support your local growers. Click HEREÂ for an Alaska Agricultural lesson plan you can use.
Resources Available
FSWCD has a large assortment of Agriculture in the Classroom resources available for loan.
- Click here to see the list of BOOKSÂ in our library.
- And other teaching RESOURCES
- Click here for a list of GARDENING related books that we have in our library.
- Click HERE for a list of ways to learn more about Alaska Agriculture and agriculture in other states.
Agriculture in the Classroom Educator Institutes
AK AITC offers a course in Agriculture Literacy, Enhancing Agricultural Literacy for Regular Education, Gifted and Special Education Teachers. This course offers Agricultural Literacy training through fun, hands-on study and investigation of agriculture education resources. It will assist new educators and those who want to expand their classroom offerings as they learn how to integrate agriculture lessons into their classrooms. This course is available to other educators as well including homeschool educators, girl scout, 4H and FFH leaders. This course is an introduction to the many resources available through the Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom program, and interdisciplinary methods, including STEM, to teach principles of agriculture.
Participants will:
- Learn that agriculture is a vital and important part of Alaska's economy, community resources, and history.
- Strengthen your science background with fun hands-on activities that use agriculture to teach science processing skills.
- Receive resources and ready to use agriculture-based lesson plans and activites.
- Receive lists of available websites and agencies in Alaska where you can find answers to agriculture related questions.
- Visit local farms and agriculture businesses to learn how they can assist you with your Agriculture education goals.
If you wish to have a course offered in your area, please contact Mel Sikes at 907-479-1213 x 105 or email her at alaska.agintheclassroom@gmail.com .