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Whether you’re new to teaching high school agriculture or have some experience under your belt, finding the right curriculum is essential to your course’s success. After all, your students need to know enough to earn their certifications, and finding the right materials is key to making that happen.
So what high school agriculture curriculum options are out there? What do these resources look like, and where can you find them?
In this article, you’ll discover three of the best high school agriculture curriculum options you can use in your course:
- eDynamic Learning’s Agriculture Pathway
- Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE)
- AgriScience, Seventh Edition
By the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of each of these resources, so you can pick the best one for your course.
1. eDynamic Learning’s Agriculture Pathway
eDynamic Learning is a curriculum provider that offers courses covering several CTE pathways. Their mission is to offer educational content that helps students discover their passions and earn industry certifications.
eDynamic Learning provides several courses in their Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources cluster. This cluster prepares students for careers like Agricultural Technician, Animal Assistant, Environmental Specialist, and more.
The Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources cluster is divided into eight courses:
- Agriscience 1: Introduction
- Agriscience 2: Sustaining Human Life
- Biotechnology 1a: Introduction
- Biotechnology 1b: Unlocking Nature’s Secrets
- Forestry and Natural Resources
- Principles of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
- Renewable Technologies
- Veterinary Science: The Care of Animals
These courses each have 8-10 units within them, and each unit includes teaching materials like lesson plans, activities, discussion questions, slideshows, and videos.
Another point to remember is that each course covers a semester of high school, and you’ll prioritize different courses depending on what occupations you’re training your students to learn.
Altogether, the eDynamic Learning high school agriculture curriculum is robust enough to cover several years of classes with in-depth material.
Who Is The eDynamic Learning Curriculum Intended For, and How Much Does It Cost?
eDynamic’s agriculture curriculum is a good fit for high school ag teachers looking for extensive material to cover years of instruction. With this curriculum, you’ll have enough material to train your students for various careers in agriculture.
To use these lessons, however, you’ll have to contact your school district to see whether they offer courses from eDL. That means this option wouldn’t be a good fit for teachers who need a solution fast or are otherwise pressed for time. Likewise, if your district doesn’t have a curriculum purchase in its budget, you’d be better off looking elsewhere.
In addition, eDynamic Learning doesn’t offer pricing information on its website, so you’ll have to reach out to them directly to see how much this curriculum will cost your district.
2. Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE)
Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) is a curriculum provider focusing on resources for teaching agriculture. They make it their mission to provide the very best materials and training for ag teachers, so they can better nurture the next generation of professionals.
CASE offers 13 courses in their high school agriculture curriculum:
- Intro to Ag, Food, & Natural Resources
- AgXplore Middle School
- Ag Business Foundations
- Animal Science
- Plant Science
- Natural Resources & Ecology
- Ag Power & Technology
- Environmental Science Issues
- Mechanical Systems in Ag Series
- Food Science & Safety
- Animal & Plant Biotechnology
- Technical Applications in Ag
- Ag Research & Development Capstone
These courses include lessons, hands-on activities, and projects students complete to apply their skills practically. Some of these activities have students analyze data, conduct research, and work in teams to solve problems independently.
Likely, your students will only complete a few of these courses, depending on the subject areas in which they want to specialize. Most students complete the Intro to Ag, Food, & Natural Resources course, as well as the Ag Research & Development Capstone.
Who Is the CASE Curriculum Intended For, and How Much Does It Cost?
CASE is a good fit for instructors looking for an in-depth, focused agriculture program that will grant students practical experience in their chosen fields. In addition, with the insight it offers into employment opportunities, CASE ensures students will graduate ready for the job market.
However, CASE may not be a good fit for teachers who want a curriculum they can quickly employ in the classroom. Implementing CASE is a lengthy process, as CASE requires that teachers attend multiple-day training events to ensure they use the curriculum correctly.
The price of CASE will vary depending on the kind of training event a teacher attends. One- to two-day training events will cost districts anywhere from $250-$1000, while 5-10 day events will cost $2500-$3500. After training is completed, teachers gain full access to the curriculum they were taught how to use.
3. AgriScience, Seventh Edition
Author: Jasper Lee
Copyright: Pearson, 2020
AgriScience: Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, 7th Edition is a comprehensive textbook that introduces high school students to the agricultural field. It provides students with fundamental knowledge of essential topics, as well as an overview of employment opportunities in agriculture.
AgriScience is divided into 30 chapters spread across eight parts. Those parts are:
- Meeting Human Needs
- Science in Agriculture
- Plant & Soil Science
- Animal Science
- Natural Resources and Earth Science
- Physical Science and Technology
- Consumers and Products
- Agricultural Education and You
Each chapter within the textbook provides key objectives, terminology, tables, and example photographs so students can more easily draw connections between the material and their working lives.
Optional additions to the textbook include PowerPoint slides and a teacher’s manual to help guide you in lecturing the material to students. You can also acquire the student activity manual, which includes engaging activities designed to reinforce learning from the textbook.
Who Is This Textbook Intended For, and How Much Does It Cost?
AgriScience is a good fit for teachers looking for a reliable, easy-to-implement curriculum for their high school agriculture class. As with many textbooks, AgriScience will provide solid information you can trust to teach students.
However, for teachers looking for a more engaging curriculum, there may be better choices than AgriScience. While textbooks can be comprehensive, they often fall short when it comes to exciting students. Unless you pursue the additional materials offered alongside the textbook, your students may find this option uninteresting.
AgriScience costs $94.99 for a single copy. There are also price variations depending on what other resources you want to buy with each copy.
Need A Standards-Aligned High School Agriculture Curriculum?
In this article, you’ve discovered some of the most in-depth curriculum options for teaching high school agriculture. Depending on your budget and whether you prefer digital resources or a traditional textbook, one of these options could suit your students better than the rest.
However, if you’re looking for a curriculum solution that is comprehensive, engaging, and easy to implement, consider iCEV’s Agricultural Science curriculum!
This comprehensive, standards-aligned curriculum has hundreds of hours of content to help you teach all kinds of agriculture topics. Best of all, with its flexibility and ease of use, you can quickly incorporate iCEV into your classroom and start engaging your students.
