If you’re looking for a middle school agriculture curriculum, you know how challenging finding the right one can be. After all, you’ll be using this curriculum to teach your students foundational agriculture knowledge to take into high school and beyond---so you’ve got a lot of pressure to choose the best you can find.
As an agricultural curriculum developer, teachers often ask us how iCEV compares to Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE). While both iCEV and CASE provide strong teaching materials, one might work better for your class, depending on your needs.
So what are the differences between these two curriculum options? What topics do each cover, and which would be the right fit for your kids?
In this article, you’ll discover answers to the most common questions teachers ask when comparing iCEV and CASE’s middle school agriculture curriculum, including:
- What agricultural science topics does each cover?
- What is the instructional format of each?
- Who is the intended audience of each?
By the end of this article, you should understand both of these options better, so you can make the right choice for your class.
1. What Agricultural Science Topics Does Each Cover?
When choosing a curriculum for your middle school ag course, an important factor to consider is what topics it covers.
In this section, you’ll learn what topics you can teach with iCEV and CASE.
Agricultural Science Topics You Can Teach with iCEV
iCEV’s middle school ag course is called Agricultural Exploration, and is designed to introduce students to the basics of agricultural science.
There are 36 lessons available in iCEV’s middle school agriculture curriculum, some of which include:
- The World of Agriculture
- Basic Animal Science
- Hot Topics - Drought Effects & Issues
- Exploring Careers: Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources
- Cows & Climate: Introduction
- Hot Topics - GMO Labeling
- Large Wood Power Tools - I: Safety, Operation & ID
- Large Metal Power Tools: Safety & Operation
All in all, these lessons are sufficient enough to provide a year’s worth of material for your middle school agriculture class.
Agricultural Science Topics You Can Teach with CASE
CASE offers a single course for teaching middle school ag, called AgXplore. This course explores the impact of agriculture and introduces students to the resources and technologies used in the agricultural field.
There are eight lessons included in the AgXplore curriculum:
- Ag in the Past
- Plants We Grow
- Resources We Use
- Resources We Recycle
- Energy We Consume
- Animals We Care For
- Food We Eat
- Ag in My Future
Altogether, AgXplore provides enough material to teach a semester-long middle school course.
2. What Is the Instructional Format of Each Curriculum?
Another essential point to consider when deciding upon a curriculum is its instructional format. After all, each curriculum was created with a specific structure, and you’ll want to choose the one that supports how you run your class.
In this section, you’ll learn about the instructional formats of iCEV and CASE.
Instructional Format of iCEV’s Middle School Course
iCEV’s Agricultural Exploration course consists of a strong, but flexible structure, with lesson plans, activities, vocabulary handouts, projects, and video lessons.
Each of these components is meant to be used in a particular way:
- The lesson plan is provided for the instructor as a step-by-step guide on what they should do each day in class.
- The activity sheets and class projects help students think through the material by completing assignments.
- The vocab handouts help with retention of the primary subject matter.
- The digital lessons are divided into video-based lessons and presentation-based lessons, and are intended to be shown at the front of the class for students to watch and take notes on.
- The video-based lessons include slideshows, interviews with subject matter experts, example scenarios, and skill demonstrations.
- The presentation-based lessons include PowerPoint slides and other such blocks of information students can reference for information.
Overall, this course is perfect for giving students an organized, teacher-led introduction to the agricultural sciences, in preparation for more advanced courses.
To get a firsthand look at the kind of materials this course provides, check out this page: Agricultural Exploration
Instructional Format of CASE’s Middle School Course
CASE’s AgXplore course gives students foundational knowledge of the agricultural field, and helps them hone this knowledge via activities, projects, and other assignments.
Some of the materials and instructional methods included in AgXplore are:
- Foundational instruction to introduce students to the basics of agriculture and prepare them for more specialized courses down the road.
- Activities and projects where students explore various aspects of the agricultural process, from industry to consumer.
- Personalized assessments like lab work and games to gauge student knowledge on the topics at hand.
Overall, CASE provides a well-organized, activity-focused curriculum that will teach your middle schoolers the basics of agriculture, lab work, and more.
3. Who Is the Intended Audience of Each Agriculture Curriculum?
When deciding on a curriculum for your middle schoolers, it’s critical to consider the teaching style that your options are optimized for. After all, you want the curriculum that best meshes with where you are in your teaching journey.
In this section, you’ll discover the intended audiences of iCEV and CASE’s middle school courses.
Intended Audience of iCEV’s Middle School Course
iCEV is a good fit for teachers in need of a structured, yet flexible agriculture curriculum. It gives teachers a chance to practice leading classroom discussion, while providing material to fall back on if they need to.
In particular, teachers looking for enough material to cover a year-long course will find what they need with iCEV, as its 36 lessons offer an in-depth, well-rounded agricultural education.
Altogether, if you’re looking for a comprehensive middle school agriculture curriculum to introduce your students to the agricultural field, then iCEV may be right for you.
Intended Audience of CASE’s Middle School Course
CASE is a good fit for instructors looking for an introductory middle school agriculture curriculum to give students hands-on experience. In particular, teachers looking for a semester-long course will likely find this option suits their needs.
However, this curriculum may not be a good fit for teachers who want more flexible materials, or ones that they can deploy quickly in class. Implementing CASE is a lengthy process, as CASE requires that teachers attend multiple-day training events to ensure they use the curriculum correctly.
All in all, if you’re a newer teacher looking for a highly-structured agriculture curriculum that you will be trained to use, then CASE might be the better choice for you.
Which Middle School Agriculture Curriculum Is Right for You?
In this article, you’ve discovered some key differences between the iCEV and CASE middle school agriculture courses.
In short, CASE is a strong choice for newer teachers who want a structured, semester-long curriculum for students. With the required training that every CASE teacher undergoes, you’ll enter class confident in your ability to teach your kids what they need.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a more easily-implemented, flexible curriculum for a year-long course, then iCEV might be the better option for you. iCEV requires little training to use, and with the wide variety of materials it offers, you’ll be able to adapt it to suit your teaching style.
Think iCEV is the right choice for your agriculture course? Then click below for a free trial to gain access to hundreds of hours of engaging, easy-to-use materials:
