Introduction to Agriculture
Agriculture and the Economy
Environment
Plant Growth
Plant Agriculture
Horticulture
Animal Agriculture
Beneficial Insects
Pests and Their Control
Land Use
Fiber
Technology and Machinery
Appendix

The Resource and Activity Guides were developed keeping five agricultural concepts in mind. The five agricultural concepts included are:

History of Idaho Agriculture
Production of Food and Fiber
Economics of Idaho Agriculture
Conservation of Agricultural Resources
Careers in Agriculture

A Caveat: Since many factors impact agriculture, statistics regarding production will change from year to year, depending on weather and markets. Even though the numbers will change somewhat, trends can be seen. Statistics are included in the Resource Guide to present a picture of the size of production of plant or animal products. Teachers can obtain current figures from the government agencies and commodity commissions and associations, which are listed in each unit of the Resource Guide.

Activity Guides: The order of the Activity Guides is arranged to follow the Table of Contents in the Resource Guide. All but the Activity Guide for grades 9-12 indicate to the teacher the core curriculum area the activity best fits: language arts, science, social studies, mathematics, and health and nutrition. The 9-12 Activity Guide is an issues-oriented guide to help develop critical thinking skills and prepare students for their adult lives. Activities teach research skills and how to look at both sides of a particular question or issue.

The groups of teachers writing the Activity Guides attempted to include activities for each unit found in the Resource Guide. This did not occur all the time, so you may find a unit, which will not have an activity, developed for that specific unit. This is especially true for the 9-12 Activity Guide.

Grades PreK-2 Activity Guide: Each lesson in the Activity Guide for grades PreK-2 is developed in a similar manner. The sections (or tabs) in the Activity Guide correspond with those used in the Resource Guide. Each page introducing a new lesson gives the corresponding Resource Guide Section (for example, PLANT AGRICULTURE, Cereal Grains). The page numbering system used in the Activity Guide corresponds to the same numbering system used in the Resource Guide, i.e., the section PLANT AGRICULTURE begins with page 501 in both the Activity Guide and the Resource Guide. Likewise, LAND USE, Land Use Planning, begins with page number 1201 in both Guides. You can easily refer to background information in the Resource Guide to support the lessons you have selected from the Activity Guide by referring to sections and page numbers. Lessons are numbered sequentially within each section or tab.

Objectives, and activities, including descriptions and materials needed, are listed on the introductory page of each lesson. Many of the activities have worksheets, which we encourage you to duplicate and hand out to students. Many of the activities can be, used in more than one area of the curriculum.

While consistency was a goal of the development and editing teams, the material did not always lend itself to the achievement of that goal. Not all subjects are represented. There are gaps, and spaces for future additions. You are urged to browse through the Guide to familiarize yourself with its layout. By using the Resource Guide and the Activity Guide together, as complements to each other, your lesson preparation will be enhanced.