Agricultural Literacy Week - March 18 - 22, 2024
The Cornell University New York Agriculture in the Classroom Program and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County invite you to participate in our annual Agricultural Literacy Week to be held in 2024! Last year, 2300 books were donated to school or classroom libraries and books were read by volunteers to thousands of second graders throughout New York State. This program is suggested for elementary schools.
The selected book for 2024 is I LOVE Strawberries written by Shannon Anderson and illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett
Jolie LOVES strawberries - and she’s on an unstoppable (and hilarious) mission to grow her own food from seedling to table in this colorful introduction to the joy of growing the popular perennial.
Through Jolie's comical scrapbook-style journal entries, young readers will learn how she convinces the "old people" (aka her parents) to let her grow her own strawberries. Growing strawberries is a lot of work and responsibility, but Jolie is ready with the help of her faithful rabbit Munchy! Together they find out just how delicious, rewarding, and sometimes complicated it can be to grow your own food.
Creating a garden calendar and notebook, how strawberries grow, what pests to look out for in a garden, why ladybugs are helpful, and how a good gardener takes care of strawberry plants are all explained in this fun and educational story.
Start to finish the program takes approximately 40 minutes per classroom.
All activity materials are prepared by NYAITC and schools get to keep a copy of the book for their school or classroom library.
Dates and Time:
Please sign up for the day your school is interested in. You may choose more than one day you are available. If you can not select the day you are interested in, it is because that day has already been filled.
Prior to your scheduled day you will receive a confirmation email with more details.
If at anytime you have questions, or need accommodations for persons with a disability, please contact Ricardo at 516-832-2591 ext. 106 or email nassaucounty4h@cornell.edu
To register for this event, please click the Register button below.
History of New York Agriculture in the Classroom
Established in 1985, New York Agriculture in the Classroom (NYAITC) is a partnership of Cornell University, the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, the NYS Education Department, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the New York Farm Bureau.
Mission
Our mission is to foster awareness, understanding, and appreciation of how we produce food and fiber, what we eat, and how we live, by helping educators, students, and their communities learn about and engage with agriculture and food systems.
We work with pre-K through high school teachers, pre-service teachers, Cornell Cooperative Extension and other community educators, farmers and producers, volunteers, parents, and community partners to increase agricultural literacy in New York State.
What is Agricultural Literacy?
Less than 2% of our population actually produces food on farms, while nearly 20% of our nation's workforce is in some way, shape, or form involved in the processing, marketing, distribution, and sales of food and fiber products. We all rely on agriculture every day--from food we eat, fibers our clothes are made of, and other materials we use each day to agriculture's relationship with our environment, economy, and society. And yet, little is taught in most schools about agriculture and food and fiber systems. NYAITC aims to increase agricultural literacy while supporting opportunities for hands-on teaching and learning, meeting state standards, enhancing student achievement, and connecting with community.
What is New York Agriculture in the Classroom?
NYAITC envisions a day when educators, students, and communities in New York:
- Recognize the connection between agricultural production and the daily consumption of food and fiber products
- Appreciate the economic, social, historical, and scientific significance of agriculture in our local and global society
- Understand the complexity of today's agriculture and food systems
- Explore the many career opportunities in all areas of agriculture and food systems
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