Ag In The Classroom Set For March 15
Florida Agriculture in the Classroom Inc. and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have scheduled Thursday, March 15, as the fourth annual Florida Agriculture Literacy Day.
Volunteers are asked to set up their classroom visits early in 2007 as a state law requiring additional screening of school visitors may cause delays. Volunteers who have questions about school districts’ requirements for classroom visits should contact the schools they will visit. Volunteers aren’t required to read on March 15, but they are encouraged to complete their Ag Literacy Day readings by the end of the school year.
Farmers, ranchers, members of local FFA chapters, University of Florida/IFAS extension and 4-H agents and agriculture industry representatives are being asked to visit elementary school classrooms around the state in honor of Florida Agriculture Literacy Day to read a designated children’s book about agriculture and talk about the importance of the industry to Florida. Florida Ag in the Classroom’s Educator Advisory Panel chose “Oh Say Can You Seed?” by Bonnie Worth as this year’s Agriculture Literacy Day book, which is a story about flowering plants. National Agriculture Week is March 18-24, 2007.
Volunteers interested in reading to classes are asked to fill out an Agriculture Literacy Day form, which is available on Florida Ag in the Classroom’s web site, www.agtag.org. Florida Ag in the Classroom will provide a book, a lesson related to the book and a classroom set of Florida Ag in the Classroom bookmarks to volunteers after it receives a completed form.
Florida Ag in the Classroom is a Gainesville-based, non-profit association funded by sales of the agriculture specialty license plate known as the Ag Tag. Its mission is to educate teachers and students about the importance of Florida agriculture by providing them with curricula, materials, grant money and other programs to help them incorporate agricultural concepts in their math, science, social studies and language arts classes in kindergarten through 12th grade.
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