Middle School

Hand holding a sprouting plant icon in black outline

Ag Impact

Black outline icon of a desktop monitor showing text lines and a small image layout.

Lessons

Simple black line icon of 3 pieces of paper

Programming

Green infographic showing corn farming stats, yields, and farm icons with corn plants at the bottom.

Middle School

Learn about corn's impact across IL:

Infographic on ethanol industry impact in Illinois with fuel pump, car, and key economic stats.
Field corn and sweet corn infographic with corn cobs, acre planted, bushels produced, and crop value stats
Illinois corn infographic with crop stats, farm ownership, land use, and production rankings

Middle School Lessons

Cornfield at sunset with the title “The Golden Crop” and IL Corn logo

The Golden Crop

This lesson focuses on understanding agricultural markets, including how crops are priced, traded, and influenced by supply and demand. Students explore the economic factors that affect farmers and food systems.

Corn, a multipurpose crop, over a cornfield with the IL Corn logo

Corn: A Multipurpose Crop

This lesson explores how corn powers our world across fuel, food, and fiber, using real production data from the U.S. and Illinois to bring the numbers to life for students.

Science project cover on corn with diagrams and a green poster titled “The Mystery of Corn”

History & Mystery of Corn

This lesson explores how corn developed into the crop it is today. It discusses genetic traits & variances, corn's importance across the ages, careers in biotechnology, and GMOs.

Baby reaching for corn plastic (PLA) containers on table with food

Corn Plastic Lab

This lesson investigates how corn starch can be transformed into a simple bioplastic while comparing the properties, uses, and environmental impacts of corn-based plastics and traditional petroleum-based plastics.

Nourish the Future is a national education initiative created by science teachers for science teachers that bridges modern agricultural practices with K‑12 science education. Its primary aim is to cultivate a nationwide network of educators who use sound, science-based resources to spark critical thinking and to connect students with real-world agricultural science. Below is a comprehensive summary highlighting key aspects of the website that are particularly useful for agricultural education in middle and high school classrooms, or for farmers looking to educate non-farmers:


Curriculum and Educational Resources

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NGSS-Aligned Curriculum:
The website provides free, hands-on curriculum resources that are designed to meet the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

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Topics Include:

Animal science, biofuels and bioproducts, biotechnology and food security, and soil, water, and sustainability.

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Practical, Real-World Connections:

The curriculum is designed to translate complex scientific concepts into real-world applications. This makes abstract STEM topics accessible and relevant by showing students, for instance, how agriculture informs environmental stewardship and sustainable practices.