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STATE SUMMARY 2006 |
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CALIFORNIA
State Contact:
Ms. Judy Culbertson
California Foundation for Ag in the Classroom
2300 River Plaza Drive
Sacramento, CA 95833-3293 |
Phone: (916) 561-5625
Fax: (916) 561-5697
E-mail:jculbertson@cfbf.com
Website |
Major projects accomplished this year
- The 2005 California Agriculture in the Classroom Conference anchored itself in Sacramento. Dozens of exhibits and close to 40 workshops and make-n-takes doused nearly 300 educators and volunteers with resources and ideas that could be carried into class right away or developed into long-term projects. Field trips linked educators and producers in agricultural settings from the Sierra foothills to the eastern Bay Area and Delta. Participants heard from numerous educational and agricultural specialists, including CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura, past Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin, author and farmer David Mas Masumoto, and journalist Richard Louv.
- Imagine this... Writing Contest incorporates state mandated Content Standards into a writing contest that rewards third through eighth graders for creatively expressing themselves using agriculture as a writing topic. Imagine this... doesn't come to an end with winning essays. High school students honed their skills by transforming the stories into animated vignettes. Using equipment comparable to that found in professional studios, they learn to take a production from storyboard concept to 30-minute animated video.
- What's Growin' On? - California's Colorful Bounty featured a healthy dose of agricultural information in a 16-page newspaper supplement inserted in the Riverside Press Enterprise, The Fresno Bee, and The Hanford Sentinel. The articles, written for a fourth through eighth grade audience, introduced concepts that could be used as fodder for extended classroom discussion. Supplemental activities aligned with state standards encouraged students to utilize critical thinking and research skills. A corresponding Teacher's Guide helped educators make the most of the piece by providing additional information, and a component of kids.cfaitc.org encourages online learning.
Major impacts the program had this year
- 84% of respondents learned at least one new skill during the 2005 CFAITC conference that they can use in class.
- More than 9,000 stories were penned in classrooms and home schools statewide. When the last one was read, six—from each grade level— were selected as the cream of the crop.
- Total distribution of the What's Growin' On? newspaper supplement reached the neighborhood of 500,000 after delivery was extended to schools enrolled in the NIE program, to additional schools requesting classroom sets, to county farm bureaus and fairs, and to the California State Fair program.
- Ag literacy supporters have latched onto the Internet! A monthly tally indicates an average of 8,600 visitors to CFAITC's Web site at www.cfaitc.org.
- More than 50,000 educators and volunteers kept abreast of ag literacy events, resources, and happenings by receiving our bi-annual six-page newsletter, Cream of the Crop, and/or the monthly e-newsletter, Current News.
- Ag in the Classroom Ambassadors—nearly 9,000 at the end of 2005 —act as a link in the AITC chain. They connect with other educators to convey the importance of agricultural literacy. When mapped out, Ambassadors are located at more than 40 percent of California's schools.
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