Soybeans are full of promise for South Dakota’s crops and its agricultural education system. With the help of the South Dakota Soybean Checkoff, educators around the state implemented a new agriculture curriculum in July.
This innovative curriculum places soybeans at the forefront of learning. Covering ten topics that span various agricultural pathways, it integrates state standards while providing a fresh perspective on this versatile crop. Lessons range from exploring soybean composition and diseases to examining soy’s applications in aquaculture, food processing, and biofuels production. Each lesson promises engaging, hands-on experiences that will resonate with students statewide.
Educators will find a comprehensive toolkit within the curriculum, including detailed guides for teachers, reading materials for students, instructional aids, worksheets, supplementary resources, and engaging projects. These resources are designed to enrich the classroom experience, offering diverse formats so educators can adapt the topics to their unique classrooms and learners.
The project also includes funding for lab kits, equipping teachers with essential materials to implement the ten topics into their agriculture classrooms. Each kit contains a copy of the curriculum and materials for five hands-on labs for up to twenty students.
These labs include a soybean growing lab, investigating soybean meal in rations, materials to make biodiesel, soy candles, and tofu.
As this soybean curriculum is introduced to educators this summer and implemented in classrooms across South Dakota this fall, it represents more than just an educational resource. It signifies a commitment to agricultural education in South Dakota and to the students who are the next generation of soybean producers, consumers, and advocates.
By Scout Nelson
