May 22, 2003

 

Project Food, Land & People Workshops to be Offered for Educators

Project Food, Land & People workshops will be offered across the state this summer for K-12 educators. This resource provides lessons that encourage critical thinking and problem-solving skills along with hands-on activities.

Jill Vigesaa, North Dakota FLP chair, says the workshops are fun with interactive activities that teach the complexity and interdependency of food, land and people.

"The lessons are easy to implement into your existing curriculum and address current issues such as appreciation for cultural diversity, food safety, health and hunger, plants and natural resource stewardship," Vigesaa said.

The lessons were created and written by educators for educators. Participants will receive the resource notebook, plus North Dakota-specific materials and information about available resources. Topics for the lessons include agriculture, conservation, diet, environment, food, global connections, plants and many more.

A 600-level credit through North Dakota State University is also offered. The cost is $35 for non-credit and $80 for credit. The first five registrants will receive a stipend payable upon completion of the workshop. Participants must register with the appropriate teacher learning center at least one week before the workshop, and at least 10 teachers are needed for the workshop.

The two-day workshops will be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day in the following locations:

• June 3-4, Mayville
• June 9-10, Williston
• June 11-12, Devils Lake
• June 23-24, Fargo
• June 25-26, Bismarck
• July 8-9, Minot
• July 10-11, Grand Forks
• August 12-13, Wahpeton

Ginger Deitz is among the three instructors who will lead the workshops. Deitz, who has taught for 31 years, was concerned that her students knew nothing about agriculture, North Dakota’s number one industry, so she started an Agriculture in the Hallway program at Madison School in Fargo. Deitz was North Dakota Teacher of the Year for 2001.

"The Food, Land & People workshops offer many topics and subjects for educators to experience and take back to the classroom. They help meet the needs of diverse learners at different levels of readiness, while honoring state and local standards," Deitz says.

These workshops are sponsored by the North Dakota Agriculture in the Classroom Council. For more information, contact LeAnn Harner at (701) 663-8442 or aitc@starband.net.

###

Source: LeAnn Harner, (701) 663-8442, aitc@starband.net
Writer: Stephanie Renner, (701) 231-8371, stephanie.renner@ndsu.nodak.edu
Editor: Becky Koch, (701) 231-7875, bkoch@ndsuext.nodak.edu