Board Declares “Chinook Agriculture Literacy Month”

In recognition of Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM), the Board of Education has declared Agriculture Literacy Month in Chinook School Division for the month of March. As a school division in rural southwest Saskatchewan, the Chinook board is supporting this important and engaging experiential opportunity, encouraging students from K to 12 to learn about and celebrate Canada’s incredible agriculture and food story. 

Many classrooms throughout Chinook schools will be participating in Agriculture Literacy Month with various CALM activities, events and resources provided by Agriculture in the Classroom Sask (AITC-SK) and Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C). By connecting classrooms with farmers and people with a passion for agriculture and food, CALM 2023 allows students and teachers to learn firsthand about the agriculture sector through the incredible stories shared by volunteers visiting with them. 

Students will have opportunities to meet someone working in agriculture and to learn how food is grown in a sustainable way in our province. Volunteers may visit classrooms (in-person or virtually) to share their story and inspire students to get excited about agriculture and food. Through a variety of fun, hands-on activities, students in grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 will be able to explore Land Stewardship.

Chinook high school students can explore careers in agriculture and resources provided by ThinkAG when considering their future career. Agriculture is connected to careers in history, art, business, entrepreneurship, business, math, farming, medicine, service and sales, tourism, science, technology and more. Resources are available for use in grades 9-12 to highlight careers in the Agriculture Industry and across various industries organized into 5 categories: Getting Started in High School; Examining My Community; Agriculture - Across Industries; Safety Education; and Funding My Education.

Local Author and a teacher at Cabri School, Kendall Wicks, has also published a book called A Harvest Story in collaboration with Agriculture in the Classroom. AITC-SK has offered the book to each school in Saskatchewan free of charge. Available in school libraries throughout Chinook School Division, A Harvest Story is for children ages 4-8 and highlights the experience of harvest on the prairies.​  

BACKGROUND

Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) is a charitable organization, operating across the country to deliver accurate, balanced, and current resources showcasing the agriculture and food industry. Their ten provincial member organizations are committed to a cross-Canadian effort to reach educators and students in every classroom in the country. This effort aims to provide programs and resources that bridge the knowledge gap about Canadian agriculture, create curiosity about agri-food careers, and help produce the next generation of informed consumers.

Since 1994, Agriculture in the Classroom Sask Inc. (AITC-SK) has played a pivotal role in educating youth about agriculture through hands-on activities, engaging programs and inquiry-based educational resources. AITC-SK partners with the agriculture and education communities to connect kids and agriculture through innovative, experiential, curriculum-based programs and resources.

Through the creation of thinkAG, AITC-C has devoted an entire initiative to helping students learn about the diverse and exciting career opportunities in the agriculture and food industry. Thinking outside of the box, they bring students into a world of agriculture education that inspires curiosity in the many career opportunities throughout our food system. By inspiring students to thinkAG and picture themselves working in agriculture and food, they’re helping to close the industry's labour gap and building the next generation of informed consumers, influential thought leaders, and skilled Canadians.