11th Grade Sustainable Agriculture Lesson Plan (Agriculture)

Topic: The Effects of Sustainable Agriculture on Climate Change

Objectives & Outcomes:

• Students will be able to explain how sustainable agriculture can combat climate change, and describe some specific examples of sustainable agriculture practices that mitigate climate change.

Materials

• Handout with information on sustainable agriculture and climate change
• Examples of sustainable agriculture practices (e.g. organic farming, vertical farming, permaculture)

Warm-up

• Ask students if they are familiar with the term sustainable agriculture.
• Ask students what they know about sustainable agriculture and how it can impact climate change.
• Write their answers on the board.

Direct Instruction

• Explain that sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming in a way that is ecologically and economically sustainable over the long term.
• Explain that there are four key principles of sustainable agriculture:
• 1) protecting and enhancing soil health,
• 2) ensuring sufficient water for crops,
• 3) minimizing the use of pesticides and other chemical inputs, and
• 4) enhancing biodiversity.
• Explain that these principles can help mitigate the effects of climate change by improving soil health, reducing water use and greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing biodiversity, which can help stabilize the climate.
• Provide examples of how farmers can implement these principles on their farms, such as through the use of cover crops, composting, and no-till farming.

Guided Practice

• Have students work in small groups to research a specific farm or farmer that utilizes sustainable agriculture techniques.
• Have each group present their farmer or farm to the class and discuss how they are implementing the four key principles of sustainable agriculture.
• Encourage students to ask questions and discuss how the farmer's practices have helped or could help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Independent Practice:

• Have students create a poster or presentation that explains how sustainable agriculture can combat climate change.
• Encourage students to use the information they learned during the lesson as well as their research from the guided practice activity.

Closure

• Have students share their posters or presentations with the class.
• Ask students to summarize what they learned about how sustainable agriculture can combat climate change.

Assessment

• Observe students during the class discussion and presentation to assess their understanding of the topic.
• Evaluate the posters or presentations for their quality and completeness.