New lesson plans are geared to assist teachers with educating high school students in Iowa about water quality and nutrient management. The Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation (IALF) recently developed the 16 lesson plans to be used in agriculture, environmental science and general science classes. After an introduction on the issues Iowans are facing with water quality, soil erosion and nutrient runoff, students are then taught about the science of soil structure, the nitrogen and water cycles and soil conservation. Some of the solutions-oriented approaches presented in the classrooms are no-till farming, cover crops, terracing, tiling, bioreactors, buffer strips and riparian areas. Also through extension activities, students will develop and design some of their own solutions to addressing water quality issues across the Midwest. The free lessons are aligned with the Iowa Core Science Standards and the National Agriculture Literacy outcomes and are available through the IALF website, the link for which is included below.
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