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‘Discover Dairy Lessons’ could use your help

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Pennsylvania-based educators teaching grades 3 through 8 could earn one of four $100 mini-grants available for completing an evaluation of the “Discover Dairy Lesson Series,” a comprehensive web-based educational tool that uses Pennsylvania educational standards to teach students how dairy farms contribute to their world.

Dairy farm families with connections in local school districts are encouraged to visit with teachers and curriculum advisors to encourage them to take advantage of the mini-grant opportunity. “The lessons are interactive, engaging and fun, and they help students get a first-hand view of Pennsylvania’s dairy farms,” said Jayne Sebright, communications director of the Center for Dairy Excellence and coordinator of Discover Dairy.

Anyone interested in helping to promote the contest in their local school district should contact Sebright at 717-346-0849 or jsebright@centerfordairyexcellence.org for more information.

Discover Dairy was developed by the Center for Dairy Excellence in 2008 and introduced as a joint initiative of the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and Center for Dairy Excellence. The program is funded through the Dairy Checkoff program and offered at no cost to educators. It includes lessons for upper elementary and middle school classrooms that incorporate math, science and reading concepts to show how dairy farmers care for their cows, the milk they produce, the environment and the community.

“Discover Dairy has been a wonderful tool to educate students about where their food comes from,” said Sebright. “The program has been developed with teacher input and feedback, and we are excited to have additional teachers evaluate the lessons so we can make sure they continue to be relevant in the classroom.”

This is the second time the Discover Dairy Mini-Grant opportunity was made available to teachers in Pennsylvania. “Those who participated in the evaluation process in the spring provided excellent feedback regarding the dairy nutrition lesson, and as a result, we are incorporating messages from the new USDA’s new ‘MyPlate’ nutritional platform into the lessons.”

To be eligible to win one of the mini-grants, the teachers must use at least two of the Discover Dairy lessons in their classroom and complete an online evaluation of the lessons by December 31. All materials for the lessons, including a video motivator, lesson plan, guided reading tool, classroom activity or lab-based instruction, and an assessment tool, are available to download online at www.discoverdairy.com. Mini-grants will be awarded in the spring of the 2012-2013 academic year and can be used to purchase classroom supplies.

In addition to the Discover Dairy Lesson Series, other resources are available at www.discoverdairy.com to educate students about the dairy farm. Any dairy farm family planning a farm tour can access a Discover Dairy Farmer Toolkit, Pre-tour Planning Guide and other resources to use in building a plan for educating the students while at the farm. To access the online materials or to request a Discover Dairy Farmer Toolkit, go to www.discoverdairy.com and click on “Farmer.”

For more information about the Discover Dairy Lesson Series and other resources, visit www.discoverdairy.com or contact Jayne Sebright at the Center for Dairy Excellence at 717-346-0849 or jsebright@centerfordairyexcellence.org. To find out more information about the mini-grant opportunity, click on “Discover Dairy Mini-Grant Opportunity” on the bottom right of the Discover Dairy home page.



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