Earn 18 OPI renewal credits at Teacher Camp

Save the dates for the first Montana Farmers Union “Ag for Classroom Teachers Camp” at Arrowpeak from Aug. 5-7.  The free camp will start at 3 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 5, and end at noon on Aug. 7. Lodging, Montana-sourced meals including a to-go lunch on Aug. 7, materials, sessions, and a take-home box of classroom equipment for each participant are included.

Through hands-on learning experiences ranging from craft projects to extracting DNA from strawberries, Ag for Classroom Teachers Camp participants will learn the teaching methods and technical skills – as well as gain the materials, resources, and professional network – needed to incorporate agriculture lessons in their classrooms.

Participants will earn 18 OPI renewal credits during the intensive camp. Teachers also will receive all the lessons, materials, handouts, presentations, and equipment, such as magnifying glasses and test tubes, needed to conduct the activities in their class. They will go through each activity as a student and discuss the pedagogy to feel prepared and ready to teach it in their own classrooms.

Ag for Classroom Teachers Camp will investigate the incorporation of hands-on, real life agriculture activities into existing classroom curriculum. If you want to make your students more engaged and help them make connections between the real world and the concepts you are teaching, this camp is for you. MFU will provide connections to science, math, engineering, technology, geography, writing, social/emotional learning, and more, while using plants, animals, natural resources, farming, ranching, and outdoor recreation to provide labs and activities. Participants also will be provided with access to state and national curriculum materials that connect with a community of teachers.

The Camp sessions for teachers are led by trained facilitators, Montana Farmers Union education staff, and guests, who make sure each teacher is ready to teach the provided curriculum when they return to their classrooms. These sessions also give teachers a chance to practice teaching with peers and build a supportive professional community. 

Learn more by contacting Education Director Jodi Koterba at jkoterba@montanafarmersunion.com.