STEM It Up 2

SIU2 Curriculum Description:

In November 2023, 16 agriscience teachers from across the nation were accepted to participate in a three-year program funded by a USDA NIFA Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy (PDAL) Project titled “Immersive Professional Development Experiences for Agriscience Teachers to Explore the Floriculture Industry: STEM it Up Squared (SIU2).”  The SIU2 participants learned from experienced teacher educators and scientists in the field of plant and environmental science. They interacted with industry experts while exploring all aspects of the floral distribution channel. The program combined virtual and hands-on research with experiential learning opportunities, enabling participants to transfer STEM knowledge and skills from their learning experiences to their students. The overarching goal of the SIU2 program is to address the need to prepare a broadened STEM workforce for the floriculture/green industry by providing curricular materials for agriscience teachers to “STEM it Up”! The SIU2 curriculum helps develop literacy in subject matter by highlighting industry techniques and core scientific ideas through inquiry-based instruction and research-based practices, aligning with industry recommendations and best practices. The project's impacts will expand awareness and literacy about the floriculture industry, resulting in authentic learning experiences for teachers and students that increase their understanding of and interest in STEM careers in related fields of plant science.  

Learning Objectives:

The purpose of the curriculum is to:

• Explain how cut flowers and foliage plants travel from your farm to your table through the Floral Distribution Channel. 

Course Topics:

The curriculum consists of five modules. Modules one through four include content that was illuminated by participants from their professional development experiences. We directly aligned lessons with the experiences each participant chose to highlight along the floral distribution channel. Our curriculum development team (Rustie Robison, Catherine DiBenedetto, and Natalie Ferand) re-envisioned the participants’ inspirations into each lesson plan, instructional activity, and laboratory investigation. Module five consists of a series of laboratory investigations that have been developed from several years of STEM it Up programs supported by the American Floral Endowment.  

Module Titles:

Course Requirements:

The curriculum is designed to be standalone and flexible. It can be taught in order of modules one through five, or as individual modules or individual lessons from a variety of modules. While the complete curriculum flows from one topic to another, the modules and lessons are independent of one another and are designed to complement or extend plant science lessons you are already teaching in your agriscience, horticulture, floriculture or other plant science courses and career pathways. We recommend reviewing each module and lesson for topics from the curriculum map first, to determine what will work best to support the learning targets for your program and students. We encourage teachers to adapt the lessons, assessments, and activities to fit their students’ needs and align with the plant science courses they teach. 

Technical Requirements:

To participate fully in this course, you will need:

• An active email address for the individual participating in the course.
• A desktop computer or laptop (recommended): Canvas is available on mobile devices, but some content may appear differently.
• Access to a high-speed internet connection.
• A web browser compatible with Canvas: Chrome and Firefox are recommended.
• Headphones or speakers (closed captioning also available).
• Computer skills including Internet browsing, using email, typing, downloading files, and basic troubleshooting.

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