Resources for Teachers

The National Ag Science Center can provide you and your students with an unforgettable look into the amazing world of agriculture through our fun, educational, inexpensive science training and tools for teachers!  The strawberry DNA Extraction Lab Kit and summer teacher seminar, TASTES (Teacher Agricultural Science Technology Education Seminars), are resources available to teachers now with many more opportunities in the Petri dish!

Click Here for a list of Kits provided free of charge to teachers! Request them now!

Click Here for other resourceful links!

Take Part in the Young Naturalist Awards 2010 - An inquiry-based research competition for students in grades 7-12 

Strawberry DNA Extraction Lab Kit

In 2008 the strawberry DNA Extraction Lab Kit was launched into K-12 classrooms throughout Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.  This self-contained kit allows students to perform a lab procedure extracting DNA from strawberries in order to see this much talked about substance.  In addition, students are able to extract their own DNA from cheek cells and then compare the two.  Teachers may check out the DNA Extraction Lab Kit at no cost to them by contacting contact Dave Menshew from Enochs High School at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Get a copy of the DNA Kit Flyer here!

Check out the Strawberry DNA Extraction Lab in action here!

TASTES

With assistance of our great team of educators we are once again hosting our summer teacher seminar, TASTES in June, exact dates to be determined at a later date.  We continue making links for teachers between science, agriculture and careers while meeting state standards.  The 2010 three-day seminar explored the CSI Soil, the Science of Gardens and featured a new day dedicated to Agriculture teachers.  Each day during the seminar teachers received an introduction to the topic, took field trips to agricultural operations to explore practical applications of each topic and recieved hands-on lesson ideas to take back to their classrooms.  Not only does TASTES provide ample resources, but participating teachers may also receive college units for a small fee.  Interested in attending email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for additional details for TASTES 2011. 

Click here to check out our 2010 TASTES Flyer!

Germination Station

How can a CD case and a seed help you teach your students about photosynthesis, geometry and scientific observation?  The National Ag Science Center's Germination Station lesson and student worksheet brings the greenhouse to the classroom.  Students will explore seeds and plant growth using re-usable materials and make predictions about the germination rate of their individual seeds.

Click here for the lesson plan and student worksheet!