Chemistry Teacher Links Lab Skills to Agriculture

Chris Anne Slye brings 25 years of chemistry expertise to her 6th-grade science classroom at University School, showing how science teachers can connect core concepts to agriculture.

“My passion and my background has been in chemistry,” Slye shared. Through Feed the World’s professional learning workshops and curriculum resources, she’s putting that strong foundation to work. “The study of plants can now, with my knowledge, be expanded upon. We learn how corn is used in society, all of its applications from feeding farm animals to feeding people, as well as using it for fuels.”

For science teachers looking to make real-world connections, agriculture offers endless opportunities. Slye sees this as key to showing students modern scientific careers. “The materials we receive can influence the students’ career choices by allowing them to see that farmers aren’t just out in the field with overalls,” she noted. “They are scientists.”

“Teachers walk away from these workshops with an awful lot of equipment, with an awful lot of knowledge,” Slye emphasized. “It equips us to help students understand what they eat doesn’t necessarily just come from the grocery store. What they eat has an origin way before that.”

Teachers ready to level up their chemistry, biology, and physics classrooms can access free teacher-developed materials through Feed the World, joining educators like Slye in bringing real-world science to their students.