Jessica Ronning, agriculture educator at Sanborn Central/Woonsocket recently attended an eight-day professional development institute at New Sweden Dairy Farm and South Central College in Mankato to teach the Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) course.

CASE is an instructional system that is changing the culture of agriculture programs in the United States through intense teacher professional development; inquiry-based, student-focused lessons; assessment; and certification.  CASE equips teachers to elevate student experiences in the agriculture classroom, and prepares students for success in college and careers emphasizing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

During the CASE Institute, Ronning spent 65 hours working through nearly every lesson in the year-long curriculum and learning how to deliver lessons in an inquiry-based way that will shift focus in the classroom from teacher-led to student-directed learning.  

For more information about CASE, visit www.case4learning.org

Teachers from both Sanborn Central and Woonsocket attended an outstanding four day literacy institute with renowned speaker Jill Eggleton. The four-day institute was held July 11-14 on the campus of the University of Sioux Falls. Jennifer Larson (first grade) and Jenna Miller (third grade) of Sanborn Central and Kylie Pauly (Kindergarten), Sarah Jensen (first grade), and Kacee Kopfmann (second grade) of Woonsocket all attended.

During the institute, Jill Eggleton, author, teacher, and international literacy consultant from New Zealand, shared her passion and knowledge for literacy. The teachers participated in interactive sessions about oral language, reading, writing, and more. Throughout the session, Eggleton reminded teachers to focus on what really matters: focusing on students regardless of their background and utilizing engaging resources.

…See pictures in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal.