Washington wheat in a week

Wheat Week is a series of five lessons delivered over the course of one week educating fourth and fifth grade students about water, soil, energy, systems, and wheat, as well as how they impact our daily lives and the lives of wheat farmers. Each lesson is thoughtfully designed to include hands-on components: students build a wheat terrarium, model the water cycle as a drop of water, explore three particle sizes of soil, extract DNA from wheat germ, thresh a wheat head, and chew the kernels to try to make wheat gum. Started in 2007, Wheat Week was created by Kara Kaelber, manager of the Franklin Conservation District, and reached 1,381 students with two educators. Each year it has been updated and modified to complement the Next Generation Science Standards, the science content standards that teachers in Washington use for their own science lessons, as well as social studies learning standards. Students learn to think critically as scientists while understanding the mindset and challenges of a wheat farmer. Thanks to the Washington Grain Commission’s continued support, Wheat Week has been able to expand and reach more students across Washington state each year. In the 2023-24 school year, Wheat Week reached 20,089 students, thanks to 16 educators that taught the program in 250 schools.

In the fall of 2024, Franklin Conservation District Education Director Meghan Stewart was able to meet with the Dairy Farmers of Washington to share about Wheat Week, the program’s impact, and future potential. The Dairy Farmers saw the value in the program and decided to contribute funds for a new educator to bring Wheat Week back to Whatcom and Skagit counties (when the COVID pandemic swept through in 2020, the program was scaled back to a handful of educators around the state). With an educator back in the Whatcom and Skagit areas, as well as an educator in Kitsap County for the first time, Wheat Week is reaching even more students this year.

“This was a wonderful experience. Like a field trip without the cost of a bus!” Bremerton teacher Katherine Harris said after seeing Wheat Week in the classroom for the first time. “The kids had such a great time and were so engaged in the learning!”

Teachers in Kitsap County had previously only been able to participate in the online “do-it-yourself” version of Wheat Week. Classroom teachers in Whatcom and Skagit counties are thrilled that Wheat Week is back in their area as well.

“Thank you so much for bringing this program back to the classroom in person,” said Christine Gish, a Lynden teacher, “We already cannot wait for next year!”

Teachers have also noted the addition of talking about dairy cows, appreciating the connection to agriculture in their area. Incorporating dairy into the daily lessons has been effortless. You might say that wheat and dairy go together like cookies and milk! Students learn that wheat straw can be a nice cozy bed for a dairy cow. The cow manure can become fertilizer for the wheat farmer’s soil. Washington farmers working together, using natural resources, and providing food for communities everywhere. Students realize that many of the foods they consume every day, could be coming from a Washington farmer.

“It (Wheat Week) is not just about science standards, natural resources, or food, it teaches students about the agricultural system we have in Washington. Many of our students have no idea where their food comes from until they participate in Wheat Week,” Shoreline teacher Julie Fredrickson said when talking to Stewart about how much she appreciates the curriculum. “In fourth grade, students learn about Washington state history, but with your lessons, they really get a better understanding of their state now.”

While Wheat Week exposes fourth and fifth graders to different facets of Washington state agriculture, the Franklin Conservation District, with the Washington Grain Commission, is committed to helping students of all ages explore the opportunities in their communities. The third annual Tri-Cities STEM Career Academy will take place June 23-26 in Pasco. Twenty-five high school students from the mid-Columbia region will spend four days learning from professionals in the hydropower, agricultural, science, and trades industries.

Along with daily field trips to see STEM careers in action, students participate in hands-on challenges: building and racing a solar car, building and flying a drone, and building and testing a hydropower turbine model. They learn about the different pathways to good-paying careers they might be interested in: internships, apprenticeships, community college, and four-year college. One-on-one conversations with these local professionals really help students reflect on their strengths and make a plan for their own futures. One field trip is a tour of CHS SunBasin Growers in Kennewick. Students get a tour of the grain elevators, learn about different types of wheat, and see how grains are loaded onto barges. This tour has even led to a summer job for a student each year as well.

The Tri-Cities STEM Career Academy is a Foundation for Water & Energy Education (FWEE) event hosted by local innovators in clean energy, agriculture, and conservation. For more information about the Tri-Cities STEM Career Academy, go to fwee.org/events/.