If You Care about Climate Change, Then You Care about the Farm Bill

• This article explains why anyone who cares about climate change should, in turn, care about the United States' Farm Bill, which is passed every five years and has the power to substantially change how America deals with climate change.
• Students will learn about what the Farm Bill is, the history of the Farm Bill, how legislation can impact the environment, specific facets of the bill and their impacts, climate-friendly farming, food system resilience, equity and accessibility, and some of the problems that the bill may face.

Positives

• This article is well-written and laid out in a way that is easy to understand.
• Students will benefit from the included text features, such as pictures, captions, and headings. 
  

Additional Prerequisites

• Students would benefit from a general understanding of how the United States government functions. 
  

Differentiation

• Connections can be made in health or science classes that are learning about where our food comes from or the huge effect that land use and agricultural practices have on greenhouse gases emissions and climate change.
• Language arts classes could use this resource to work on non-fiction reading strategies. 
• Try creating a whole-class KWL chart on a classroom wall or chalkboard. Have students write on the board what they already know (K) and what they want to learn (W) before reading the article, then have them add what they learned (L) to the chart after reading.
• Economics and civics classes could discuss the importance of using tax dollars to support farming activities that are healthy and sustainable.
  

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.