Mason Bee Life Cycle • Grades K–2
Students identify the importance of pollinators, investigate the life cycle of a mason bee, and build a pollinator hotel.
National Center for Agricultural Literacy
Bringing Agriculture into Core Subjects
NCAL provides lessons, teaching tools, and instructional supports that help educators integrate agriculture into core academic subjects and learning experiences.
Strengthening the Field Through Research
NCAL supports shared definitions, logic models, evaluation guidance, and coordinated research efforts that advance agricultural literacy efforts.
What’s New in the Curriculum Matrix
Check out some of our latest lessons.
Song of the Pollinators • Grades K–2
Students investigate the movements, sounds, and activities of insect pollinators and discover the importance of pollinators to our food production.
Ranch Life Learning with Hank the Cowdog: Ranch Life Cycles Book 1 Lesson 5 • Grades K–2
Students read chapter 4 of Hank the Cowdog Ranch Life: Ranching and Livestock by John R. Erickson, sequence life cycles, and compare stages between different organisms.
Grow Your Expertise
Build your understanding of agriculture and how it connects to everyday life through NCAL’s Agricultural Literacy Certification. This self-paced online course helps educators strengthen agricultural literacy instruction and earn recognition as a Certified Agricultural Literacy Educator.
A Shared Framework for What Students Should Understand about Agriculture
The National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes (NALOs) provide clear benchmarks describing what students should understand about agriculture across grade levels. The framework supports instruction, assessment, research, and program alignment.
About Us
NCAL brings together educators, researchers, and partners working to strengthen agricultural literacy nationwide. From developing instructional resources to supporting research and professional learning, our work connects agriculture to education in meaningful ways.
