Olathe middle school science teacher Jessica Sadler partnered with the Kansas Beef Council (KBC) to create a series of “Sizzling Discoveries” readers that provide students an opportunity to uncover the connections between beef production and sustainability in a fun and classroom-friendly format. The series, spearheaded by KBC and jointly funded with the Oklahoma and Nebraska beef councils, currently includes three readers for grades sixth to eighth and ninth to 12th. Each reader focuses on a scientific topic specific to beef production—sustainability, nutrient upcycling, and water and land use—and includes a teacher’s guide and supplementary resources to enhance the learning experience.
Inside the readers, students are introduced to vocabulary words, hands-on experiments and more in-depth information about the specific topic, including external links to resources such as maps, videos and handouts. Professional graphic designer Sue Schulte used vibrant colors and imagery to create a clean and engaging layout that draws students in and keeps their attention as they work through the different sections.
In addition to KBC, other state beef councils across the U.S. have incorporated the materials into their outreach efforts. Recently, 2,300 classroom sets—enough to reach 69,000 students—were printed and distributed to nine different states. Sadler plans to present sustainability workshops in several of these areas to help teachers incorporate the materials into their classrooms.