It’s our 200th Birthday and we are #ILLINOISPROUD!
“Illinois is where the nation’s greatest rivers meet. It’s where the largest Native American city once thrived. Where the most trains cross and daily flights soar. Where automobiles and hard roads got a start. Where sound movies began. Where a nuclear chain reaction was first controlled. Where the first transistor gave rise to the computer age. Where the theory of superconductivity was born. Where the biggest fair in the nation’s history was held. Where the mail-order catalog and the warehouse of goods behind it got its start. Where the Blues echo and comedy is king. Where more than a quarter million men volunteered to fight to end slavery and save the Union. Where the nation’s biggest plant helped make the world safe for democracy. Where the biggest restaurant company, biggest makers of mining equipment, aircraft, and tractors are based and where hundreds of start-up companies each year keep the engine humming. We are #IllinoisProud. A statewide multimedia campaign will celebrate Illinois’ influence on the world through music, sports, agriculture, literature, commerce, history, technology and innovation, transportation, and art and architecture.”
https://illinois200.com/
To assist educators with incorporating bicentennial lessons and activities into their curriculum, the Illinois State Board of Education has created an educator's guide and activity bank. The Illinois Chronicles: The Story of the State of Illinois Educator’s Guide has activities for all grade ranges aligned to the Illinois State Standards. A sample of a few of these activities are listed below under the appropriate grade levels. This page also has an area for teachers to submit bicentennial activities/lessons. The Illinois State Board of Education encourages teachers at all levels to share engaging lessons. To obtain additional information on how to access more Chronicle materials visit the official website.
Illinois’ bicentennial creates a perfect opportunity to connect the state’s historical and agricultural roots. This summer, Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) ensured nearly 700 teachers are prepared to do just that.
Educators who participated in Summer Ag Institutes received IAITC lesson plans and educational materials for “Born, Built & Grown,” the state’s bicentennial theme that was adopted by IAITC. Ag literacy efforts focus on agriculture-related people, along with things built and grown in Illinois, said Kevin Daugherty, Illinois Farm Bureau education director.
“We’re highlighting the diversity of Illinois agriculture,” Daugherty noted.
Students learn about microbiologist Andrew J. Moyer, who along with colleagues at the USDA Northern Regional Research Laboratory in Peoria, developed a technique to mass-produce penicillin by creating a better growth medium made from corn.
Lessons introduce background information about the official state fruit, GoldRush apples, and state soil, Drummer silty clay loam.
Roughly 700 bicentennial lesson plans, booklets, cuts of meat poster sets and related Ag Mags, educational magazines, were distributed during Summer Ag Institutes, according to Daugherty. All materials may be downloaded by visiting this link and looking for “2018 – Born, Built & Grown.”
https://www.ilfb.org/resources/ifb-in-action/born-built-and-grown-iaitc-links-state-bicentennial-ag/