BENSON – The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission (NCSPC), headquartered in Benson, has launched K-12 curriculum to help teachers and parents educate students about the state’s vegetable, the sweetpotato. In addition to highlighting the numerous health benefits of the orange superfood, the lesson plans teach students about various aspects of agriculture using STEM-focused curriculum.
The curriculum was developed alongside North Carolina Ag in the Classroom in preparation for the multi-formatted upcoming school year. The classroom-ready lesson plans, created to meet common core standards as set forth by the U.S. Department of Education, include online educational materials for students across the U.S., with a focus on core subjects such as math, science and English, among others.
“Whether in-person or virtual, schools across the country will look very different this year,” said Brent Leggett, North Carolina SweetPotato Commission Board President. “Our K-12 curriculum is classroom friendly and easy to implement in any learning environment. The materials were written by teachers, for teachers, in the hopes of helping students grow stronger in multiple subjects using North Carolina sweetpotatoes as an educational topic 
and tool.”
Each tailored lesson plan contains a book, activity guide and multiple other materials that are customized for each grade level, such as pictographs, maps and a North Carolina Sweetpotato Ag Map. Lesson plans include links to videos featuring sweetpotatoes, posters depicting “A Year in the Life of a North Carolina Sweetpotato,” as well as links to the story book and activity guide, “Digging for North Carolina Sweetpotatoes.” There is also a section focusing on Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) for students participating in the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) program. Curriculum created for middle and high schoolers also features materials that supplement instruction in biology, nutrition and food labeling and marketing, among other topics.
The project is funded through a U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service Specialty Crop Block Grant.
About the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission
Headquartered in the No. 1 sweetpotato producing state in the United States, the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission is an industry leader made up of sweetpotato growers, packers, processors and business associates that support them. Founded in 1961, the nonprofit corporation stays true to the sole purpose of the sweetpotato farmers who chartered it – to increase sweetpotato consumption through education, promotional activities, research and honorable horticultural practices. To learn more about the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission, please visit NCSweetPotatoes.com.
