The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Sisters fourth graders have a new social studies book - and it's all about Oregon. The donation of a book for every fourth grader at Sisters Elementary School was made by the Deschutes County Farm Bureau.

The book with the catchy title "Get Oregonized" is an anthology of Oregon's history, its natural resources, its people, its agriculture. With an original copyright in 1995 and revision in 2005, the Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation (OACF) has compiled a book that details Oregon's history from its earliest people to the days of the explorers.

The progression carries through the time of the pioneers until statehood became a reality. The tome also explores Oregon's six geographical regions: the coast; the interior valleys; the Cascade mountains; the Columbia plateau; the High Desert; and the Blue and Wallowa mountains.

Deschutes County Farms Bureau President Mark Cyrus, who has a fourth grader at Sisters Elementary School, explained that his organization would like to place the book in fourth grade classrooms throughout Central Oregon. Aware that Sisters did not really have a social studies textbook, the group approached Sisters fourth grade teachers to see if the book would fit into their curriculum.

"Sisters was a district whose size was such that we could afford to cover the entire fourth grade for the whole district," Cyrus said.

Sisters Elementary School fourth grade teacher Julie Holden told The Nugget that the new book matches the fourth grade curriculum very well. Before receiving the new books from the Farm Bureau, the district had used the same two books for as long as 12 years. As the district has grown and fourth grade classes have been added, there have not been enough books for all fourth graders. The books were regularly shuffled back and forth among classrooms.

With the new book, "the kids no longer have to go to two different places. ... Before we were sharing two sets for four classrooms," Holden said.

The Deschutes County Farm Bureau sent the book to the school and asked the fourth grade teachers to look at it to see if it was something they would use. The four fourth grade teachers evaluated the book in terms of their social studies curriculum.

"We compared it to the current books that we use. The new book is a blend of the old books. This is perfect," Holden said.

According to Cyrus, the Deschutes County Farm Bureau hopes to donate the book to the Redmond and Bend school districts. The group has already donated books to each of the elementary school libraries in Redmond.

"It's our goal now to talk to some of the curriculum directors and try to get them to use them," Cyrus said.

The Farm Bureau is the leading agricultural organization nationwide representing farmers and ranchers in legislative actions and activities. The Oregon Farm Bureau has in the neighborhood of 10,000 members, and the Deschutes County Farm Bureau has about 300 members.

A portion of the monies the Deschutes County Farm Bureau collects from membership dues is allocated to fund the organization's outreach programs.

"We use the dues to further agricultural interests and activities. We donate to the 4-H. We support other farm related entities such as Water for Life, and we donate to the Ronald MacDonald House, as well as a number of other organizations," Cyrus said.

For more information about OCAF visit: http://www.aitc.oregonstate.edu.