Category: Bookmark & Beyond

Congratulations 2021 Bookmark Finalists!

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This spring, we are excited to recognize 12 students as our 2021 bookmark finalists.  Over 1,600 entries were submitted for this contest, and the artwork is incredible.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate and share your Wyoming stewardship message!  All finalists were selected by a panel of judges, and the winner of our People’s Choice was chosen by popular vote during National Agriculture Week.

2021 People’s Choice

Kolbe Chant, 5th Grade, Little Snake River Valley School, Baggs

2021 Finalists

Lily Barker, 5th Grade, Uinta Meadows Elementary, Evanston

Emily Duncan, 4th Grade, Cloud Peak Elementary, Buffalo

Bella Fonte, 5th Grade, Harmony Elementary, Laramie

Jess Grant, 3rd Grade, Boxelder Rural School, Glenrock

Elise King, 5th Grade, Lakeview Elementary School, Gillette

Constance Merriam, 5th Grade, Woodland Park Elementary, Sheridan

 Alina Peterson, 5th Grade, Cloud Peak Elementary, Buffalo

Angelina Rudd, 5th Grade, Baldwin Creek Elementary, Lander

Leah Sibert, 5th Grade, Mountain View Elementary, Mountain View

Sofie Skalberg, 3rd Grade, Little Snake River Valley School, Baggs

Wyatt Williamson, 4th Grade, Moorcroft K-8, Moorcroft

We will be holding a celebration for the finalists, their families, and teachers this summer.  Invitations will be mailed when the date and location of the celebration have been confirmed.

 

Thank You Bookmark Sponsors

A New Way to Visualize Our World

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Ten students from across Wyoming submitted projects for the 2020 GIS Mapping Contest, bringing the program to a strong finish.  Following school closures, we revised the GIS Mapping Program to fit a new remote learning environment. Now open to students of all ages, we are excited to have participants ages 4-17!  Parents mentored their students creating projects that map everything from property boundaries and irrigation features to wildlife habitats and hiking trails.  A panel of judges will be reviewing these creative projects, and we will announce the winner on June 17th.  Thank you to everyone who participated this year!

Your students can still explore GIS Mapping in the “Let’s Map It” lesson from the Family Learning Series! The lesson plan and a video tutorial can all be found HERE.  

Congratulations to the 2020 Bookmark Contest Finalists!

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This spring, we are excited to recognize 12 students as our 2020 bookmark finalists.  Over 1,900 entries were submitted for this contest, and the artwork was incredible.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate and share your Wyoming resource message!  All finalists were selected by a panel of judges, and the winner of our People’s Choice was chosen by popular vote during National Agriculture Week.

2020 People’s Choice

Erin Newton
5th Grade, Meadowlark Elementary, Sheridan

2020 Finalists

Emelyen Baev
4th Grade, Jackson Elementary, Jackson

Elise Carroll
5th Grade, Buffalo Ridge Elementary, Gillette

Shea Churches
4th Grade, Harmony Elementary, Laramie

Teague Duncan
5th Grade, Cloud Peak Elementary, Buffalo

Cody Fisher
5th Grade, Westside Elementary, Powell

Gabe Jukkala
4th Grade, Rozet Elementary, Rozet

Nathan Peterson
3rd Grade, Cloud Peak Elementary, Buffalo

Peyton Rodriguez
3rd Grade, Cloud Peak Elementary, Buffalo

Rylan Verhelst
5th Grade, Paintbrush Elementary, Gillette

Stella Waliezer
5th Grade, Moorcroft K-8, Moorcroft

Tanner Woods
4th Grade, Hobbs Elementary, Cheyenne

With extended closures due to current unforeseen circumstances, the Bookmark Celebration scheduled for April 24th has been postponed.  We will be holding a celebration for the finalists and their families at a later date.  Invitations will be mailed when the date and location of the celebration have been confirmed.  We appreciate everyone’s continued patience as we navigate these uncertain times.

In the meantime, we invite families and teachers looking for meaningful activities to check out our Family Learning Series and Wyoming Stewardship Project lessons.  All these materials are available to download and use for free.  Educators can also sign up for summer workshops that will be happening in communities across Wyoming. Together we will make it through this!

Explore GIS Mapping with Your Family!

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GIS mapping is an amazing technology, allowing you, and your kids, to visualize and understand our world in a whole new way.  Marking points of interest, mapping the length of features, and measuring the area of space.  All of this, and more, are possible when combined into a simple easy-to-read map.  So, let’s get started!

 

Create a mapping project with your family
See the activity guide

The sky is the limit when it comes to creating your own mapping project.  As you can see in the training video, my kids and I created a simple map of our small acreage near Cheyenne. But, that’s only one idea!  Take MapItFast along when you walk the dog, explore your local park, or go for a drive.  After you’ve experimented with GIS mapping, we’d love to see what you’ve created.  So, take a quick (30 second – 1 minute) video of your kids telling us about what they learned while creating their map. Send it to us at info@wyaitc.org.  By sending us your video before May 15, 2020, you will be entered into our GIS Mapping Contest and eligible for some fun prizes!

Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom is excited to be able to offer the use of MapItFast for this activity.  This simple, quick-to-learn, mapping app has been generously donated by AgTerra Technologies of Sheridan.  To sign up for your free account, please fill out our account sign up form.  We’ll get you set up with a username and password within 1 business day.  In the meantime, visit Google Play or the AppStore and download MapItFast to any GPS enabled device.  And don’t worry, the app doesn’t use your mobile data, it connects to GPS Satellites for mapping and won’t sync your project to web browser until you’re back on WIFI.

MapItFast can be used on either mobile devices or through your favorite internet browser.  To use MapItFast online visit https://mapitfast.agterra.com/ and enter your login information.

Sign up for MapItFast

  • *Please note: We cannot send your login information to your student email address, as many school districts block outside emails. Please supply an alternate email address we so can ensure that you will receive your account information.

We can’t wait to hear from you!

 

 

Congratulations to the 2019 Bookmark Program Finalists!

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We are excited to announce the finalists for the 2019 Bookmark & Beyond program!  With over 1,550 entries from 2nd-5th Grade students statewide, we want to congratulate each and every participant.  Thank you to all students, teachers, and parents who participated. Our Wyoming students are amazing artists!

These student finalists, their families, and teachers will be invited to a celebration in Cheyenne on May 17th.  Please watch for invitations within the next few weeks. Continue reading “Congratulations to the 2019 Bookmark Program Finalists!” →

GIS Mapping Project Provides A New Way to Explore Wyoming

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Fifth Grade students are learning the potential for collecting and sharing
information through maps as a part of the 2019 Bookmark & Beyond program. To complete this class project, we’ve asked students to explore their communities and state at a deeper level, while introducing technical skills used in real-world careers.

Students learn to use the MapItFast app, generously donated by AgTerra, to map points, lines, and polygons from smart devices or desktop computers. These
features are used to add information to maps and can include photos and notes about a location or site, along with the geographic coordinates and measurements of length and area. After working together as a class to develop their map, students share the story and goal of their project in a written report, before presenting their project as a class.

During the first year of this project, 5th Grade teachers have shown how they can use this project to enrich content they’re already covering in class. One project, developed by the 5th Grade class at Gilchrist Elementary in Cheyenne, illustrates Wyoming’s Role in Westward Expansion. Students researched important historic sites and added that information to the points in their map. They also mapped the route of Oregon Trail through the state and can share how many miles this route covered.

The project possibilities are only limited by imagination, and we’re excited to see this program grow in years to come.