Kentucky is well known for its horse industry. The limestone-rich soils, abundant water and forages, and temperate climate are a perfect place to raise the majestic animal that has been vitally important to our economy. Our horse farms are valued at $23 billion and support more than 40,000 jobs (Source: https://equine.ca.uky.edu/kyequinesurvey).
While they are only a small part of Kentucky’s agricultural enterprise, horses are an easy way to teach concepts of life sciences, ecosystems, and animal husbandry; and these concepts easily translate to other animals for comparisons.
The Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom would like to thank the Kentucky Horse Council, Kentucky Farm Bureau, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, and the Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy, as well as the many contributors listed on below, for supporting this collection of lessons.
A Message from Curriculum Creator, Jennifer McNulty
This curriculum was born from a combination of a newfound love of horses and my enduring love of teaching. Kentucky’s horse industry is one of the largest and most important in the state, providing economic and cultural significance for the past two centuries. This truth is seldom reflected in the classroom, despite the fact it fit in perfectly with the existing science standards. Through this curriculum, myself and many others hope that the same tradition, which inspired myself and countless Kentuckians, will inspire students to learn more about the rich history of horses in Kentucky, the science behind it, and the passion of everyone involved in working with these incredible animals.
Thank you to Town and Country Horse Farms, who helped me to see the multifaceted sides of raising Thoroughbreds. The holistic approach to the horse in the curriculum is a direct product of their careful and thoughtful training. A special thank you belongs to Louise Courtelis, who encouraged and inspired the direction of this curriculum. Mrs. Courtelis was a valuable confidant and friend from the curriculum’s inception to the final product. Her words of kindness and wisdom inspired me to share parts of her world, a world I have come to love, with others.
Jennifer McNulty is a science teacher with over 27 years of teaching experience. She spent her career teaching elementary and middle school students in Southeastern and Central Kentucky.
Jennifer earned her BS in Education at Lincoln Memorial University, with a specialization in teaching elementary and middle school science, and she earned a Master of Arts in Education from Morehead State University, continuing her specialization in science.
One of her favorite aspects about teaching science was using laboratory experiments to engage with her students’ interests and their experience with science directly. Her interest in horses developed following her retirement from the classroom in 2019. What began as a personal interest in learning how to ride and care for horses developed into a deeper passion to help students learn more about science and the horses that are such an integral cultural and economic cornerstone of her Kentucky home.
The product of this journey led to a curriculum that continues her deep-seeded personal and professional drive to find innovative and active ways to allow teachers and students to come together with a shared learning experience.
Jennifer currently lives in Panama City Beach, Florida with her husband, Rex, and is never far from her two adult sons, Braeden and Blaine.
Contributors
We would like to thank the following contributors to this project:
Editing, Copy Writing, and Design - Jennifer Elwell, Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom
Editing - Sarah Coleman, Kentucky Horse Council
Technical Advisor - Dr. Bob Coleman, University of Kentucky
Career Profile Assistance - Annise Montplaisir, Kentucky Equine Education Project, & Kentucky Equine Management Internship Program
We would also like to thank the Kentucky Equine Education Project for additional financial support.
Kentucky Academic Standard Connections
Life Sciences
3-LS3-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.
3-LS3-2. Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.
3-LS4-2. Use evidence to construct an explanation for how variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.
3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.
4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function and support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
4-LS1-2. Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.
Physical Sciences
4-PS4–2. Develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen.
Earth Sciences
3-ESS3-1. Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.
4-ESS1-1. Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.
4-ESS1-2. Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.
4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features.
Engineering and Design
3-5.ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5.ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
Kentucky Standards-Aligned Lessons
