TEACHER GUIDE Volume 7, Issue /2008

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1 Welcome to This is the last of three issues for this school year. Your subscription for next year will NOT be automatically renewed. Please visit our website to complete a survey and re-subscribe or unsubscribe. Thank you in advance for your feedback. The first issue next year should arrive at schools the end of September. Produced by Washington Ag in the Classroom, Ag@School is designed to help teachers meet student educational goals as well as develop agricultural literacy. The teacher guide connects activities to specific EALRs that will help your students meet state requirements. This issue is designed to help students understand: the unbreakable connection between agriculture and natural resources the role of agriculture in the conservation of our natural resources the meaning of sustainable agriculture why water is important to Washington, how much we have, and how it is used why controlling pests is necessary for agriculture, for humans, and for wildlife that Earth Day for agriculture is not just once a year, it s every day Teacher Guide and Post-Test Reproducible activities in the teacher guide expand on concepts covered in the magazine: Page 4 includes vocabulary activities, a water cycle crossword puzzle, and facts about sheep and wool production to augment Sheep are Stewards, too on Page 7 of the magazine. The Post Test on Page 6 is designed to help prepare students to write. The writing prompts include the four modes of writing: expository, narrative, descriptive and persuasive. Vocabulary Words Each issue will introduce several words that may be unfamiliar to students. These words will appear in bold type the first time they are used. Words in this issue include: stewardship, natural resources, conservation, sustainable, precipitation, percolation, evaporation, transpiration, condensation, erosion, topsoil, tillage, noxious weed and watershed. Definitions can be found in the reproducible vocabulary activity in the teacher guide as well as scattered throughout the magazine. 1 TEACHER GUIDE Volume 7, Issue /2008 Ag@School funding Many businesses, organizations, public agencies and individuals contribute money and time to provide you this magazine at no cost. They are listed on Page 5 along with a suggested activity for research and writing letters of thanks. We suggest using the activity as a small group project both for internet research practice and, of course, letter writing experience. Cover Protecting Agriculture s Tools Background: Although cultural practices, machinery and technology in agriculture have advanced in ways that even amaze farmers, the basic tools of this business have not changed since farming began 10,000 years ago. Air, water, soil, and solar energy are essential for plant life, without which animals and humans could not exist. Care of these tools is important, possibly more so for agriculture than for any other industry. Agriculture takes this job seriously. Stewardship has advanced along with science and technology. Farming today is a far cry from that practiced just a few decades ago. 1. Using the definition of stewardship (bottom right of cover), discuss the four basic tools. Brainstorm which of these the farmer can control and why. 2. Discuss the importance of proper care of air, water and soil and how urban and rural residents might have differing views on the best use of these resources (water for example, farming use vs recreational use). Answers page 1: 1) solar energy; 2) soil; 3) water; 4) air Page 2 Sustainable Agriculture 1. Why are farmers our most important environmentalists? (Because they manage such a large amount of land over 46% nationally) 2. Talk about the true definition of sustainable agriculture. What would happen if people could not make a living? If all US farmers went out of business what would replace agriculture on the land? 3. Foresters are farmers, too. Why is stewardship of forest land more important in Washington than in many other states? (half of our state is covered by forests)

2 4. Back in the 1880 s, conservationist John Muir said, When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. What do you think he meant? How does it relate to farming and stewardship? Answers page 2: Why is conservation important to a farmer? his livelihood depends on it; he generally lives on the land he farms and wants clean air and water for his family too. To be sustainable, U.S. agriculture and forestry must make a profit. Why? Discuss how the students parents earn money. What would their families do if no money was earned? Page 3 Water and the Water Cycle 1. Discuss the incredible water resources we have in Washington. Have students think of a major body of water they are familiar with and what benefits it provides (hydropower, recreation, fishing, irrigation). 2. Discuss the water cycle and how water is used over and over. Can they think of ways to get more water to places that don t have enough? Brainstorm ways to conserve water in your local area. 3. Discuss how water is cleaned through natural processes. What impurities might be left behind when it evaporates and where did they come from? What can people do to help stop impurities from getting in the water in the first place? Answers page 3: Where does Washington water go? (answers in magazine at bottom of page 3). Answers page 5: Conservation Quiz: 1) stewardship; 2) air, soil, water, solar energy; 3) drip irrigation; 50%; 4) erosion; 5) tillage, stubble; 6) three benefits of recycling waste water: less expensive; uses less energy; provides habitat for birds; 7) a beetle; 8) manure is used in pressed fire logs, in particle board, and as matting to protect forest paths; 9) crop rotation controls pests, improves soil quality, reduces the need for chemicals. Page 6 Weeds and Weed Control 1. When would a flower be considered a weed? Why? Why are noxious weeds so hard to get rid of? 2. Discuss weeds in your area and what students might do to help get rid of them. 3. Contact your local Weed District to arrange a class presentation or take a weed walk around your school grounds. Word search solution page 6: Pages 4/5 Earth Friendly Ag 1. Discuss the different types of conservation practices outlined in the articles. How might practices for an apple grower differ from a cattle or dairy rancher? How would their problems differ? 2. Soil erosion is the number one detriment to a sustainable farming system and also the main source of water pollution. Discuss urban soil erosion and how it might be lessened (construction sites, road building, hillsides with no vegetation). 3. Water conservation does not just apply to agriculture. Beautiful yards often require large amounts of water too. Brainstorm how homeowners could save water by planning yards that require less. 2 Page 7 Bees, Bad Bugs and Sheep 1. Bees are very important to farmers. Discuss why a farmer would use extreme caution not to harm bees while trying to control harmful insects. 2. Talk about what makes something a pest. What are the main pests that farmers contend with? How do they differ from pests that confront the students? 3. What could happen if we did nothing to control pests? Water supply? Hospitals? School kitchens? 4. Discuss why sheep are environmentally friendly pest control in both forestry and farming.

3 Answers page 7: What Did You Learn: 1) What is the #1 pest in ag? weeds 2) What is the most important insect to agriculture? honeybee 3) Four ways that weed seeds can spread wind, water, animals and humans 4) Three good bugs ladybugs, lacewings, praying mantises Answers to Sheep Puzzle: Scrambled words: herbicide, food, fiber, grazing Final answer: Sheep are earth friendly Page 8 Every Day is Earth Day! Discussion starter: Brainstorm why every day is Earth Day to a farmer. Why must he take care of natural resources? Activity: Make a quick watershed model by crumpling newspaper and draping a piece of plastic over the hills. Spray on water and have students trace the movement downhill. Find out what watershed you live in and where your runoff eventually ends up. Answers to Earth Day Puzzle Across: 1) weeds; 4) erosion; 7) litter; 8) habitat; 9) topsoil Down: 1) water; 2) conservation; 3) wildlife; 5) stewardship; 6) recycle History: Standard 2 (impact of ideas/technology on history) p. 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Economics: Standard 1 (impacts of scarcity on choices) p. 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 Standard 2 (characteristics of economic systems) p. 2 Civics: Standard 4 (principles of democratic civic involvement) p. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Science: Standard 1 (scientific concepts and principles) p. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Standard 3 (nature and contexts of science and technology) p. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Learn More About Agriculture Websites: To learn more about the topics covered in this issue visit the following: click on Education to find curriculum and activities about noxious weeds EPA s water site for kids: games and puzzles, online activities and lessons by grade level water conservation & the story of water with many activities and lessons for K-12 EALR Connections Reading: The articles and activities throughout the magazine link to most reading standards. They can be used to build skills in outlining, vocabulary, comprehending important ideas, reading factual material, or reading to learn new information. Writing: The post test is designed to help prepare students to write. The prompts include the four modes of writing: expository, narrative, descriptive and persuasive. Communication: Standard 1 (listening and observation skills) all pages Standard 2 (using communication skills to interact/work with others) p. 2, 3 Mathematics: Standard 1 (understands and applies concepts and procedures) p. 3, 5 Standard 3 (uses mathematical reasoning) p. 3 Standard 5 (connecting math to real-life situations) p. 3 Geography: Standard 2 (natural and physical characteristics of places and regions) p. 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 Standard 3 (interaction between people and the environment) p. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 3 Publication and Credits Ag@School is a publication of Washington Agriculture in the Classroom, a non-profit entity created in 1981 to encourage and help teachers increase agricultural literacy in their students. Both public and private groups including the WA Dept. of Agriculture, WSU, commodity commissions, farm organizations, businesses and individuals, support the mission. Teachers may reproduce any pages for use. Editing by Peg Shipley. Graphic design by Ritz Publishing & Design.

4 Across 7. The evaporation of water from plant surfaces Down 1. The process of water vapor turning into liquid 2. The movement of water into soil through cracks, holes and pores 3. Rain, snow, hail, sleet, dew and frost 4. Changing from a liquid or solid state to a gas or vapor 5. Protection and preservation of natural resources 6. The land area that delivers run-off water to the area s lowest point 7 WORD LIST FOR PUZZLE AND WORD FILL-IN precipitation condensation erosion evaporation sustainable watershed transpiration noxious weed tillage conservation percolation topsoil What Other New Words Did You Learn? 1. the movement of soil by wind or water 2. the fertile, upper layer of soil where food crops grow best 3. non-native plant that has no natural enemies to keep it controlled 4. plowing or cultivating the soil 5. able to continue indefinitely SHEEP GET HAIRCUTS TOO! Wool is the protective coat (or fleece) from sheep or other animals, and it is a very important animal fiber. Wool is a renewable resource because sheep get haircuts every year. This is called shearing, and it is done after the weather warms up in the late spring. The wool will grow again during the summer and fall, and will be long enough to keep the animal warm through the winter. Sheep are raised in flocks. A female sheep is called a ewe, a male is a ram, and young sheep are called lambs. After shearing, a fleece is graded to determine the quality or value. This will depend on both the length and the thickness of the fibers. Finer wool makes softer fabric. The wool is then cleaned and untangled. This is called carding. It is then spun into yarn and woven into fabric. Wool is great for many products: sweaters, jackets and suits, as well as carpets and blankets. 4 After reading about wool, draw a line from the words to their definitions. fleece carding ram ewe lamb shearing A female sheep A young sheep A sheep haircut Untangling wool fiber A sheep s coat A male sheep

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