Ag Literacy Program 2013 Lesson Plans

Transcription

1 Ag Literacy Program 2013 Lesson Plans Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc. Corn by Gail Gibbons Holiday House 2008 Book Summary: Corn provides us many of our favorite foods such as popcorn, corn on the cob, corn dogs, and cornflakes. The information in Gail Gibbons' book presents the history and uses of corn as well as details concerning the planting, cultivation, and harvesting of corn. Informational pictures accompany the text. Vocabulary: Parts of the corn plant: tassel, ear, leaf, stalk, roots, corn silk, husk, kernel, cob, Types of corn: hull, flint corn, dent corn, sweet corn, popcorn Farm machines: harvester, row planter, corn picker machine, corn combine machine, corn forage harvester Miscellaneous: silage - a fermented, high moisture fodder that is often fed to cattle. This is usually made from corn (the entire plant) and grass type plants (hay). The product is placed in a silo or piled and covered with plastic to allow the product to ferment silo - usually a round tower used to store grain or silage ethanol (alcohol made from distilled corn or other grain that is mixed with gasoline) pollination Useful Props: 1. A bag containing some obvious corn products - corn flakes, corn meal, corn chips and some not so obvious corn products - soda, cornstarch, powder, book or paper, corn oil, biodegradable packing peanuts, toothpaste (contains sorbitol from corn), salad dressing, pudding - for use prior to the reading of the book. 2. Two signs Has Corn Does Not Have Corn 3. An ear of sweet corn, an ear of field corn, an ear of popcorn or pop corn kernels for use at the end of the lesson

2 Introduction: Begin the session by introducing the word AGRICULTURE. Ask, What do you think this word means? Accept answers and guide toward the following definition. (Write on the board) Agriculture agri (means land) culture (means to grow) SO agri + culture = growing plants or raising livestock (farm animals) on the land What are some animals that are raised on a farm? Accept suggestions. What plants might a farmer grow? Accept suggestions. Explain that today we are going to explore the crop grown the most in the United States corn. Let s see what you know about corn before we read about it. 1. What are some ways that we eat corn? (fresh on the cob, canned, frozen, popped) 2. Do you know of any animals that eat corn? (accept suggestions) 3. Put out the signs Has Corn Does Not Have Corn 4. Ask students Do you think corn has anything to do with any of these products? (Show the samples you have in the bag and place by the signs students suggest. Do not comment yes or no. Connections to corn will be made after reading the story.) Sharing the Book: You many use either Option One or Option Two. If you select Option One, Option Two may be used as a summary activity. 1. Show the book cover. Ask, Do you think this is a fiction or non-fiction book? Why? Option One 2. In order to hold student interest you may want to give to each child or pair of children, questions that they will be responsible for answering after you read the book. Use the worksheet titled Corn Questions. Run enough copies so each student or pair of students have one of the six sections of questions. Each set of questions ends with the question, What was the most amazing thing you 3. Here are the questions to be given to students. Have students read their set of questions so they know what they are listening for before you begin the story.

3 Corn Questions Set One 1. What did the Native peoples call corn? 2. Name 4 parts of an ear of corn. 3. How are the kernels on the cob and the corn silk related? Corn Questions Set Two 1. What does cultivate mean? 2. Name 4 kinds of corn. 3. About how tall is the average corn plant? Corn Questions Set Three 1. What problem did the Pilgrims have during the first winter? 2. When is sweet corn harvested? 3. What does a corn picker machine do? Corn Questions Set Four 1. What did the Pilgrims call the corn they grew? 2. Sweet corn is harvested before the kernels turn hard. When are other types of corn harvested? 3. What does a corn combine machine do? Corn Questions Set Five 1. What are three ways the Pilgrims used corn? 2. What makes popcorn pop? 3. What does a corn forage harvester do? Corn Questions Set Six 1. Name 5 parts of a corn plant. 2. How much pollen is contained in the tassels? 3. What animals eat corn? 4. When you finish reading the book, students should share their answers to the questions. (Answers are at the end of this lesson.) 5. Review the items that you brought that may or may not have corn in them and have the students resort the items after hearing the story. Share corn connections as necessary. 6. Share the ears or seeds of sweet corn, field corn, and popcorn with the class. Ask students, What do you remember about each kind of corn? How are they similar and different?

4 Option Two 1. Before reading the book CORN, provide copies of CORN Word Grid for each student or pair of students. Go over the instructions and familiarize students with the categories and words. Students cut apart the words and sort them according to the categories as best they can. (For able students, you may want to use the CORN Word Grid that has NO categories and let them create the categories as they sort.) 2. Read the book CORN and have students resort the words as they listen to the story. 3. After reading CORN, review with students the proper placement of the words on the corn grid. Students may then glue the words in place. 4. Review the items that you brought that may or may not have corn in them and have the students resort the items after hearing the story. 5. Share the ears or seeds of sweet corn, field corn, and popcorn. Ask students, What do you remember about each kind of corn? Closure 1. Review with students the meaning of the word AGRICULTURE. 2. Leave copies of the AG News Sweet Corn or Field Corn student newspaper with the teacher and students. 3. Review the highpoints of the lesson with students using the bookmark.

5 Questions What did Native peoples call corn? What does cultivate mean? What problem did the Pilgrims have during the first winter? What did the Pilgrims call the corn they grew? What are three ways the Pilgrims used corn? Name 5 parts of a corn plant. Name 4 parts of an ear of corn. Name 4 kinds of corn. When is sweet corn harvested? When are other types of corn harvested? What makes popcorn pop? How much pollen is contained in the tassels? How are the kernels on the cob and the corn silk related? About how tall is the average corn plant? What does a corn picker machine do? What does a corn combine machine do? What does a corn forage harvester do? What animals eat corn? What was the most amazing thing you Answers Maize To grow plants or crops It was cold and they had little to eat. Indian corn Corn bread, corn pudding, cobs for fuel, husks to stuff mattresses, popcorn, corn husk dolls Tassel, stalk, ear, leaf, roots Corn silk, husk, kernel, cob Sweet corn, popcorn, flint corn, dent corn Just before kernels turn hard After kernels turn hard Heated moisture inside kernel Millions of grains You need each corn silk pollinated to form a kernel. 8 feet Picks each ear of corn separately Picks the ears from the stalks, removes the husks, and then removes the kernels Cuts up the entire plant into small pieces for silage Cows, pigs, poultry Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation Ag Literacy Program 2013 For questions or information contact: Jeanne Mueller at jmueller@maefonline.com or