Your Ticket To...

Illinois Agriculture in the

Classroom

For Pre-Service Teachers

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Table of Contents Website Information ..................................................................................................................... 4

Aurasma & i-nigma ....................................................................................................................... 6

Making Connections ..................................................................................................................... 7

Hungry Planet .............................................................................................................................. 8

The Thinking Triangle .................................................................................................................. 9

Questions & Responses............................................................................................................. 10

Text Features ............................................................................................................................. 12

Corn Packing Peanuts ............................................................................................................... 13

The Disappearing Packing Peanut ............................................................................................ 14

Milk & So Much More ................................................................................................................. 18

Apple Chain ................................................................................................................................ 20

Beanie Baby ............................................................................................................................... 21

Journey Across the State ........................................................................................................... 22

Soil Sam ..................................................................................................................................... 24

A Slice of Soil ............................................................................................................................. 25

Pumpkin Patch Pie ..................................................................................................................... 26

Wheat Milling .............................................................................................................................. 27

King Cotton ................................................................................................................................ 28

Futures Farming ......................................................................................................................... 31

IAITC Teacher Grant .................................................................................................................. 36

Answer Page .............................................................................................................................. 38

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Web Presence

facebook.com/agintheclassroom twitter.com/ilagclass pinterest.com/iaitc

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Teacher Resources—In this section, you will find lesson plans, Ag Mags, Terra Nova, printable AITC materials, lesson booklets, and interest approaches that are ready for use in your classroom. You will also find grants and other resources available to you. Contact Your County Agricultural Literacy Coordinator—Here, you will find our County Coordinators listed in alphabetical order by county. These coordinators will help you get your hands on all of our free resources, including Ag Mags and kits. Some coordinators are available for classroom visits and will do activities with your students. Teacher Workshops—We are constantly providing development opportunities for educators, many of which offer CPDUs. Check back here often to see when we will be visiting your area and how you can see more of our materials. This section also includes materials presented at various conferences. IL Farm Life—In this section, you will find photos, website links, and other resources about general Illinois agriculture. County Support—This section is for county coordinators and staff only. Agriculture in the Cafeteria—This section has special information and resources for food service providers. Social Media Buttons—Be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest by clicking on the appropriate button. This is a great place to collaborate and interact with other teachers who have wonderful ideas to share. We also work to provide new videos, lessons, articles, and websites that will help you with lessons in your classroom. U.S. Department of Agriculture AITC—Click here to go to the National AITC website. This is a great place to go and see lessons from Ag in the Classroom programs around the country. Here, you can also check out the National Resource Directory. Links—Find links to other agricultural organizations. Support AITC—Clicking here will take you to the IAA Foundation website. The IAA Foundation raises funds for the Illinois AITC program in order to provide educators with free or low cost information and materials. Contact Us—Here, you will find contact information for Illinois AITC. However, your first contact should always be your County Ag Literacy Coordinator, who is your link for free materials, kits, and information. About AITC—Learn about the history of both the National and Illinois Ag in the Classroom Programs. Search—Search for lessons, activities and materials that will be useful in your classroom.

Website Information

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Augmented Reality is a technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world, thus providing a composite view. The free app that we use is called Aurasma. Directions for using the app are listed below.

Download the app in your app store. When open, the arrow in the bottom center brings up a menu. Click on the menu. Select the magnifying glass (fourth option on bottom of menu). This allows users to search for

content within Aurasma. (People uploading things through Aurasma must create content within “channels.” Similar to how a computer has documents within folders.)

We have two channels. Both of our channels are listed as IAITC. Search for IAITC and select each channel. There will be an option to follow. Follow both channels. Now, content we create and share can be accessed. The app allows you to use a trigger image to overlay something on top. The overlay could be a video, 3d image, etc.

Select the crosshairs on the center of the bottom. This allows you to attempt to scan something. Below are some images to scan using Aurasma.

You will notice that when scanning the images, an overlay gets triggered and content displays over the image creating an augmented reality. Aurasma is an app (one of many) that creates such overlays which allows users to display content in addition to what is in the still image. For example, IAITC has Poultry trading cards, but to see the chickens live in action, we can show a quick video through the use of Aurasma. We can also engage students through the curiosity of scanning a code by creating games, scavenger hunts, storytelling and even link them to additional sources or websites. For an example of the Illinois Ag in the Classroom QR code quiz, check out: http://www.agintheclassroom.org/TeacherResources/QR%20Codes/QR%20Code%20Apple%20Quiz.pdf

or scan To scan QR Codes, one must have the software capable of scanning the codes. The recommended free QR code scanner is called i-nigma. You simply hover over the code and line up the crosshairs and you will be directed to the content embedded in the code.

Aurasma & i-nigma

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Making Connections Grade Level: K-4 Objective: This activity requires students to use higher level thinking skills as they interact with a primary source image.

Common Core: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL/RI.K.1; RL/RI.1.1; RL/RI.2.1; RL/RI.3.1; RL/RI.4.1

What You Will Need: IAITC School Calendar (any year) Pencil Activity Instructions: 1. Choose an image from the school calendar that speaks to you. Does the image remind you of a

childhood memory? Does it remind you of a place you have visited? 2. Answer the discussion questions individually and then discuss each image as a class.

Discussion Questions: Make personal connections

How does this image make you feel? Why do you think it makes you feel that way?

What would you be thinking, feeling, or doing if you were in this image (imagine you are a person or a thing)?

What did you notice that sparked your curiosity?

Lesson Extender: Have the students read Walt Whitman’s poem and choose pictures from the IAITC calendar that relate to each line of the poem. Use the discussion questions to guide the classroom discussion. Through the ample open door of the peaceful country barn,

A sunlit pasture field with cattle and horses feeding,

And haze and vista, and the far horizon fading away.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

from his book Leaves of Grass

Adapted from Barat Education Foundation

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Grade Level: 4-8

Objective: After completing this activity, students will have explored,

compared and contrasted the nutritional habits of families all around the

country. They will also be able to investigate how weather, landscape and

soil types affect agriculture all around the world.

Common Core: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.1-4.1; RI.2-6.7;

RI.4.2; RI.4.3; RI.4.6; RI.4.7; RF.4.4; W.4.3; W.4.7; SL.4.2

Next Generation Science Standards: Life Cycles & Traits: 3-LS3-2

Weather & Climate: 3-ESS2-2

Suggested Reading Materials:

IAITC Nutrition Ag Mag

Hungry Planet: What The World Eats by Peter Menzel & Faith D’Aluisio

ISBN-13: 978-0984074426

What the World Eats by Peter Menzel & Faith D’Aluisio

ISBN-13: 978-1582462462

Directions:

1. Have the students pick one of the countries in the book (any country but the United States). Give the

students a photocopy of the picture of their country from the book.

2. Students should investigate the country before writing a report.

3. Have the students fill in the blanks of the thinking triangle on page 29, which will be included in their

report.

4. Have the students include agricultural aspects such as weather/climate, topography/landscape, soil

types, etc. in their report. Each student should use these findings in their discussion of why the people

of their assigned country can grow specific foods and why they can’t grow other types of food. Students

should also discuss nutritional aspects. Does the food purchased fulfill all the nutritional needs of the

people in that country?

5. After all students have completed their report, discuss how the United States differs from other

countries. What kind of land and climate do we have? What types of food do we buy? How much

money do American families spend on food?

Lesson Extender:

1. Have students compare and contrast different families from the book. They could compare types of

food eaten, how much money was spent on food for the week, obesity rates, birth/death rates, etc.

Hungry Planet!

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“The Thinking Triangle”

Directions: Use the thinking triangle and record your thoughts about the image. Row 1: (Who, What?) Who or what does this image represent? Describe it in one word. Row 2: (When?) Think about the time period this image represents and describe it in two words. Row 3: (Where?) Think about the place shown in the image and describe it in three words. Row 4: (How?) Think of a how question that this image answers and write the answer in four words. Row 5: (Why?) Think of a why question that this image answers and write the answer in five words.

Find additional materials and resources at http://Barat-TPS.org and http://PrimarySourceNexus.org

Adapted from Barat Education Foundation

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Questions & Responses Grade Level: 2-6

Objective: After completing this activity, students will understand how to analyze different images. They

will be looking at each image piece by piece and will be able to discuss what the images represent.

Common Core: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.1-4.1; RI.3.7-6.7

Teacher Resources:

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/tps/journal/common_core/pdf/common_core.pdf

http://primarysourcenexus.org/2012/03/analyzing-primary-source-images-common-core-state-

standards-alignment/

Activity Resources:

Growing a Nation: Images: http://www.agclassroom.org/gan/sources/additional.htm

Library of Congress: Images: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/

Sample Picture: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3a20000/3a24000/3a24500/3a24566v.jpg

Sample Picture: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/fsa/8a13000/8a13100/8a13129v.jpg

Directions:

1. Read through the teacher resources to learn more about connecting to the common core by analyzing

primary source images.

2. Growing a Nation and The Library of Congress are both great resources with many different images to

use for the students to analyze. The links are listed above. Check out the two sample pictures listed

above that can also be used for this activity.

3. Once the students have chosen at least two pictures to analyze, hand out the question and response

chart on page 31. The students will answer all of the questions while analyzing the images.

4. Lastly, come together as a class and have a class discussion about each image.

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Question and Responses Chart

Find additional materials and resources at http://Barat-TPS.org and http://PrimarySourceNexus.org

Adapted from Barat Education Foundation

Right There

What do I see?

Think and Search

How do the individual details relate to one another? How do the details complete the image? What do these details add to the information, story, or idea presented by the image?

Creator and Me Why did the creator choose to include the things I see? What did he/she want me to think and feel? What details in the image support my thinking?

On My Own

What does this image remind me of? What would I be doing or thinking if I were a person or object in this image? What conclusions can I draw about this image? What more would I like to know about the information, story or idea presented by the image? What questions should I ask to learn more?

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Text Features Grade Level: 1-3

Objective: After completing this activity the students will know many different text features and how they

help them as readers.

Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.5; RI.2.5; RI.3.5

Suggested Reading Materials:

IAITC Ag Mags

Textbooks

Magazine Articles

Webpages

Background Information:

Authors include text features to help the reader better understand what they have read. Text features

provide information that may not be written in the text itself. They can be found in textbooks, magazine

articles, newspapers, reports, web pages, and other forms of nonfiction text.

Directions:

1. Using one of the suggested reading materials, the students will look for all of the different text features

listed below.

• Bold • Graphs • Maps • Illustrations • Diagrams

• Clipart • All Caps • Color • Italics • Underline

• Highlight • Borders • Headings • Table of Contents • Insets and Sidebars

• Bullets • Numbering • Photos • Asterisks • Stars

• Timelines • Glossary • Captions • Labels • Index

Lesson Extender:

Check out the link below for more teaching tools for text features.

http://page.reallygoodstuff.com/pdfs/157556.pdf

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Grade Level: K-3 Objective: Students will learn about renewable and non-renewable resources, as well as building fine motor skills. Common Core: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1; W.3.7 Next Generation Science Standards: Structures and Properties of Matter: 2-PS1-1; 2-PS1-3 Engineering Design: K-2.ETS1-1; K-2-ETS1-2 Suggested Reading Materials: IAITC Corn Ag Mag Corn Terra Nova Corn by Gail Gibbons | ISBN: 0823422453 What You Will Need: Cornstarch Packing Peanuts Introduction: Cornstarch packing peanuts are biodegradable and decompose in water, leaving no toxic waste. Because the peanuts begin to break down in water, the peanuts can be used to construct sculptures and art. Simply “lick and stick.” Cornstarch packing peanuts can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom. Here are a few ideas: Classroom Activities: 1. Use the packing peanuts as an interest approach. Each student thinks of something different when

they hear the word “agriculture.” Have your students build something related to agriculture. To make it more interesting, give your students some stipulations, such as:

Time Limit—Give your students 10 minutes to construct their idea of agriculture. Height—You are looking for the tallest structure. Sturdiness—Structures should be free-standing. When time is up, have them let go and then

measure the tallest structure that can stand on its own.

2. Another interest approach idea: Give students the title of an upcoming reading assignment or book. What does each student think of when they hear that title? What will the book be about? Have each student construct their idea.

3. For young students learning numbers or the alphabet, give them a piece of paper with a number or letter on it. Have them “trace” the number or letter with corn packing peanuts by having them lick and stick them together.

Corn Packing Peanuts

Corn Packing Peanuts: www.uline.com Search “Cornstarch Peanuts”

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The Disappearing Packing Peanut Observation/Research

Head to the Soybean station and place one small cup of each type of packing peanut into a larger cup.

List the characteristic of each type of packing peanut on the sheet provided. Describe each type of

peanut in detail.

List how you think these peanuts are different.

In today’s world many are often very interested in products being biodegradable. In this experiment, we

will want to determine which of these peanuts are made from a biodegradable product.

Hypothesis

Form a TOPIC Sentence and a HYPOTHESIS for this Packing Peanut Project

Experiment

Head to the WHEAT STATION and get two cups of water. Get the same amount of water in each cup.

Slowly poor the water into each cup of packing peanuts observe and record the reaction of the packing

peanuts to water.

Conclusion

At the conclusion of the experiment can you reject or accept you Hypothesis?

Next head to the CORN Station and pick up the Corn Ag Mag, and read page 3 CORN BASED

PRODUCTS, FIELD CORN and add what what you think the dissolved peanuts are made from to your

Lab Notes.

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The Disappearing Packing Peanut

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LAB NOTES

OBSERVATIONS:

TOPIC SENTENCE: HYPOTHESIS:

The Disappearing Packing Peanut

Packing Peanut A Packing Peanut B

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LAB NOTES EXPERIMENT OBSERVATIONS:

What do you think is the main ingredient in the packing peanut that disappeared?

The Disappearing Packing Peanut

Packing Peanut A Packing Peanut B

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Grade Level: 3-4

Objective:

After completing this activity, students will understand how sensitive fats and proteins are to new

substances and how this sensitivity helps control the molecules in milk so different products can be made

from milk.

Common Core:

Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3; RI.4.4; RI.4.5; RF.4.3a

Mathematics: CCSS.Math.Content.4.MD.A.2; 4.MD.B.4

Next Generation Science Standards:

Structure & Properties of Matter: 5-PS1-1; 5-PS1-2; 5-PS1-3; 5-PS1-4

Suggested Reading Material:

IAITC Dairy Ag Mag

Dairy Terra Nova

Clarabelle by Cris Peterson | ISBN: 1590783107

Introduction:

Milk is mostly water but it also contains vitamins, minerals, proteins and tiny droplets of fat suspended in

solution. Fats and proteins are sensitive to changes in the surrounding solution (the milk).

When you add soap, the weak chemical bonds that hold the proteins in the solution are altered. It becomes

a free-for-all! The molecules of protein and fat bend, roll, twist and contort in all directions. The food

coloring molecules are bumped and shoved everywhere, providing an easy way to observe all the invisible

activity.

At the same time, soap molecules combine to form a micelle, or cluster of soap molecules. These micelles

distribute the fat in the milk. This rapidly mixing fat and soap causes swirling and churning where a micelle

meets a fat droplet.

Milk is mostly water and it has surface tension like water. The drops of food coloring floating on the surface

tend to stay put. Liquid soap wrecks the surface tension by breaking the cohesive bonds between water

molecules and allowing the colors to zing throughout the milk. What a party!

Milk and So Much More

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What You Will Need:

• Milk (whole or 2%)

• Dinner Plate

• Cotton Swabs

• Food Coloring (red, yellow, green, blue)

• Dish-Washing Soap (Dawn brand works well)

Directions:

1. Pour enough milk in the dinner plate to completely cover the bottom. Allow the milk to settle. There

should be no ripples in the milk before starting this activity.

2. Add one drop of each of the four colors of food coloring - red, yellow, blue, and green - to the milk.

Keep the drops close together in the center of the plate of milk.

3. Find a clean cotton swab for the next part of the experiment. Predict what will happen when you touch

the tip of the cotton swab to the center of the milk. It's important not to stir the mix. Just touch it with the

tip of the cotton swab.

4. Now, place a drop of liquid dish soap on the other end of the cotton swab. Place the soapy end of the

cotton swab back in the middle of the milk and hold it there for 10 to 15 seconds.

5. Add another drop of soap to the tip of the cotton swab and try it again. Experiment with placing the

cotton swab at different places in the milk.

Review:

1. Describe how the milk reacted when you first added the food coloring drops (step number 2).

2. What did you predict would happen when you touched the cotton swab to the center of the milk, why

(step number 3)? Explain what actually happened.

3. Explain what happened when the soapy cotton swab was held on the surface of the milk.

4. What happened when you placed the soapy cotton swab in different locations of the plate? Would this

work with the plain cotton swab, why or why not?

5. What makes the food coloring in the milk move?

6. Explain why this activity would or would not work with regular tap water.

Milk and So Much More

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Grade Level: K-3 Objective: This activity is designed to help students in sequencing and building models as well as help them understand the life cycle of an apple.

Common Core: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.3; W.4.2

Mathematics: CCSS.Math.Content.4.MD.2

Next Generation Science Standards:

Animals, Plants & their Environment: K-LS1-1

Weather & Climate: 3-ESS2-1

Life Cycles & Traits: 3-LS1-1; 3-LS3-1

Suggested Reading Materials: IAITC Apple Ag Mag Apple Terra Nova From Seed to Apple by Anita Ganeri | ISBN: 1403478716 Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson | ISBN: 1416967460 What You Will Need: • 2 Red Paper Plates per student • Stapler & Staples • Yarn • Colored Construction Paper • Tape • Hole Punch • Templates—www.agintheclassroom.org Activity Instructions: 1. Print each template on construction paper: seed (brown), tree (green), blossom

(pink), bee (yellow), little apple (green). Punch a hole on each side of the items you made with construction paper. The seed needs a hole on one side only.

2. Staple two red paper plates together around 2/3 of the edge. Leave the other 1/3 open.

3. Tape a piece of yarn to the inside of the stapled paper plates and extend the yarn out of the opening.

4. Add a stem to the red paper plates to make them look like an apple.

5. Tie the little green apple to the yarn coming out of the apple. Tie the bee to the little green apple. Tie the blossom to the bee. Tie the tree to the blossom. Tie the seed to the tree. These should all form a chain.

6. Tuck the green apple, bee, blossom, tree, and seed into the apple. Starting with seed, slowly pull shapes out of the apple and tell the story of how apples grow.

Apple Chain

Lesson Extender: Have students research each step and write a short paragraph explaining what happens at each phase

of the life cycle of an apple. Research how long each phase takes. Measure and adjust the string length to incorporate a scale for

time.

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Grade Level: K-6 Objective: Upon completion of this activity, students will have a better understanding of the plant germination process. Common Core: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3; RI.4.4; RI.4.5; RF.4.3a Mathematics: CCSS.Math.Content.4.MD.A.2 Next Generation Science Standards: Structure & Properties of Matter: 5-PS1-4 Suggested Reading Materials: IAITC Soybean Ag Mag Soybean Terra Nova Super Soybean by Raymond Bial | ISBN: 0807575496 Oh Say Can You Seed by Bonnie Worth | ISBN: 0375810951 What You Will Need: • Jewelry Size Resealable Bag • Measuring Spoons • Hole Punch • Water • Crystal Soil • Soybeans • Yarn Activity Instructions: 1. Punch a hole in the top of your bag. 2. Place 1/4 teaspoon of Crystal Soil into the bag. 3. Add two soybeans to the bag. 4. Add one tablespoon of water. 5. Seal your bag firmly. 6. Insert the yarn to make a necklace. 7. Wear your Beanie Baby around your neck and under your shirt to keep it in a warm, dark place. 8. Check your Beanie Baby several times a day for germination and record the growth.

Apply mathematics to ensure accurate measurements. This will help grow a healthy soybean.

Vocabulary: Seed Coat—outside cover that protects the seed. Embryo—part of a seed that develops into a new plant, including the stem, leaves and roots. Cotyledon—the first leaf or pair of leaves within the embryo. A part of the seed that stores food.

Beanie Baby

Crystal Soil/Soil Moist for Beanie Babies: Can purchase from gardening centers (Lowes, Menards, etc.) or plant nurseries Look for “Soil Moist” or “Crystal Soil” Can also purchase from Flinn Scientific: http://www.flinnsci.com/ Catalog #’s, FB0381 (yellow), FB0382 (blue), FB0383 (red), FB0384 (green), or

FB1602 (clear) $4.95 for 2.5 oz

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Grade Level: 3-5

Objective: After completing this exercise, students will have a better understanding of reading maps as

well as the diversity of crops in Illinois.

Common Core: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1; RI.4.7; RF.4.4; W.5.7

Suggested Reading Materials:

Illinois Ag Mag

There’s a Map on My Lap by Tish Rabe | ISBN: 0375810994

What You Will Need:

• Access to the Internet • Illinois Maps • Markers or Crayons

Activity Instructions:

Using the Illinois county map on the next page, follow the directions below:

Using blue markers or crayons, draw the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers on the map. These rivers are

used to ship many agricultural products.

Morton, Illinois is the Pumpkin Capital of the World. Find the county where Morton is located and draw a

pumpkin inside it.

Route 66 provides excellent access for products and agricultural commodities to be hauled from Chicago

to the Pacific Coast. Trace out Route 66 and place the number 66 along the line.

Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s in Des Plaines, Illinois. Find the county where Des Plaines is

located and draw a large letter “M” inside it.

The Horseradish Capital of the World is located in Collinsville, Illinois. Find the county where Collinsville

is located and color it gray.

You can find one of the nation’s top bacon companies right here in Illinois. Oscar Mayer is located in

Chicago, Illinois. Find the county where it’s located and color it brown.

Bees are very helpful in the pollination of specialty crops. Sasse’s Apiary is located in Chestnut, Illinois.

Find Logan County and color it black and yellow.

Illinois grows more soybeans than most states, and Decatur is called the “Soybean Capital of the World.”

Find Macon County and color it light green.

Many consumers flock to Christmas tree farms to cut their own tree for the holidays. Richardson’s

Christmas Trees is located in Spring Grove, Illinois. Find its county and color it dark green.

The University of Illinois has one of the top ranked agriculture programs in the nation. Find Champaign

County and color it orange.

Corn is so important to McLean County agriculture that the baseball team, the “Normal CornBelters,” is

named after it! Find McLean County and color it purple.

Lesson Extender:

Research why some crops grow better in some areas. Does Illinois grow oranges? What about sugar?

Write two paragraphs to explain factors that influence the growth of crops in different regions.

Journey Across the State

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Grade Level: K-4

Objective: Students will have a better understanding of the growth and

development of a seed and the factors that affect it.

Common Core: Mathematics: CCSS.Math.Content.4.MD.A.2

Next Generation Science Standards:

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosytems: 5-PS3-1; 5-LS1-1

Structure Function and Information Processing: 4-LS1-1.A; 4-LS1-2

Suggested Reading Materials:

IAITC Soil Ag Mag

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin | ISBN: 006000150X

What You Will Need:

• Potting Soil • Fabric • Water • Jiggle Eyes

• Untreated Grass Seed • Baby Food Jars • Knee High Stockings

Activity Instructions:

1. Using knee-high stockings, place some grass seeds in the toe where you want the grass to grow. The

toe of the stockings is the top of the head for Soil Sam. The grass will look like hair when it grows.

2. Pack a handful of soil (roughly 1-1.5 cups) in the end of the stockings on top of the grass seeds. Make

sure the ball of soil is slightly larger than the baby food jar or the water bottle.

3. Tie a knot in the stockings under the ball of soil.

4. Completely wet the head of the Soil Sam. Place the top of the stockings (the bottom of the Soil Sam) in

the jar filled with water, making sure the head is above the mouth of the jar. The end of the stockings

will absorb the water to feed the grass seeds, which will germinate through the stockings. (You may

have to poke a few small holes in the top of the Soil Sam to help the grass get through.)

5. Now decorate! Suggestions are a round piece of fabric to fit over the mouth of the jar for a shirt. You

can add buttons to the shirt and jiggle eyes on the face and cut out felt for a mouth. Water as needed

and be sure to cut the grass (hair) and style as desired. Will the grass grow better or faster with

fertilizers? Try it out. Add different fertilizers to the soil and water to see which grows best.

Lesson Extender:

Try adding some of the following to your Soil Sam’s water and make predictions on what the outcome will

be. Make more than one Soil Sam and have students chart the differences in the grass.

Add to the Water: Store-bought liquid fertilizer, soda pop, apple juice, lemon scented liquid soap

Add to the Soil: Store-bought fertilizer stick, coffee grounds, baking soda, Epsom salt

Farmers have to be careful and not add too much fertilizer. They attend special classes and use math

problems to figure out the right amount.

Soil Sam

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Grade Level: 2-4

Objective: After completing this activity, students will have a better understanding

of our natural resources and how agriculture is important to their future.

Common Core: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.7; RF.4.4; W.4.1; W.4.9

Mathematics: CCSS.Math.Content.4.NF.3

Next Generation Science Standards:

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: 3-LS4-1; 3-LS4-4; 3-LS2-1

Inheritance and Variation of Traits: Life Cycles and Traits: 3-LS3-2

Energy: 4-PS3-4; ETS1.A

Suggested Reading Materials:

IAITC Soil Ag Mag

A Handful of Dirt by Raymond Bial | ISBN: 0802786987

What You Will Need:

• 1 Apple

• Paring Knife

• Cutting Board

Activity Instructions:

Soil is one of our most important natural resources on the earth’s surface. Many living things depend on it

for food. People do, too. Not all soil is good enough for plants to grow. Complete this activity to learn just

how little soil we have to grow food.

1. Cut an apple into four equal parts. Three parts represent the oceans of the world. The fourth part

represents the land area.

2. Cut the land section in half lengthwise. Now you have two 1/8 pieces. One section represents land such

as deserts, swamps, Antarctic, Arctic, and mountain regions. The other 1/8 section represents land

where man can live and may or may not be able to grow food.

3. Slice this 1/8 section crosswise into four equal parts. Three of these 1/32 sections represent the areas

of the world that are too rocky, too wet, too hot, or where soils are too poor to grow food. Plus, we can’t

grow food on some land because cities and other man-made structures are built on it.

4. Carefully peel the last 1/32 section. The peel on this small piece represents the amount of soil on which

we have to grow food. This amount of soil will never get any bigger.

Extended Response:

Why is soil so important? Think about its impact on agriculture and the foods you eat. Be sure to include

your own experiences along with information from the Soil Ag Mag to support your answer.

A Slice of Soil

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Grade Level: K-3

Objective: By completing this activity, students will have a better understanding of where their food comes

from and good nutritional habits, as well as practice math through measuring.

Common Core: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.1; RI.3.2

Mathematics: Measurement and Data.3.MD.2

Next Generation Science Standards:

Structures and Properties of Matter: 2-PS1-1; 2-PS1-3

Suggested Reading Materials:

IAITC Pumpkin Ag Mag

Pumpkin Terra Nova

Life Cycle of a Pumpkin by Ron Fridell & Patricia Walsh | ISBN: 143292544X

Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell | ISBN: 0807566667

What You Will Need:

• 1 Gallon Ziploc® Freezer Bag • 2 2/3 Cups Cold Milk

• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon • Scissors

• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger • Graham Cracker Crumbs

• 26 Small Cups • 1 Can Whipped Topping

• 26 Spoons

• 2 Packages (4 serving size) Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix

• 1 Can (15 ounces) Solid-Pack Pumpkin

Activity Instructions:

1. Combine the milk and instant pudding in the Ziploc bag.

2. Remove the air and Ziploc shut.

3. Squeeze and knead with hands until blended for 1 minute.

4. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger.

5. Remove the air and Ziploc shut.

6. Squeeze and knead with hands until blended for 2 minutes.

7. Place 1/2 tablespoon of graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of small cups.

8. Cut the corner of the gallon freezer bag and squeeze pie filling into cups.

9. Garnish with whipped topping.

10. Add a spoon. Serve and enjoy.

11. Discuss pumpkin production while students are eating.

Pumpkin Patch Pie

Yield - 25 students and 1 teacher. Ingredients can be divided by 4 or 5 for students to work in small groups. Make sure to use math to get the correct batch!

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Grade Level: K-4

Objective: This lesson will introduce students to wheat as a plant and how that plant becomes food(s).

Common Core: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3; RI.4.4; RI.4.5; RF.4.3a

Next Generation Science Standards:

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: 3-LS4-3; 3-LS4-4 Structure, Function and Information Processing: 4-LS1-1 Suggested Reading Materials: Wheat Terra Nova Farmer George Plants a Nation by Peggy Thomas & Layne Johnson | ISBN: 1620910292 Bread Comes to Life by George Levenson | ISBN: 1582461147

What You Will Need:

• Wheat Stalks • Salt or Pepper Grinder

Directions:

1. Show students wheat stalks.

2. Go over the parts of the wheat stalk with the students to familiarize them with the parts so they can understand the directions for dissection.

Stalk—the entire plant.

Head—the part of the wheat plant that contains the kernels.

Beard—the bristle-like parts of the wheat plant that cover and protect the kernels.

Kernel—the seed from which the wheat plant is grown or that people harvest from the wheat plant to grind into flour.

Stem/Straw—the part of the wheat plant that supports the head and is known as straw after harvest.

3. Dissect the wheat using the following steps:

Hand out stalks of wheat to the students.

Break the head off the stem.

Make a straw out of the stem by breaking it to avoid the nodes.

Lay the wheat head flat on a hard surface and pat with your hand to shake out the kernels.

Have the students count their kernels.

4. Put the kernels of wheat into a salt or pepper grinder and have the students mill their wheat into flour. What simple machines are being used?

5. Talk about different ways to grind wheat. The Native Americans did it using rocks, etc. Have students design their own method of grinding wheat and then test their machines.

6. Talk about the uses of wheat flour to make pastas, breads, desserts, etc.

Lesson Extender:

1. Have students find the gluten in wheat by chewing the kernels. Before there was chewing gum in the store, farmers made their own with grains of wheat! This and other activities can be found in the back of the book Bread Comes to Life.

Adapted from Wheat mAGic Kit

Wheat Milling

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Grade Level: K-4

Objective: By examining cotton, students will grasp and be able to relate how cotton influenced the slave

trade, slave culture, economic policies, the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution.

Common Core Standards: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RI.4.3; RI.4.4; RI.4.5; RF.4.3a

Mathematics: Math.Content.3.0A.A.1

Next Generation Science Standards:

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems.3-LS4-3; 3-LS4-4

Structure, Function and Information Processing.4-LS1-1

Suggested Reading Material:

Cotton Terra Nova

What You Will Need:

Order Cotton Bolls from www.cottonman.com

Background:

If you ask someone “What was the cause of the Civil War?” chances are they will answer “slavery.” True,

but why did the South want or need slaves? Cotton. Cotton picking was a job for healthy adult slaves.

Generally, these slaves would hand pick cotton in the fields all day.

Ginning cotton means to remove the lint or fiber from the seed. It is important to remember that the more

lint one removed from the seed, the more profit from each boll. Your students may have anywhere from 12-

42 plus seeds per boll, as did the slaves. A slave could gin one pound of cotton a day. Eli Whitney is

generally credited with the invention of the cotton gin (1793). He basically wanted to “rake” the fiber from

the seeds. His machine, operated by a hand-crank, revolutionized the production of cotton.

With the invention of the cotton gin, one slave could gin 50 pounds of cotton a day. Did this mean

plantation owners needed fewer slaves? No, this machine meant cotton was a more profitable crop. Now

plantation owners needed more slaves to produce more cotton.

Today, the United States produces 43 million tons of cotton annually. The largest cotton producing states

are Texas, Mississippi, and Georgia. Cotton is even an important crop in the West. Arizona and California

are well-known for their Pima cotton, which is a finer, more expensive cotton fiber. Most of those fuzzy

seeds are fed to dairy cattle or processed into cottonseed oil, which can be found in nearly every kind of

snack food including chocolate candy bars.

King Cotton

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Ginning Process:

1. Cotton bolls, made up of fiber and seeds, are fed into the cotton gin.

The dark arrows show the path of the cotton through the gin.

2. As the handle is turned, the cylinder and brushes rotate.

3. Wire teeth catch the cotton fibers and pull them through narrow wire

slots.

4. The seeds are too large to pass through the slots. They fall to the

bottom of the gin.

5. Rotating brushes pull cleaned cotton fiber from the wire teeth and

sweep it out of the gin.

Activity Instructions:

1. Share the background information about cotton and slavery with your

students.

2. Give each student or group of students one cotton boll (see materials list) for ginning.

3. Have your students examine the woody stem and the boll holding the cotton fibers. Ask them to predict

how many seeds they think are in their boll.

4. Ask students if they can understand why it was so painful to pick this plant by hand. Would gloves have

been available? Would it have been possible to gin cotton by hand with gloves? What may slaves have

used to protect their hands from getting cut?

5. Ask students to gin the cotton, removing the seeds from the fibers. Listening to Negro spirituals while

your students are ginning will enhance the experience. Slaves sang to pass time while they worked.

Many Negro spirituals can be downloaded from negrospirituals.com. What cultural differences may be

expressed by this music? Do we still use music to pass the time while we work? What does the kind of

music we listen to say about our cultural heritage?

6. Ask students to compare their prediction (step 3) with the actual number of seeds. Were there more or

less than they thought? How did they like the work? Why would people have had so few changes of

clothes during this time period?

7. Discuss the invention of the cotton gin. Ask your students how many years passed after the invention of

the cotton gin until the beginning of the Civil War. Did the tension between the Northern and Southern

states escalate after this important invention?

Adapted from Growing a Nation found at www.agclassroom.org/gan/

King Cotton

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Lesson Extender:

Ask students to consider how many cotton bolls are needed to produce a pair of jeans. Want to find out?

Borrow a scale from the science teacher and weigh a pair of jeans and one ginned cotton boll. Do the math;

you’ll need to gin about 360 bolls (for jeans that weigh 3 pounds).

One bale of cotton weighs about 480 pounds and is about the size of your refrigerator.

With one bale of cotton you can make one of the following items:

215 pairs of jeans

409 men’s sport shirts

690 terry bath towels

765 men’s dress shirts

1,217 men’s T-shirts

3,085 diapers

4,321 mid-calf socks

313,600 $100 bills

Use the information above to answer the following questions. Round

your answer to 2 decimal places.

How many pounds of cotton does it take to make one pair of jeans?

How many pounds of cotton does it take to make one sport shirt?

How many bath towels can be made from one pound of cotton?

How many men’s dress shirts can be made from one pound of cotton?

How many men’s T-shirts can be made from one pound of cotton?

How many diapers can be made from one pound of cotton?

How many mid-calf socks can be made from one pound of cotton?

How many $100 bills can be made from one pound of cotton?

King Cotton

31

Futures Farming Grade Level: 4-8

Objective: Students will demonstrate an understanding of marketing farm commodities by selling them

(represented by M&M’s candy) for a profit, demonstrate the ability to equate simple math functions,

observe the challenges a farmer faces when marketing commodities by completing a hands-on activity, and

define terms: commodity, acre, bushel, futures, expenses, profit and crop.

Common Core: Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.2; RI.4.6; W.5.1; SL.4.1;

Mathematics: CCSS.Math.Content.4.OA.A.3; 7.SP.A.1

Suggested Reading Materials:

What is Scarcity of Resources? by Jessica Cohn | ISBN: 077874261X

What is Trade? by Carolyn Andrews | ISBN: 0778742636

What is Supply and Demand? by Paul Challen | ISBN: 0778744574

Introduction:

A lot of planning goes into the sale of a farmer’s crop. In order to make the most money, a farmer must

predict when he will receive the best price for his or her crop, even before the crop is harvested. This is

called “futures” because the prediction the farmer makes is based on the future. The futures market can be

both complicated and risky. In this activity, students will see if they are good predictors with their “crop” in

hopes of making the most money. Share these definitions with your students before starting the activity:

Futures: Commodities or stocks bought or sold upon agreement of delivery at a later time. A

farmer only gets paid when he or she sells a crop. That payment may only be once a

year (after harvest in November) or if he or she sells the crop before it is harvested -

“future.”

Crop: The total yield of agricultural produce in a given season or place.

Commodity: A commercial article, especially an agriculture or mining product, that can be

transported.

Acre: Portion of land about the size of a football field.

Bushel: How the crop is measured; can be measured by weight or amount.

Expenses/ Items the farmer must pay for in order to stay in business; examples: Electricity,

Inputs: gasoline, taxes, chemicals.

Profit: Amount of money made after expenses are paid.

What You Will Need:

“Futures Farming” Worksheet

1.4 oz Bag of M&M’s (per student)

Calculator

32

Futures Farming Activity Instructions:

Introduce the “Farmer’s Dilemma” activity by reading the introduction at the beginning of this lesson.

Then, place the terms given in the introduction on the board or overhead. Define the terms as a class or

have the students do this individually.

Pass out the bags of M&M’s and the worksheets. Do not open the M&M’s! Using their worksheet and

candy, students need to estimate how many M&M’s of each color they think might be in their single bag

before opening it.

Discuss the term “futures,” which the students defined earlier. A farmer has the opportunity to sell his/

her crop before they harvest it. For example, if the farmer thinks he might have 150 bushels of corn to

sell in the fall, he might sell 100 bushels ahead of time at a higher price. Why wouldn’t the farmer want

to sell all 150 bushels at a better price?

Answer: There might be a drought, flood or wind damage that could hurt the farmer’s yield, he or

she might not harvest 150 bushels of corn. In order to make money, that farmer must have the

number of bushels he or she sold ahead of time, otherwise he or she loses money. It is like

borrowing money; someday you have to pay it back. Remember, the farmer is taking a risk like

the students are doing with their candy. Imagine taking a risk with thousands of dollars, not just

candy.

Complete Step 3 on the worksheet. Have students open their M&M’s, no snacking yet.

Complete Step 4 on the worksheet. Students may eat their candy when the directions on the sheet

indicate to do so.

Complete Step 5 and finish the activity.

Discussion Questions:

How many of you realized that a farmer only makes money at certain times of the year?

How is the method of payment different than when some of your parents receive their paychecks?

What are some school subjects a farmer must be familiar with or understand well?

How would budgeting funds come into play in a farmer’s family life?

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Futures Farming WORKSHEET

STEP 1: Do not open your bag of M&M’s yet. Predict how many of each color of M&M’s

candy you will get in your bag. You will have approximately 55-60 M&M’s in the bag.

Blue________Brown________Red________Orange________Yellow________Green________

STEP 2: This is the pre-harvest phase. Would you like to sell your crop (or M&Ms) before you harvest

it and get a premium price for your commodity? Let’s say your teacher (or grain elevator) will

pay $4.50 now or $4.00 once you open your bag. Your teacher will also pay $4.75 for green

M&M’s or $4.25 after the bag is opened.

Pre-sold corn: Place the number you wish to sell in the first blank.

Blue ________ x $4.50 = ________

Brown ________ x $4.50 = ________

Red ________ x $4.50 = ________

Orange ________ x $4.50 = ________

Yellow ________ x $4.50 = ________

Green ________ x $4.75 = ________

Total Sold: ________ Total Made: $________

STEP 3: This is the harvest phase. Open your bag, but don’t eat the candy yet. Count how many

actual M&M’s you have of each color. Set aside the pre-sold M&M’s. Record the remaining

number of M&M’s (not pre-sold) below.

Blue________Brown________Red________Orange________Yellow________Green________

Take the information obtained above and use it below to find out how much money you made

on the M&M’s that were not pre-sold. If you oversold any color, place a zero in the space

below.

Blue ________ x $4.00 = ________

Brown ________ x $4.00 = ________

Red ________ x $4.00 = ________

Orange ________ x $4.00 = ________

Yellow ________ x $4.00 = ________

Green ________ x $4.25 = ________

Total Made: $________

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Futures Farming WORKSHEET CONTINUED

Add together the totals you made either from selling your crops at $4.50 or

$4.00 (or green candies at $4.75 or $4.25).

You may eat the rest of the candy you have left.

Overall total: $__________

STEP 4: Did you oversell any corn? Yes No

If yes (any color other than green), how many? ________ x $4.50 = ________

If yes (green only), how many? ________ x $4.75 = ________

Total Oversold $________

Overall Total: $__________ - Total Oversold $__________ = $__________

Final Questions:

1. How many of each color did you oversell?

2. Did you make good choices when it came to the predictions?

3. Which commodity had the highest amount sold?

4. What can you do differently if you were to do it again?

5. What did you learn about farming while doing this lesson?

6. What was one thing that surprised you about farming?

7. As a class, discuss your answers at the end of the worksheet. Figure out who made the most profit and

who owed the most. Explain why these students made the most or lost the most. Compare and

contrast each student’s outcome. Focus on the details and describe the differences and similarities.

8. What is one thing that surprised you about your predictions and actual calculations?

9. What did you learn about risk-taking? In your opinion, is it always better to take a risk? Was your

opinion the same before the activity?

10. What was your favorite thing about this mini-unit?

35

Futures Farming Extension Activities:

Averages

Group students in teams. Have the students calculate the following:

Average total M&M’s

Average M&M’s of each color

Average $ made from pre-sold

Average $ made not pre-sold

Average overall $ made

Use the averages to answer the following two questions:

What trends do you notice as a group? As a class?

In general did the group take more risks, or were they less risky?

Why is it important to calculate averages? Would this help in determining the risk?

Graph It Out

Have each student create several graphs to display their colors from the bag of M&M’s.

Bar Graph—Create one to show a side by side representation of each color in your bag. Then create a

second bar graph to show how many of each color were pre-sold and sold.

Pie Chart—Create this to show a percentage of the overall total for each color.

Compare your graphs and charts with other students in the class. What similarities and differences do you

see among the charts?

As a class, create the same graphs and charts for the overall averages.

Discuss with the students what they liked and did not like about the mini-unit. Have them give new ideas

about what could be added and what should be changed about it. If possible, have a speaker come in to

talk about farming. The students would most likely get a lot more information about the topic, and it will

clarify any other questions the teacher cannot answer.

Each student should write two paragraphs explaining the main idea of the unit. Explain using details from

the text and lesson.

Statistics

Using the information gained from the unit. Have students chart statistics from their population of M&M’s.

Explain the odds of drawing each color from the bag at random. Use this data to draw inferences. What

are the odds of randomly selecting each color? Which is most likely?

36

The IAITC program and the IAA Foundation are offering 20 grants of up to $250 to Pre-School through High School FIRST YEAR teachers across the state of Illinois to fund projects promoting agricultural literacy in the classroom.

To apply for project funding, please complete the form below, outlining the project, goals and desired outcomes.

Samples of funded grant applications can be found at www.agintheclassroom.org. Projects may be, but are not limited to, agricultural teaching units, classroom presentations, and

career fairs. Be creative and develop an interesting, valuable agricultural experience for your students. Projects should focus on integrating agriculture into a variety of curriculum areas.

Priority for grants will be given to grants that contain materials for use over multiple school years. Funding for field trips, landscaping and one time use consumables will not be granted.

Applications must be received in the IAITC office by 4:00 p.m. on October 1. NOTE: We are accepting ONLY postmarked (mailed) applications. Teachers selected for the project funding will be notified and receive an agreement to be signed and returned. A final report, accounting, and project evaluation will be due to IAITC by May 31. Guidelines for the final reports will be mailed with checks.

Illinois Ag In The Classroom Project Grants for First Year Teachers

Teacher’s Name Grade Level: (check as many as apply) Pre-School K 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th High School (List Subject Area/s: ) Name of School Phone# School Address City State Zip Code County of School Home Address City State Zip Code Email Address Home Phone# List the name of the college/institution or name of instructor where you saw an AITC presentation (if applicable)

37

Title of Project: Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards Addressed: (if you do not have a copy of the Common Core or Next Generation Science Standards, you may call your Regional Office of Education or visit http://www.corestandards.org/ or http://www.nextgenscience.org/) Number of Students Involved in Project: Objectives: (please use extra paper if needed) 1. 2. 3. Materials Needed: Be very specific. (please use extra paper if needed) Overview of Activity and Project Timeline: (please use extra paper if needed) Method of Project Evaluation: (please use extra paper if needed) Budget for Project: (please ITEMIZE and use extra paper if needed) SIGNATURE OF APPLICANT: X SIGNATURE OF BUILDING PRINCIPAL: X

PLEASE SEND THIS REQUEST TO:

ILLINOIS AG IN THE CLASSROOM, 1701 TOWANDA AVENUE BLOOMINGTON, IL 61701, Phone: 309-557-3334, FAX: 309-557-2641

Incomplete applications will not be considered. NOTE: We are accepting ONLY postmarked (mailed) applications.

An electronic version of this application can be found at www.agintheclassroom.org

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Page 30 Answers: 1. 2.23 2. 1.17 3. 1.44 4. 1.59 5. 2.54 6. 6.43 7. 9.00 8. 653.33

Answer Page

Page 20-21 Map Answer

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Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom 1701 Towanda Ave.

Bloomington, IL 61701 Phone: 309-557-3334

Fax: 309-557-2098 www.agintheclassroom.org

Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom Ag Mags are four-page colorful agricultural magazines for kids. They contain information about agriculture, classroom activities, career interviews and bright pictures.

To place your order for this FREE resource, visit www.agintheclassroom.org to find your county contact information.

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