(http://esseacourses.strategies.org)

Crops Investigation #8

Goal:

Students will become familiar with the major types of plants used in agriculture, both nationally and locally.

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

Standards Met:

Overview:

Students will use the resources to identify the 7 major crops grown in the United States and the major crops grown in their county.

Materials:

Resources:

Actions:

Prior to the lesson:

  1. The students have studied the difference between a fruit and a vegetable.

During the lesson:

  1. Start class with a discussion of the following question: "What are the major crops grown in the United States?" 
  2. Use the resource "Major U.S. crop plants" to find out the answer to this question.
  3. Discuss the crops that are grown locally.  "How many of this crops are grown locally?"  "Does anyone in class live on a farm or have relatives that farm?" "Which of these crops are grown in that farm?"
  4. Note that there are crops that are grown locally that are not on this list.  "Are there crops grown locally or crops that you know are grown in large abundance that are missing from this list?"  "Why do you think that they missing from the list?"  "How can we find out what crops are grown in our county?" 
  5. Use the resource "USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service" to find the answer to this question.  From the homepage of the USDA NASS, you can search for different types of information. To obtain statistics specifically about your state, select your state from the drop-down box at the bottom of the list in the gray box at the left of the page. This takes for the main page for your state. For information about the crops that are grown in your county, select Profiles State and County. On the state map on the next page, select your county. You will be asked to download a PDF file. This profile contains a list of the crops that are grown in your county.
  6. In class, or as a homework assignment, each student should make a bar graph showing the 5 (or whatever number you choose) major crops grown in your state.  (It might be advisable to discuss the differences between line graphs and bar graphs and when it is appropriate to use each.)

Extensions:

  1. A comparison of crops for neighboring counties could be made.
  2. A comparison of crops for your state and neighboring states could be made.

Assessment:

The students will make a bar graph.

Reflection:

Please write a reflection after you teach this lesson to help us make improvements. Reflections should be e-mailed to j.okeefe@moreheadstate.edu and c.wymer@moreheadstate.edu. If you also complete student reflections, please include these as well.