Farming in the Midwest

Author: Andrea Quast  10/20/2004 03:18:00 PM EST		 TaskStream - Advancing Educational Excellence

VITAL INFORMATION
Subject(s):
Agriculture, Careers, History, Technology
 
Topic or Unit of Study:
Farming in the United States Midwest
 
Grade/Level:
3-5
 
Objective:
After viewing the web sites on the attached hot list, the students will be able to describe 3 different types of farms that exist in the Midwest that will be used to make a Kid Pix movie about Midwest Farmers.
 
Summary:
The students will research types of farms that exist in the Midwest. Three types of farms will be described using the type of euipment used, the product the farm produces, and how that product is produced. After the students have found enough information, they will go to the computer lab and create a Kid Pix movie that shows their research.
 
IMPLEMENTATION
Learning Context:
The students have been learning about different careers in our society. They will be learning how a Midwest farmer contributes to our society.
 
Procedure:
Introduction:
Does anyone know why the Midwest is called the "bread basket" of America?
Does what kind of jobs do you think contribute to the naming of the "bread basket"?
Are there other types of farms in the Midwest besides grain farms?
We have been talking about all sorts of different careers that exist in our society. Today we are going to investigate, on the web, what types of farms exist in the Midwest. I want you to find three different types of farms, what tools are used on these farms, what they produce, and how it is produced. Then, I want to make a Kid Pix movie that displays the research you found. Later, we will share these with the classroom and make them available on the web so you can inform your friends and family as well.

Procedure:
Researching (45 min)
1. Students will get attached handout of 5 web sites where they can research the types of farms that exist in the Midwest. This is a directed search so time is not wasted and the children find web sites that are age appropriate.
2. Students will research the web in the computer lab. Students are told that links found on the web sites directed could also be used to help them find additional information.
3. Students will have 45 minutes to do their research online.
4. Students will be making a web of the information that they found.

Kid Pix (50 min)
1. Students should already have knowledge on how to use Kid Pix, but adult helpers will be available.
2. The teacher will show the class an example of a Kid Pix movie on the same subject.
3. The students will make a 5 slide Kid Pix movie that has at least three graphics, and one sentence each.
4. When the student has finished the Kid Pix movie, the teacher will save it in Quicktime format and post in on the classroom web site.

Lesson Summary (50 min)
The class will look at all of the Kid Pix movies made and learn more information from the different material present in each one. The teacher will lead the group in a final task to summarize the different types of farms on a giant size web the classroom makes as a whole.
 
Differentiated Instruction:
A child with either physical or mental disabilities will have access to the materials and resources that they may require. These might be special software that uses voice cues instead of typing, a more accessible mouse, etc. If the school does not possess these items, I would make sure a helper was available to help the child with difficult tasks. As for children with mental disabilities, I would pair them up with another child who is very computer literate to help them, or again, have a helper that could scaffold the lesson for the student.
 
Sample Student Products:  
 
Collaboration:
Students will work individually.
 
Time Allotment:
3 class periods. 50 Min. per class.
 
Author's Comments & Reflections:  
 
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES
Instructional Materials:
Attachments
  1. Web site Evaluation
Links
  1. Cyber Space Fun Explore farms and ranches, and learn about farm animals and crops that provide food and products. Photos available.
  2. The Story of Milk Takes students on a virual tour of how a dairy farm produces milk.
  3. 4-H Virtual farming Provides students with links to all sort of different Midwest farms.
  4. Dairy Facts Explores the facts of Dairy Farming.
  5. Livestock Manager Video Show a video on a beef cattle farm and the types of jobs required.
  6. Life on a Pig Farm A young girl Megan tells about life on a Michigan Pig Farm.
  7. Gone Hog Wild Clink on the Cyber Farm Tour to look at a hog farm in Iowa.
 
Resources:
  • Technology resources:
    Internet Explorer, Kid Pix
  • The number of computers required is 1 per student.
  • Students Familiarity with Software Tool:
    Kids should already be familiar with Kid Pix.
  • Must check computer lab schedule to ensure availability.
 
STANDARDS & ASSESSMENT
Standards:
USA- AASL- American Assc. of School Librarians: Info. Literacy Standards for Student Learning (old)
• Area : Information Literacy
From Chapter 2, "Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning," of Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning by American Association of School Librarians and Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Copyright 1998 American Library Association and Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Reprinted by permission of the American Library Association.
 Standard 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.
 Standard 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently
 Standard 3: The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively

USA- ISTE: Profiles for Technology Literate Students (includes NETS for Students) (old)
• Grade : Grades 3-5

Numbers in parentheses following each performance indicator refer to the standards category to which the performance is linked. The categories are:
1. Basic operations and concepts
2. Social, ethical, and human issues
3. Technology productivity tools
4. Technology communications tools
5. Technology research tools
6. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools

Reprinted from National Educational Technology Standards for Students - Connecting Curriculum and Technology, copyright © 2000, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 541.302.3777 (Int’l), iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. All rights reserved. For more information about the NETS Project, contact Lajeane Thomas, Director, NETS Project, 318.257.3923, lthomas@latech.edu. Reprint permission does not constitute an endorsement by ISTE or the NETS Project.

 Performance Objective 1: Use keyboards and other common input and output devices (including adaptive devices when necessary) efficiently and effectively. (1)
 Performance Objective 2: Discuss common uses of technology in daily life and the advantages and disadvantages those uses provide. (1, 2)
 Performance Objective 3: Discuss basic issues related to responsible use of technology and information and describe personal consequences of inappropriate use. (2)
 Performance Objective 4: Use general purpose productivity tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, remediate skill deficits, and facilitate learning throughout the curriculum. (3)
 Performance Objective 5: Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, Web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)
 Performance Objective 6: Use telecommunications efficiently to access remote information, communicate with others in support of direct and independent learning, and pursue personal interests. (4)

MI- Michigan Curriculum Frameworks
• Subject: Technology
• Standard 1: Using and Transferring
All students will use and transfer technological knowledge and skills for life roles (family member, citizen, worker, consumer, lifelong learner).
• Key Idea: Citizen
• Grade EE - Early Elementary
 Performance Benchmark 4: Recognize/explore technological systems in your community.
• Standard 2: Using Information Technologies Using Information Technologies
All students will use technologies to input, retrieve, organize, manipulate, evaluate, and communicate information.
• Key Idea: Retrieve / Manipulate / Communicate
• Grade EE - Early Elementary
 Performance Benchmark 2: Process information retrieved electronically.
• Subject: Social Studies
• Strand II: Geographic Perspective
Students will use knowledge of spatial patterns on earth to understand processes that shape human environments and to make decisions about society. Knowledge of geography enables us to analyze both the physical features and the cultural aspects of our world. By helping us understand relationships within and between places, a geographic perspective brings an understanding of interdependence within local, national, and global communities. Over time and in varying contexts, students construct an increasingly sophisticated geographic perspective organized by the following themes:
• Standard II.2 : Human/Environment Interaction
All students will describe, compare, and explain the locations and characteristics of ecosystems, resources, human adaptation, environmental impact, and the interrelationships among them. Understanding human/environment interaction enables one to consider how people rely on the environment, how they alter it, how it may limit what they are able to do, and the consequences of actions for both people and the natural environment.
• Grade EE - Early Elementary
 Performance Benchmark 1: Describe how people use the environment to meet human needs and wants.
 Performance Benchmark 2: Describe the ways in which their environment has been changed by people, and the ways their lives are affected by the environment.
 
Assessment/Rubrics:
Rubrics
  1. MIdwest Farming Research and Kid Pix