• Students will use their science writing journals to reflect on what they learned. Students should be able to identify what the planting and harvesting process looks like, and what machinery is used.

• The written product will provide students and teachers with a way of evaluating what students have learned in this lesson. Provide students with the opportunity to share their writing with the class or a cooperative learning group.

• Write and illustrate a book about the planting and harvesting process.

Food and Fiber System Scoring Rubric:

Points	Description
2	Student fully explains his/her understanding of the planting and harvesting process. Illustrations are included and they are neat, colorful, and creative. Student has excellent use of grammar and punctuation.
1	Student shows some understanding of planting and harvesting process, but has left out some key points. Illustrations are included, and they are somewhat neat, colorful, and creative. Student has satisfactory use of grammar and punctuation.
0	Student did not understand the assignment or made no attempt to complete the assignment.

Students come to each unit with various levels of background knowledge. Use the KWL Chart (S-4-4-3_ KWL Chart.doc) to establish students’ background knowledge. Remind them that they will come back to this chart as a class during the lesson. Encourage students to list what they want to know, as this will help direct instruction and provide areas students can research on their own. It is imperative to come back to the final section of the KWL Chart as this will provide reflective thought.

Warm Up Activity

Hand out copies of the Warm Up Activity sheet (S-4-4-3_Warm Up Activity.doc). Ask students to make a list of three things they use and consume each day; then ask them to list the origin of the product. Their list may include items such as food, clothing, and household appliances. After they have made a list of three items and their origin, have a few students share their thoughts. Some students may not know the origin of their item; circulate around the room to help them. Also provide students with Internet access to support their research on the origins of their items.

Open the lesson by establishing background knowledge about agriculture and the planting process. Distribute copies of the KWL Chart (S-4-4-3_ KWL Chart.doc) and work together as a class to complete the chart.

It is important that students understand the vocabulary they will interact with during the lesson. Guide students in completing the Vocabulary Builder Box (S-4-4-3_Vocabulary Builder Box.doc), which allows students to put the meaning of the word in kid-friendly language, determine what the word does not mean, use the word in a sentence, and represent the word with a nonlinguistic representation.

Introduce each of the vocabulary words listed below (definitions taken from Webster’s Dictionary, Webster’s Dictionary online, and All Kinds of Farms by Ann Larkin Hansen.) Ask students to fill out the Vocabulary Builder Box using these words. Some students will not be able to fill in the whole box, but can come back to it as they become more familiar with the key words.

• Agriculture: Cultivation of soil, producing crops, raising livestock, and in varying degrees, marketing of the products.

• Farm: A plot of land devoted to the raising of animals, livestock, and agriculture.

• Soil: Surface layer of earth supporting plant life.

• Harvest: Collection of crops from the soil, vine, or stalk.

• Crops: Fruits and vegetables grown on the farm.

• Irrigation: The supplying of water to land by man-made means.

• Sowing: The process of preparing and planting seeds.

• Threshing: To separate seed from a harvested plant mechanically.

• Tilling: Preparing the soil to take the seeds.

  Read excerpts from the book Eyewitness Farm by Ned Halley to help students understand the farming process.

  Contact a local farm in your school district to set up a field trip or find out information about the products and methods the farm uses to share with the class. The following Web site enables you to search for local farms based on location and farming products: http://www.pickyourown.org/PA.htm.

Closing Activity

1. Sequence the farming process from tilling to harvesting; then discuss how crops are transported to the neighborhood store. If possible, invite a grocer to your classroom. Ask the grocer to tell students about how produce is delivered and how it is stocked.

2. Read The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons as a whole class read-aloud.

Extension:

• For students performing above and beyond the standards, have students research the common agricultural products/native crops produced in their home town or county. Students will also research the geographical location and climate of the crops to find reasons why certain plants flourish in their areas.

• For students requiring more practice with the standards, ask students to think about one thing they’ve learned about planting and harvesting. Students should write one fact on an index card. Then students will pair with another student. Students will take turns sharing what they’ve learned. Then students will pair with another student and share. This exercise can have four rounds.