Title of Lesson: Farming: Industrial vs. Organic Grade: 4th
STANDARDS 4.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. 4-ETS1-2 Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
LESSON SUMMARY/OVERVIEW This lesson is designed so students can research the differences between industrial and organic farming. Students will research what each type of farming means and what the pros and cons of each are. Students need to be aware what kind of food is being produced from these types of farms, as well as what goes into the food at these farms.
OBJECTIVES Students will be able to research industrial and organic farming. Students will be able to write an informative group essay on their topic. Students will be able to present their information to their peers.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION The students essays and posters will be collected as a summative assessment. Students will be asked questions to encourage discussion throughout the activity, which will be used as a formative assessment.
PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE Students will need to know that there are different types of farming. Students will need to know that our food does not come from the grocery storewhere does it come before that? Students will need to know what kind of food they consume and how they dispose of it.
MATERIALS Class set of iPads/laptops Poster board Printer to print photos Markers/crayons/decoration tools Paper Pencil
VOCABULARY/KEY WORDS Organic Industrial Agriculture Farming Waste GMO
TEACHING PROCEDURES Procedural Steps (Step by step instructions for teaching the lesson): Teacher Will: Ask students, What is farming? Explain that farming is what brings us all the different types of food that we eat. Tell students there are two main types of farming industrial and organicand that they will be researching the two today. Split the class into two halves and assign one-half industrial and the other half organic. While students are researching, teacher will be walking around facilitating and asking questions about what the students are discovering. After students have had plenty of time to find resources and research on the Internet, they will begin to write a group essay about their findings. Students will also create a group poster board with facts and pictures about their topic. Each group will present their topics to the class. After all the presentation, students will have a class discussion, deciding what they think is the best type of farming. They can share their opinions and values about the two different types.
RESOURCES I thought of this lesson on my own, but used the outside resources from my website, http://ssftfoods.weebly.com/
WAYS OF THINKING CONNECTION Values thinking is incorporated in this lesson. Values thinking is what we care about and how our opinions affect our decision making. Your values need to be considered when thinking about any major topic. You also must respect others values when discussing societal issues. When students are able to form their own opinions about which type of farming they think is best for our society, they will be able to demonstrate values thinking.