Learning activity 4

Evidence: My presentation outline

A. Find a topic of personal interest. Imagine you are going to present that topic
orally to your teacher and classmates at school. For this part of the evidence
you need to carry out exhaustive research in order to be able to present all the
necessary information related to your selected topic. Report the most important
aspects of your research through a brainstorm of the ideas and concepts that
you think will be relevant to the presentation.

Brainstorm

Example of topic: Aviation.

 Aviation refers to the use of commercial and non-commercial aircrafts

for transportation of people or goods.

 The A380, manufactured by the Airbus Industry, is the biggest plane

ever made.

Brainstorm

Topic: Agriculture

 Agriculture refers to the science and art of cultivating plants and

livestock. It also includes cultivation of the soil for the growing of
crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other
products.

 Agriculture includes the preparation of plant and animal products for

people to use and their distribution to markets.

 The development of agriculture enabled the human population to

grow many times larger than could be sustained by hunting and
gathering. Agriculture began independently in different parts of the
globe, and included a diverse range of taxa, in at least 11 separate
centres of origin.
B. Now, structure your presentation using the Signpost language learnt during this
learning activity. Present your outline through presentation cards. Use as many
cards as you need.

Remember: Each presentation card should include a heading, a

phrase at the bottom, a number and it should be organized by
numbering and bulleting.

(Model)

Aviation
[heading]

Structure: I’m going to divide this talk into five parts.

1. Early beginnings.
2. Civil aviation.
3. Commercial aviation.
4. Modern aircrafts manufacturers:
a. Airbus.
b. Boeing.
c. Embraer.
5. The most famous aircrafts in history:
a. Concorde.
b. Boeing 747.
c. Airbus A380.

Let’s turn now to the first part: the early beginnings

of aviation…
[Bottom phrase]

1
 Agriculture

Structure: I’m going to divide this talk into five

parts.

1. Origins
2. The first domestications.
3. Types of agriculture.
a. Pastoralism
b. Shifting cultivation
c. Subsistence agriculture
d. Intensive farming
4. Environmental impact
a. Sustainable agriculture
5. Contemporary agriculture:
a. Organic and regenerative agriculture.

Let’s turn now to the first part: the origins of

agriculture…
1

Agriculture
1. Origins of agriculture
Agriculture refers to the science and art of cultivating plants and livestock. It
also includes cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of
animals to provide food, wool, and other products.
Before agriculture became extended, people spent most of their lives
searching for food: hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants. About
11,500 years ago, people gradually learned how to grow cereal and root crops,
and settled down to a life based on farming.

In this way, agriculture began independently in different parts of the globe.

Wild grains were collected and eaten from at least 105,000 years ago.
By 2,000 years ago, much of the Earth’s population had become dependent on
agriculture.
2
As a consequence of agriculture the world had a huge change…
 Agriculture

1. Origins of agriculture
Agriculture let farmers keep the extra food and store it. That way they wouldn't go
hungry later.
Thanks to agriculture, people stopped moving from place to place. They settled
down, built villages and traded goods with other villages. Cities grew bigger and
civilizations took shape.
Some of the earliest civilizations began near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in
Mesopotamia. Civilizations also formed along the Nile River in Egypt.

Agriculture facilitated a shift to more sedentary lifestyles, a massive increase in

human population levels, urbanism, state formation and the diversification of
material technologies, including ceramics, later metals and the modern proliferation
of compounds and plastics that we see today.

Now, let’s continue to talk about domestication… 3

Agriculture

2. The first domestications

When people began growing crops, they also began herding and breeding wild
animals. Adapting wild plants and animals for people to use is called domestication.
The first domesticated plant was probably rice or corn. Chinese farmers were
cultivating rice as early as 7500 BCE.

The first tame animal was probably the dog. People used dogs for hunting. Sheep
and goats were probably next, and then cows and pigs. Most of these animals used
to be hunted for their skin and meat. With agriculture, many of them were raised for
their milk. Later, people started using animals such as oxen to work in the field and
carry heavy loads.
Let’s move to the types of agriculture… 4
 Agriculture

3. Types of agriculture
a. Pastoralism: It consists of managing domesticated animals. In nomadic
pastoralism, herds of livestock are moved from place to place in search
of pasture, fodder, and water.

b. In shifting cultivation, the land is obtained by clearing forest areas using

a slash and burn technique. The land is then cultivated for a few years,
or until the fertility declines. Another patch of land is selected and the
process is repeated. This type of farming is practiced mainly in areas
with abundant rainfall where the forest regenerates quickly.
Other types of agriculture are… 5

Agriculture
3. Types of agriculture
c. Subsistence farming, which is practiced to satisfy family or local needs
alone, with little left over for transport elsewhere.

d. Intensive farming is cultivation to maximise profit, with a low fallow ratio

and a high use of inputs (water, fertilizer, pesticide and automation). It is
practiced mainly in developed countries.

Everything related to nature has an impact, so now let’s see agriculture’s

environmental impact… 6
 Agriculture

4. Environmental impact
Agriculture imposes multiple consequences to society through effects such as
pesticide damage to nature (especially herbicides and insecticides), nutrient runoff,
excessive water usage, and loss of natural environment. Agriculture may cause
negative effects such as:
 Contamination of rivers and lakes
 Destruction of natural ecosystems.
 Decrease of flora and fauna diversity.
 Soil erosion and Air pollution.

Some critics have also included agriculture as a cause of global climate change or
"global warming."

Due to all these consequences, many alternatives have risen up to stop the
negative effects of agriculture; one example is sustainable agriculture… 7

Agriculture

4. Environmental impact
a. Sustainable agriculture
The concept of sustainable agriculture embraces a wide range of techniques,
including organic, free-range, low-input, holistic, and biodynamic.
This means sustainable agriculture is an embrace of farming practices that mimic
natural ecological processes. Farmers minimize tilling and water use, encourage
healthy soil by planting fields with different crops year after year and avoiding
pesticide use by nurturing the presence of organisms that control crop-destroying
pests.
Beyond growing food, sustainability also supports broader principles that endorse
the just treatment of farm workers and food pricing.

Finally let’s talk about contemporary agriculture and how technology has
affected this science… 8
 Agriculture

5. The contemporary agriculture

From the twentieth century, intensive agriculture increased productivity. It

substituted synthetic fertilizers and pesticides for labor, but caused increased water
pollution, and often involved farm subsidies.
In recent years there has been a dissent against the environmental effects of
conventional agriculture, resulting in the organic, regenerative, and sustainable
agriculture movements.

Since we already talked about sustainable agriculture, let’s talk about the
organic and regenerative agriculture. 9

Agriculture

5. The contemporary agriculture

a. Organic and regenerative agriculture

The organic agriculture or farming is defined as a production system that

maintains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It depends on ecological
processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, instead of using
inputs with adverse effects, by the use of fertilizers of organic origin.

On the other hand, regenerative agriculture is a conservation and rehabilitation

strategy which focuses on regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the
water cycle, enhancing ecosystem services, increasing resilience to climate change,
and strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil. Practices include, recycling as
much farm waste as possible, and adding composted material from sources outside
the farm. 10
C. To complete the evidence, you must now write a complete list of references
using the guidelines given by the American Psychological Association (APA). Do
not forget to organize your references alphabetically.

References

 National Geographic. (n.d.) Agriculture. Retrieved from:

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/agriculture/3rd-grade/

 National Geographic. (n.d.) Sustainable Agriculture. Retrieved from:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/sustainable-
agriculture/

 Wikipedia. (n.d.) Agriculture. Retrieved from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture

 Wikipedia. (n.d.) Regenerative Agriculture. Retrieved from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_agriculture

 IFOAM Organics International. (n.d.) Definition of Organic Agriculture.

Retrieved from: https://www.ifoam.bio/en/organic-landmarks/definition-
organic-agriculture

 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (n.d.) What is

organic agriculture? Retrieved from: http://www.fao.org/organicag/oa-
faq/oa-faq1/en/

 New World Encyclopedia (n.d.) Agriculture, Environmental Issues.

Retrieved from: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Agriculture

 University College London (n.d.) The Origins and Spread of Agriculture.

Retrieved from: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/rice/history-rice/origins-and-spread-
agriculture
When you finish your work, send the file to your instructor through the platform as
follows:

1. Click on the title of this evidence.

2. Click on Examinar mi equipo and look for the file in your computer. Make sure
the file is attached.
3. Leave a comment for the instructor (optional).
4. Click Enviar.

Note: This evidence is an individual activity. Remember to check the learning guide
in order to know if you have done all the assigned activities, know how to develop
them and deliver them correctly.

Criterio de evaluación
Prepara presentaciones orales haciendo uso del vocabulario y las diferentes
estructuras gramaticales requeridas.