eee eee ee ee Read to Find Out How does corn grow? What can you make with corn? wee eee ee we ‘ Photo Credits COV: Daryl Benson/Masterfile. TOC: Photodisc. 2: The Great City of Tenochtitlan, detail of women selling maize, 1945 (mural), Rivera, Diego (1886-1957) / Palacio Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico, Giraudoni/ Bridgeman Art Library. 3: The Granger Collection, New York. 4: Daryl Benson/Masterfile. 5: Francisco Cruz/SuperStock. 7: Photodise, 10: Photodisc. I: Photodisc. 12: Annie Griffiths Belt/Corbis. I Joseph Sohin/The Image Works. Illustration Credits 8,9, 13: Toby Mikle eons Macmillan | McGraw-Hill STRATEGIES & SKILLS AT A GLANCE Comprehension * Strategy: Summarize * Skill: Identify Sequence of Events Vocabulary * aroma, blooming, muscles, prickly, scent, trade Vocabulary Strategy * Context Clues: Homophones Phonics * consonants /n/gn, kn; /r/wr;/mimb CONTENT-AREA VOCABULARY Words related to corn (see glossary) NATIONAL CONTENT STANDARDS. Science * Life Science **Word count: 994 Published by Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, of McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., Two Penn Plaza, New York, New York l0I2I. Copyright @ by Macmillan/McGraw-Hill. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or ‘etter, oa he or iter cnet of re edn Congr he, learning. Printed in the United States of America 2345 67 8 9 BSF 10 09 08 07 06 **The total word count is based on words in the running text and headings only. Numerals and words in captions, labels, diagrams, charts, and sidebars are not included.All About Corn Table of Contents Chapter 1 The History of Corn Chapter 2 Growing Corn Chapter 3 Many Uses for Corn Glossary/Index Comprehension Check wh , 4The History of Corn Many scientists believe the first corn was grown in Mexico more than 6,000 years ago. Corn helped change how people lived. Before corn, people found food by hunting animals and gathering wild plants. People would move when there was no more food left in a place. And they moved often. But then people learned they could grow corn by dropping seeds into the ground. They became farmers, and moved less often. Aztec people sold corn in markets in Tenochtitlan almost 700 years ago. Tenochtitlan is now the site of Mexico City.@Native Americans called corn maize (MAYZ) because it was important to them. Maize means “bread of life” D Some Native American groups grew corn. They knew they had to settle in areas where corn grew well. So they picked places that had rich soil, water, and sunshine. Growing corn was hard work. People gained muscles as they planted and cared for the corn. The aroma of cooked corn filled their villages. These Native Americans planted their corn in the spring. Then they picked, or harvested it, in summer. They learned many different uses for corn.Some Native Americans used corn to make bread, soup, and other foods. They would trade corn and use it as money. They often had festivals to celebrate the corn harvest. They told stories about corn and performed corn dances. Some Native Americans also used corn to make things. They wrapped the husks to make dolls. They wove the leaves into baskets. They used corn silk to stuff bedding. They even used the stalks to make roofs. Native Americans taught the early settlers how to grow corn. The settlers might have died without corn to eat. © Corn was the main food for Native Americans.corm Cares About 500 years ago, explorers took corn seeds from Cuba to Spain. Soon corn was grown all over Europe. But many people didn’t like it. Some even thought it would kill them. They worried that the plant was poisonous! © Colored corn is often used for decorations. It is a sign of the fall season. Today, corn is grown all around the world. Only rice is grown in larger amounts than corn. Farmers grow many different kinds of corn. Corn is not only yellow. It can also be red, black, blue, or white. It can even be striped, streaked, or spotted.Growing Corn Corn is part of the grass family. It is related to wheat and rice. Growing corn can be easy. The plants need sunshine, water, and protection from the wind. They also have to be protected from being eaten by insects, birds, and other animals. More corn is grown in the United States than in any other country. The area where the most corn is grown is called the “Corn Belt.” The Corn Belt includes lowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. It also includes parts of Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kentucky, and Missouri. @ Corn Belt' kernels @ The husks and silk protect the kernels. The husks are smooth, not prickly. Corn grows from seeds. Farmers first plant their seeds in the spring. They carefully watch and water the crops. Then they wait for seedlings to grow. The seedlings sprout up in 6 to 10 days. Around two months later, the seedlings grow into strong cornstalks. Next, blooming buds appear on each stalk. Flowers sprout from the top to form tassels. In around two more months, there will be full-grown ears of corn. Finally, farmers harvest their corn. Some farmers have such large fields of corn that they have to use huge machines to pick their corn.You can grow your own corn. Choose a time of year when the weather is likely to stay warm. Cold weather can kill your plant. Follow these steps. Go Save an uncooked corn kernel from your dinner. This is actually the seed from which the plant grows. 6 Plant the kernel in soil in a flower pot. 6 Put the pot in a sunny place. Add a bit of water. A seedling will appear in around six to ten days. Qo Once a seedling appears, water your plant every day.6 Transplant your plant into a garden. This will give it more room to grow. After that, keep watering, and watch your plant grow! 6) Look at your plant every day. When the silk turns golden brown, it’s almost time to pick your corn. QO Peel some of the husk back. Check to see if the kernels are ripe. The kernels should look like teeth. © Pull the corn cob out with its husk. Cook it and enjoy it! Fresh Off the Plant ~ Corn should be eaten as soon as it is picked. Writer Mark Twain joked that you should boil a pot of water in a cornfield, pick the ears, boil them, and eat them right there.Many Uses for Corn One of the world’s most popular corn treats is popcorn. People have been popping corn for hundreds of years. In 1492 Christopher Columbus wrote that West Indian natives sold popcorn to his sailors. Native Americans also introduced popcorn to the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. They popped it in heated pottery. The Pilgrims soon began to serve popcorn with sugar and cream for breakfast. Home popcorn poppers were invented in 1925. Of course, now many people make popcorn in their microwave ovens. a tl Popping Corn Why does popcorn pop? The hot air inside the kernel makes the corn pop open, like a bursting balloon.Corn is also used to make chips, tostadas, grits, and bread. Ask an adult to help you make cornbread. The scent of this bread baking will make your mouth water! Auntie Kay’s Cornbread e 2 eggs « 1 cup yellow e \, cup vegetable corn meal or olive oil e iy teaspoon salt e 1-4 green chili e 2 teaspoons baking peppers, seeded powder and chopped e 2 cups shredded ¢ 1 small can cheddar cheese creamed corn e ye cup sour cream 0 In a large bowl, beat eggs and vegetable oil until blended. 6 Add _ other ingredients and mix, keeping a little cheese aside. 8 Pour into greased pan. Sprinkle remaining cheeseCorn is not just for cooking. Some Native Americans have been making cornhusk dolls for hundreds of years. You can make a cornhusk doll, too. Before you begin, peel off corn husks and soak them in water. This will make them soft. Then you can bend them without breaking them. Follow the steps on page 13 to make a simple doll. You can decorate the doll with fabric and use corn silk to make hair. You can even draw a face on your doll. People have been making cornhusk dolls for hundreds of years. Some dolls have fancy details such as hair, hats, jewelry, and hands with thumbs. ©How to Make a Cornhusk Doll Materials: string, scissors, corn husks, cotton The head: @ Place a ball of cotton in the center of a husk. @ Fold the husk in half over the cotton. @ Tie string around the cotton to make the head. The arms: oO Fold another husk in half. @ Tie string around each end to make hands. © Put the arms under the head. Tie them in place with string. The waist and dress: oO Tie string around the waist. 6 Place more husks around the waist. Tie with string. You are done. Have fun with your new toy!Corn is amazing. It is easy to grow and comes in many different colors. Corn has provided food and products for thousands of years. People all over the world grow corn, The next time you eat corn, think of all of the wonderful things this great plant has given us. © Corn festivals around the world celebrate corn. This photo was taken at a corn dance in New Mexico.Glossary corn silk (KORN S/LK) soft, shiny thread-like fibers under the husk (page 4) harvested (HAHR-vis-ted) picked crops (page 3) husks (HUSKS) the dry outer coverings of some seeds and fruits (page 4) kernels (KUR-nuhiz) the seeds of corn in a husk (page 7) seedlings (SEED-lingz) young plants (page 7) stalks (STALKS) main stems of plants (page 4) transplant (trans-PLANT) to remove from one place and put in another (page 9) Index Corn Belt, 6 cornbread, 77 cornhusk dolls, 4, 12-73 explorers, 5, 70 husks, 4, 7% 9, 12-13 kernels, 7-9 Mexico, 2 Native Americans, 3-4, 12 popcorn, 70, 14 seedlings, 7-8 settlers, 4 1516 Comprehension Check ee Lo] Use a Sequence of + Events Chart and photos Next to help you retell the t information in this book. Last Think and Compare 1. Turn to page 8. Between which two steps do you plant the kernel in a flower pot? (identify Sequence of Events) 2. If you went to a corn festival, what would you like to do to celebrate corn? Explain. (Analyze) 3. Now you know a lot about corn’s history. Why do you think people have been growing it for thousands of years? (Synthesize)Pe tone Activi,. e Corn Dishes Corn is the main food at many Native American corn festivals. It is served as corn on the cob, in soup, and in bread. Write about another corn dish that people could eat at a corn festival. Describe how it looks, smells, and tastes. How Corn Grows Poster Make a poster that shows the growth stages of corn. Show the seed, the seedling, and the plant. Label the parts of the plant, including the stalk, husk, silk, cob, and kernels.All About Corn Corn is a healthy treat. But eating corn on the cob isn’t the only thing you can do with corn. Find out more about this amazing plant. 2.5 Week 4 Macmillan McGraw-Hill