S574: Wrapping, a Bit of Waving, and Curriculum Connection

I did this project because I am interested in my family's history with farming, and I wanted to know what it would take to get started farming.  Thus, the first and foremost way to use the information I have found is as a plan for my future, or as a tidbit to be added to my family's working history.  However, beyond using for my own fortification, I would love to share the information with kids and for that matter, any adults who would want to know what I have learned; however, I'll save that discussion for my post on waving.

For my own use, I would justs like to get a folder and keep the notes I've made, so that if I ever start a farm in the future, I can look at this research and build on it to update everything.  I can use it do decide a lot of the big factors I'll have to consider when I'm looking a buying a property and preparing to farm it; my work covers everything from land to crops to equipment.  For sharing with the kids, I hope I can use it to inspire them to consider farming for their futures, or at the very least appreciate those who have chosen that living.  I can also use it as a fun lesson for them to do.  Since I hope to work in a county school, I think a lot of kids will have parents or relatives who farm, and maybe learning more about it will make them want to help the farmers with their work and help the kids understand how much hard work and love goes into farming.

For my final product, I've decided to plan a little lesson that I could conduct for a class in school, while allowing any interested parents to come in an learn as well.  I made a classroom layout for how I would want to room to look when I was doing the presentation/lesson on my findings on 4teachers.org.  I loved how easy it was to make the plan because they already have objects you can choose from, drag and rotate them to your liking.  Here is my layout.  I'm going to use the slide projector to show the powerpoint I made on everything I learn through this inquiry.  I thought it would be fun to have everyone sit in the beanbag chairs and on the rug to watch it.  Also, I would have fun little farm-related activities at each of the tables to entertain the kids.  I would have animal puzzles, coloring pages with a farm theme, and math worksheets like this one involving farm problems.  By having math sheets like this one, I would be meeting Indiana DOE state standards for math such as:

3.6  Students make decisions about how to approach problems and communicate their ideas.  (Math)

5.2  Students solve problems involving multiplication and division of whole numbers and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, and simple multiplication and division of fractions and decimals.  (Math)
(http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/index.shtml)

At the tables I would also have little blurbs on the different types of machines, corn facts and an area where they could make art with corn.  It would also be great if I could get community farmers to come in and talk with the kids and answer any questions they may have!  All of these things would contribute to meeting the Indiana Department of Education's standards.  Since I am incorporating so many areas of the curriculum areas, I will be able to meet many different standards, which is perfect for a librarian who has to work with all different ages.  I'll also be able to meet requirements like:

K.6 Students create artwork using subject matter from the real world and personal symbols to express ideas.  They demonstrate thoughtfulness, care, and respect in their art, sharing work with others.  (Fine Arts).  I could do an art project where they could design their own barn or where they could use real corn to make their own paper ear of corn.  They could then tape them all up on a wall together to make a field of corn.

1.4  Students ask questions about a variety of living things and everyday events that can be answered through observations.  They become aware of plant and animal interaction.  They consider things and processes that plants and animals need to stay alive.  (Science).

After watching my presentation, students can ask their own questions about corn or farming or any other related thing.  In the future, their teachers could take them on a field trip that would allow them to experience farms firsthand-go far beyond my presentation-and they could learn for themselves how the plants and animals of farms work.
(http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/index.shtml)

Hopefully this will inspire them to do their own research on aspects of farming that my project may have sparked interest in.  They can use my example and go on to fulfill the Indiana information literacy standard:

4.  The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.

I also hope they use skill 2, "The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently," to decide for themselves what they think of my research.  It's interesting to me that this stage of my research process also requires weaving, as "Information inquiry is a topic that weaves through the standards of all subject areas" (www.virtualinquiry.com).  It's great to know that something I was interested in so much for myself also has great promise for sharing with others and is able to incorporate so many different areas and grade level standards.

Thus, really all age groups would be able to learn from my presentation.  For my younger audience of 1st graders this is how I would incorporate the Indiana DOE standards in my lesson:

Science 1.4  Students ask questions about a variety of living things and everyday events that can be answered through observations.  They become aware of plant and animal interaction.  They consider things and processes that plants and animals need to stay alive.  (Science).  Example:  I would coordinate with their teacher to take them on a field trip so they could explore aspects of my presentation that inspired them.  They can learn first hand about the plants and animals on the farm and then recall my lesson and think about the work that goes into taking care of nature.

English 1.5  Students begin to write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and experiences. Students use their understanding of the sounds of words to write simple rhymes.  Student writing demonstrates a command of Standard English and the drafting, research, and organizational strategies outlines in Standard 4-writing processes and features.  Writing demonstrates an awareness of the audience and purpose for writing.  (English).  Example:  At another table, I could have out paper and an example of a couplet.  Then I can have papers on the table with the first line filled out: "Farms are fun, and I like corn," and then students can fill out the next line that end with a rhyming word for corn, with help from the teacher if necessary.

Social Studies 1.1 Students will identify continuity and change in the different environments around them, including school and neighborhood communities and identify individuals, events and symbols that are important to our country.  (History).  Example:  After watching my slide show, we can talk about farms and how they have gotten fewer and fewer over the years.  I can then talk about what other changes in their environment they've noticed (the corn turning brown in the fall, a new neighborhood that went up, etc.).

I will also be able to tailor my presentation to my older students, say for 5th graders.  I can meet standards like these:

Math 5.2  Students solve problems involving multiplication and division of whole numbers and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, and simple multiplication and division of fractions and decimals.  (Math)

Example:  My students can work out the problems from the corn worksheet I mentioned above to work on these math skills.  This way the math will be related to the lesson and to real life.

Social Studies 5.4 Students will describe the productive resources and market relationships that influence the way people produce goods and services and earn a living in the United States in different historical periods. (Social Studies).  Example:  This standard fit great with farming because a lot of people in the past used to farm, whereas now many more people have moved to cities.  I can talk about this with the students and them have them write a paragraph discussing present day farming.  My slide on how much feed I need for 100 acres will help them understand the relationship between materials you need to create your final product.  They can do more research and also discuss the changes in machinery now and 50 years ago.

Visual Art 5.8 Students compare communication of ideas and concepts in the arts and other disciplines.  They create artwork, interdisciplinary projects, and performances integrating processes, technology, and sign systems from various subject areas and reflect on aesthetic outcomes and experiences. (Arts).  Example:  Everyone in the class can draw a picture of a cornfield.  When everyone is done, I can hang everyone's on the wall to show how different all of them are.  Then we can talk about how even though we've seen the same thing, perspective plays a huge role in how everything is interpreted.

I will upload my power point presentation in my next post, a combination of wrapping and waving as well.