Agricultural education – Lesson plans

The following lesson plans were developed to help teachers integrate agriculture into the curriculum. The lessons are divided into elementary and secondary and are clearly linked to specific topics in the Science and Social Studies curricula.

Elementary Lesson Plans

Grade 1 Lesson Plans

Grade 1 Science Topic B: Seasonal Change

• Germinating Seeds helps students study this important stage in plant growth.
• Growing Plants introduces students to this fascinating topic.
• Is It Living Or Non-living? helps students use all their senses to categorize objects.
• What About Weeds? is a simple plant identification and classification exercise.

Grade 1 Science Topic D: Senses

• Guess The Animal encourages students to use their powers of observation to help them describe an animal.
• Sounds Of Farming helps students focus on their senses of smell and hearing.
• What Am I? gives students riddles to solve using a variety of senses.

Grade 1 Science Topic E: Needs of Plants and Animals

• Animal Health Care helps children identify principles of health care for farm animals.
• Animal Workers Students explore the work that domesticated animals can do.
• Country Fair helps students understand proper care of animals and appreciate the importance of providing necessary care for living things.
• Farm Cat, City Cat- A Very Special Cat introduces children to the differences and similarities between an animal that is a pet and one that is a worker.
• Farming For Favorite Foods explores the favorite foods of students and uses these foods to build a greater understanding of growing conditions for plants.
• Germinating Seeds will introduce students to the process of seed germination.
• Grow A Snack introduces students to the process of data recording as they observe plant growth.
• Is It Living Or Non-Living? Students explore the differences between living and non-living things in this lesson.
• Slip Me Some Skin helps students compare the function of skin and peels of food products.
• Stocking The Cupboard And The Fridge gives students the opportunity to classify familiar plants on the basis of similar characteristics.
• Teachers Pet provides students with the opportunity to scientifically examine the care of a classroom pet.
• What Is This Animal? Children develop a way of classifying animals that they have not seen before.
• Udderly Amazing Milkers provides instructions to help students construct a model cow and rubber glove udder.

Grade 2 Lesson Plans

Grade 2 Science Topic D: Hot and Cold Temperature

• A Puff of Smoke You Can Hold helps students observe, identify and describe the natural fibre from sheep.
• Grade 2 Science Topic E: Small Crawling & Flying Animals
  Undercover Friends introduces students to the wonder of earthworms.

Grade 2 Social Studies Topic 2.1: Canada's Dynamic Communities

• A Puff of Smoke You Can Hold helps students observe, identify and describe the natural fibre from sheep.
• Field to Table investigates how food production connects Canadian communities.

Grade 2 Social Studies Topic 2.2: A Community of the Past

• Let's Be Pioneers helps students use skits to explore community identity.
• Making Bread is a lesson designed to help students explore how food production connects community members.

Grade 3 Lesson Plans

Grade 3 Science Topic B: Building with a Variety of Materials and Grade 3 Science Topic C: Testing Materials and Designs

• Udderly Amazing Milkers guides students in working together to construct a model of a cow and experience milking a rubber glove.

Grade 4 Lesson Plans

Grade 4 Social Studies Topic 4.1 Alberta: A Sense of the Land

• Cattle Drive: A Livestock Game is a board game that lets students experience the importance of agriculture to Alberta.
• Cultivation vs. Grazing, and Growing Conditions in Alberta are designed for students to explore the best uses for land depending on its inherent geographical elements.
• It's My Turn to Claim the Land, using land claims for initial settlements, students define, compose and illustrate a sustainable community.
• Mapping Agricultural Products, and Food Products from Grains & Oilseeds demonstrate the importance of agriculture to Alberta's economy.

Grade 4 Social Studies Topic 4.2 Alberta: The Stories, Histories and Peoples of Alberta

• Planning to Move to the Homestead, Finding the Homestead, and First Year on the Homestead have activities that demonstrate the factors that influenced settlement.
• The Future of the Family Farm has students role play a family dilemma.
• The Old and the New: Developments in Agriculture, Latest and Greatest, Our Heritage, Our Future, Power are lessons exploring old and new technology used in agriculture.

Grade 5 Lesson Plans

Grade 5 Science Topic D: Weather Watch

• Weather Or Not Game helps students understand the impact of weather on growing conditions for plants.

Grade 5 Science Topic E: Wetland Ecosystems

• Water A Thirsty Topic helps students examine the sources of their water and understand the importance of water.

Grade 6 Lesson Plans

Grade 6 Science Topic D: Evidence and Investigation

• Whose Hair Is It? guides students in an examination of hair samples.
• Mission Impossible and Seed Detectives are extension activities that help students strengthen their sleuthing skills.

Grade 6 Science Topic E: Trees and Forests

• Saskatoon Pie helps students explore the concept of domestication of wild plants with edible fruits.

Secondary Lesson Plans

Grade 7 Lesson Plans

Grade 7 Science Topic B: Plants for Food and Fibre

• Eat Like A Brazilian explores the important connection between food and culture
• How Does Your Garden Grow and Take a Walk on the Weed Side outline experiments students can perform on factors affecting weed growth and how applying nutrients affects plant growth.
• It's My Turn to Claim the Land, using land claims for initial settlements, students define, compose and illustrate a sustainable community.
• The Payback Game demonstrates how food production takes nutrients from the soil and how soil is regenerated with nutrients.

Grade 8 Lesson Plans

Grade 8 Science Topic B: Cells and Systems

• Biological Warfare is an extension activity in which students develop a natural pest control spray and test its effectiveness.
• Don't Bug Me helps students identify insects and relate structure to function in terms of insect feeding habits.

Grade 8 Science Topic E: Freshwater and Saltwater Systems

• Waterquest is an online webquest that is based on a realistic scenario: a water shortage and its impact on citizens and local industry. Part of the quest involves field tests to help students analyze a local watershed. Water testing equipment is available at educational rates from Osprey Scientific Inc. for those teachers who wish to conduct a more sophisticated water analysis.