Mathematics
Ag-tivities
Grade and standard aligned
mathematics activities that teach
students about agriculture.
Mathematics
Ag-tivities
Grade and standard aligned mathematics activities
that teach students about agriculture.
Introduction:
Mathematics can be incorporated into all areas of the curriculum. This book
provides lessons that teach mathematics concepts while educating students
about agriculture.
At the beginning of each chapter, there is a short explanation of the concepts
covered in the mathematics substrands for that grade level. The substrands
Virginia has adopted include: Number and Number Sense; Computation and
Estimation; Measurement; Geometry; Probability and Statistics; and Patterns,
Functions, and Algebra. The lessons that follow provide the numbers for the
Virginia Standards of Learning, necessary materials, background information, and
the procedure. Extensions and pictures are also included. Entire SOL’s are listed
in a separate section, and the Masters for the activities are located at the end of
this book.
Each lesson incorporates interesting information about agriculture with
mathematics concepts. Students gain skills to solve math problems while
learning about agricultural facts about livestock, various commodities, and plant
growth.
Acknowledgments:
AITC acknowledges the contributions of our writer, Katie Baker. She graduated
with a degree in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies and a minor in Elementary
Education from James Madison University in May 2011. Katie’s concentration
was in Math and Science, with an additional endorsement in Algebra 1. In May
2012, she will graduate from JMU with her Master of Arts in Teaching,
concentrating in Elementary Education and completing an endorsement in
Gifted and Talented Education. Tammy Maxey and Lynn Black provided
guidance, ideas, and materials for this project. They are both AITC Education
Coordinators.
This project was funded by Agriculture in the Classroom.
Table of Contents
Kindergarten
Egg Carton Math
2
Seasons on a Farm
3
Below or Above?
5
Cow Glyphs
6
Farmyard Tangrams
8
1st Grade
Apple Orchard Math
12
Fruits and Veggies We Eat
14
Classifying Virginia Products by Shape
16
Farmyard Patterns
18
2nd Grade
Farm Fractions
22
Farm Animal Skip Counting
24
Crop Picture Graphs
26
Scarecrow Measuring
27
Produce Painting
29
3rd Grade
Watermelon Fractions
34
Agriculture Arrays
36
Apple Statistics, Lesson 1
38
Apple Statistics, Lesson 2
40
Classifying VA Products by Solid Figure, Lesson 1
44
Classifying VA Products by Solid Figure, Lesson 2
46
4th Grade
Balancing Act
50
From Farm to Food
53
Natural Angles
55
Pollination Probability
57
5th Grade
Flowering Factorization
62
Buzzing with Math Facts
64
Quilt Classifying
66
Coordinating Crops
69
Herding Cattle
71
Virginia Standards of Learning Connections
75
Masters
87
Kindergarten
Number and Number Sense
Young children gain essential counting skills during kindergarten. The
concept of one-to-one correspondence develops and flourishes during
this year.
Computation and Estimation
Kindergarten students add and subtract up to 10 concrete objects.
Measurement
Weather and seasons are incorporated into early childhood lessons.
Geometry
Simple plane figures are identified by kindergarteners. The location of
objects is also an important concept for young children to understand.
Probability and Statistics
Not only are students expected to understand numerals, but the
children are also required to use tallies as a form of counting. Picture
and object graphs are also taught during this grade.
Patterns, Functions, and Algebra
Naming patterns and contributing objects to extend the patterns are
skills gained during kindergarten. The students’ abilities to classify
objects are not only an important skill in mathematics, but in science
as well.
Egg Carton Math
Standards of Learning
Math: K.1, K.6
Science: K.7, K.9
English: K.2
Materials
Pom-poms, fake eggs, or other small
objects that can fit inside an egg carton
3-5 Egg cartons (diagram found on p. 88)
Background Knowledge
Young children can benefit from concrete examples of abstract ideas. This lesson allows
students to count objects and begin to understand addition problems that equal 10 or
less.
Also, egg cartons represent one commodity Virginia farmers produce. Chicken eggs
account for $77.1 million in Virginia. There are nearly 900 chicken farms in the
Commonwealth.
Procedure
1. Create the manipulatives shown above. Practice counting with the students prior to
the activity.
2. Discuss eggs, chicks, and chickens and the importance of them for Virginia farmers.
Read books such as Eggs and Chicks by Fiona Patchett or From Egg to Chicken by
Gerald Legg.
3. Use the egg cartons and objects to practice counting, number recognition, addition,
and subtraction.
Extension
Create the lifecycle of an egg as it grows into a chicken. Also, this lesson could be
helpful for older students struggling with the concept of addition and/or subtraction.
2
Seasons on a Farm
Standards of Learning
Math: K.8, 1.11
Science: K.9, 1.7
Materials
Book that incorporates farming and seasons, such as Seasons on a Farm by
Nancy Dickmann
Scissors
Glue
Large chart paper divided into four sections titled: fall, winter, spring, and
summer
Watering can
Seed packet
Toy tractor
An example of corn
Worksheet (see p. 89)
Background Knowledge
Children can observe changes in weather—from a hot and sunny summer, to a cold
and snowy winter. It is important for young students to understand seasons and
that different phenomenon occur during certain times of the year. Providing
examples of activities on a farm throughout the seasons allows children to associate
concrete actions to the abstract concepts of seasons and weather changes.
Procedure
1. Read students Seasons on a Farm by Nancy Dickmann, or a similar book
describing farm life during specific seasons.
2. Discuss the various jobs farmers must complete, especially which season they get
them done.
3
3. Have the concrete objects such as a watering can, seed packet, toy tractor, and
corn, and ask students to sort them into the appropriate season on the chart
paper, i.e. corn goes in the fall (harvest).
4. Explore other events that occur during the four seasons.
5. Have students cut out the pictures on the worksheet and glue them in one of the
boxes underneath the appropriate season. Then ask them to draw a picture of
what other things they do during the fall, winter, spring, and summer in the
other box.
Extension
Write sentences about your favorite season and what you do during that time.
4
Below or Above?
Standards of Learning:
Math: K.12
Science: K.4
Social Studies: K.3
Materials:
Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer and Dirt by Steve Tomecek
Worksheet (see p. 90)
Scissors and glue
Background Knowledge:
Like vegetables, fruits, flowers, and other plants, some animals live below the earth and
some live above it. Living below the earth can help plants grow because these animals
help aerate and rotate the soil. Understanding the terms “above” and “below” can help
students identify different farm animals and where they live.
Procedure:
1. Complete a book walk using Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer and/or Dirt
by Steve Tomecek. These texts are slightly advanced for Kindergarten. However, book
walks, or skimming through the books and leading a discussion about them, could
provide essential information at the appropriate level.
2. Conduct a conversation about which animals live underground and reasons why they
might live there (specifically animals found on a farm).
3. Ask the students to cut out the pictures and glue the animals where they live: above
or below ground.
Extension:
Describe the different varieties of plants that live above and below the ground. Discuss
which parts of plants we eat—the tops, middles, or bottoms.
5
Cow Glyphs
Standards of Learning:
Math: K.13, K.14, 1.14, 2.17
Science: K.1, 1.1, 2.1
English: K.2, 1.3, 2.3
Materials:
2 books involving cows, such as Cows on the Farm by Mari C. Schuh and Cows by
JoAnn Early Macken
White paper plates with one hole punched out for the tail
Several construction paper squares of the following colors:
o Red, orange, yellow, light green, dark green, light blue, dark blue, purple,
pink, brown, black, white
 There must be enough colors to represent each month your students
have birthdays. For example, if no one has a September birthday, you
would only need 11 colors.
Extra black, brown, and/or white paper for ears
Black circles to represent spots (between 75 and 125, depending on the age and
number of students)
Black pipe cleaners
White pipe cleaners
Chart paper (for tallying)
Crayons
Scissors (1 per student)
Glue (1 per student)
Glyphs key:
o Color of Ear Tag = month of birthday
o Number of Spots = age of child
o Color of Pipe Cleaner Tail = favorite cow book
o Black < “Book 1”
o White < “Book 2”
6
Background Knowledge:
By using symbols, this project looks like a cow but everything has a specific meaning.
Tallying each symbol practices one-to-one correspondence and data collection. Picture
and object graphs could then be constructed using the information gathered.
Tagging is used on farm animals to identify and keep track of their health. The tags act
as their “birth certificates.” Everyone has a birthday, and this is a way farmers can
remember important information about their cows.
Procedure:
1. Read students both cow books.
2. Provide the supplies indicated above.
3. Review the following directions as a group and have a chart posted for students to
refer to:
a. Make ears and attach them to the paper plate.
b. Draw eyes, a nose, and a mouth on the paper plate to make the face of the cow.
c. Glue the color square that represents your birth-month to one of the ears.
Write your name and birthday on the tag.
d. Glue the number of circles that matches your age on the cow’s face.
e. Choose a black pipe cleaner for “Book 1” and a white pipe cleaner for “Book 2,”
depending on which was your favorite. Stick the pipe cleaner through the hole
and twist the end to secure the tail.
4. Display cows once they are dry.
5. With the class tally:
a. How many people have their birthdays in each month.
b. How many people are 4, 5, 6, etc.
c. How many people like “Book 1” and how many people like “Book 2.”
6. Display the information in a chart.
7. Graph the tallies in a bar chart, object chart, and/or picture chart.
Extension:
Write a story about what you would do if a cow came to your birthday party or was a
birthday present.
7
Farmyard Tangrams
Standards of Learning:
Math: K.16, K.11, 1.12, 1.17, 2.20
Science: 1.5, 2.4, 3.5, 3.6
English: 1.1, 1.2, 2.3, 3.2
Materials:
Tangrams
Tangram patterns in the shapes of farm animals found at www.agintheclass.org
Background Knowledge:
Tangrams allow children to create patterns. These manipulatives come in many different
shapes, including squares and triangles. Shapes can be used to represent different things,
including animals and equipment found on a farm.
Procedure:
1. Read a book about farm animals, such as Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming, Big Red Barn
by Margaret Wise Brown and Felicia Bond, or Farm Alphabet Book by Jane Miller.
2. Allow students to explore the tangrams for several minutes.
3. Provide tangram patterns and ask students to put the tangrams on the picture until all of
the pieces fit. Provide several different options for students to use.
4. Ask students to create their own tangram image of a farmyard animal.
After students have had enough time to make their own creations, allow students to take a
“Barnyard Tour” and observe the animals created by their classmates.
Extension:
Kindergarten students can also identify, describe, and trace plane geometric figures. Older
students can express through oral or written language facts about their tangram animal, such
as the name used for the baby of that animal.
8
9
10
1st Grade
Number and Number Sense
Counting to 100 is a goal for 1st graders. Developing an
understanding of place value and fractions both begin during this
year.
Computation and Estimation
Students begin to add and subtract numbers up to 18. Story and
picture problems are incorporated into lessons.
Measurement
The value of coins is explored by first graders, as well as
nonstandard units.
Geometry
Objects in the environment can be sorted into plane figures by
students in 1st grade. Also, shapes are identified by the number of
sides, vertices, and right angles they have.
Probability and Statistics
Data collection techniques are practiced by students. Interpretive
words such as more than and less than are used by the children.
Patterns, Functions, and Algebra
Students still continue to sort objects and extend patterns. Equality is
introduced with the equals (=) sign.
11
Apple Orchard Math
Standards of Learning:
Math: 1.1
Science: 1.4
English: 1.1
Materials:
1 copy of a complete 100s chart per student (see p. 91)
1 copy of a blank 100s chart per student (see p. 92)
Background Knowledge:
Counting to 100 is an essential skill young children must acquire in order to learn
higher level math concepts. Practicing counting and writing the numbers helps
children gain number sense.
Apples are concrete, everyday objects students know about and can use to count.
Also, apples are an important Virginia crop—about 12,000 acres of apples are
harvested every year. Discussing apples in the fall can teach children about
harvesting this abundant crop. Virginia ranks sixth in the United States for apple
production.
Procedure:
1. Practice counting on the completed 100s chart. Discuss counting by tens down
the chart (10, 20, 30, 40, etc). Ask students to find certain numbers on the chart,
such as 76, to support their knowledge of numbers.
2. Ask the students to complete the Apple 100s Chart. Count the first row since it
is already filled out. Help them with the next row (11 is done for them). Then
allow them time to finish the chart. Some numbers are already filled in to keep
students on track. Provide the completed 100s chart if students are still having
difficulty counting and writing numbers.
12
Extension:
Students can discuss the life cycle of an apple. Apple picking, apple pie baking, and
other fall activities can be completed alongside this lesson. Read Amazing Apples by
Consie Powell and have students participate in poems about the fruit and fall.
13
Fruits and Veggies We Eat
Standards of Learning:
Math: K.13, K.14, 1.7, 1.14, 2.10, 2.20
Health Education: K.1, 1.2, 2.2
Materials:
Chart paper
Examples of fruits and vegetables, as well as their cost displayed for students
to read
Coin sets that equal the cost of favorite fruits and vegetables
Background Knowledge:
Understanding coins can be difficult; each one is a different value and size. The
values of money are abstract for children, but applying it to real life situations can
make it easier to comprehend. Fruits and vegetables are grown in Virginia and can
be purchased in farmers markets, grocery stores, and food vendors across the state.
Virginia produce includes: soybeans, tomatoes, apples, potatoes, grapes, snap beans,
sweet corn, peaches, watermelon, and cabbage.
Procedure:
1. Discuss with students the importance of eating a well-balanced, healthy meal.
2. For a minimum of 10 days, ask students after lunch what produce they ate.
3. Tally on chart paper the student responses. Graph the students’ lunchtime
consumption of fruits and vegetables after collecting all of the data.
4. On the last day, ask students about their favorite fruits and vegetables. Tally and
graph their responses. Compare the two graphs and ask questions about the
differences you find.
5. Give students different amounts of money that equal only 1 fruit or vegetable
choice. Ask them to determine the value of their coins. Show them options for
different fruits and vegetables, along with the price. Ask the students to go to
14
which ever food item they can afford with the exact amount of money they
have. Allow them to work together if the children need help identifying or
adding the money, or finding their appropriate produce.
Extension:
Discuss the nutritious values of fruits and vegetables, and how students can create
balanced meals. Also, as the children become more comfortable with money and
how it is used, allow them to exchange coins to make exact change for items they
would like. For example, if a banana costs $0.79, a student with $0.80 cents can ask
to exchange a nickel for 5 pennies in order to have exact change (with 1 penny left
over).
15
Classifying Virginia Products by Shape
Standards of Learning:
Math: K.11, 1.12
Science: K.1, 1.1
English: K.2
Materials:











Chart paper large enough to be used as a grid on the floor for the children to
see, with sections titled: triangle, rectangle, square, and circle with a picture
beside the shape.
Virginia products and their general shapes (provide a picture or an example):
Apple (circle)
 Chicken nugget (circle)  Slab of fish (rectangle)
Hamburger patty (circle)  Evergreen tree (triangle)  Egg (circle)
Flower petal (triangle)
 Slice of bread (square)  Cereal box (rectangle)
Tomato (circle)
 Soy bean (circle)
 Green bean (rectangle)
Ear of corn (rectangle)  Bunch of grapes
 Potato and/or sweet
Cotton ball (circle)
(triangle)
potato (circle)
Cucumber (rectangle)
 Hay bale (circle)
 Wool (circle)
Strawberry (triangle)
 Peach (circle)
 Blanket (square)
Cracker (square)
 Watermelon (circle)
 Sausage link (rectangle)
Cheese (triangle, square,  Wheat (rectangle)
 Pumpkin (circle)
circle, or rectangle)
 Lumber (rectangle)
 Bacon (rectangle)
Peanut (circle)
 Turkey meat (square)
Background Knowledge:
All types of shapes occur in nature, including triangles, squares, rectangles, and
circles. Each shape is unique according to the number of vertices, right angles, and
sides. Virginia produces many products that can be classified by their general
shapes.
16
Procedure:
1. If available, read books such as Food for Thought by Joost Eiffers and Saxton
Freymann or The Shapes We Eat by Simone T. Ribke.
2. Discuss shapes and the characteristics of each figure.
3. Ask the children, one at a time, to sort the Virginia products by their shape.
Extension:
Graph the number of products for each shape.
17
Farmyard Patterns
Standards of Learning:
Math: K.16, 1.17, 2.20
English: K.1, 1.1
Materials:
Farm-related pattern book, such as Farm Patterns by Nathan Olson
Interactive Bulletin Board
Background Knowledge:
Patterns can be created by students using letters, sounds, rhythms, or objects.
Patterns also occur in nature. This lesson allows students to explore natural patterns
and create patterns with farm pictures using an interactive bulletin board.
Procedure:
1. Instructions for the interactive bulletin board:
o Create a title for the board, such as “Pattern Practice”
o Prepare several patterns for the students to finish using agricultural
objects: tractors, hoes, apples, corn, tomatoes, pumpkins, hay bales, soy
beans, peanuts, chickens, cows, horses, pigs
2. Explain to students what a pattern is. Provide examples of types of patterns and
where they might occur.
3. As a class, practice making patterns by using oral language: red white red white
or Y Z Y Z
4. Read the book Farm Patterns by Nathan Olson. Help the students find the
patterns the book illustrates that can be seen on a farm.
5. Present the students with the beginning of a pattern on the bulletin board. Ask
the students what kind of pattern it is (ababab, abcabcabc, aabaacaad, etc). Have
one child finish the pattern and explain why they made that choice. Work
through the prepared patterns.
18
6. If time permits, allow several children to create their own patterns with the
objects provided.
Extension:
Allow students to make their own patterns using stickers or other art supplies and
display them around the room.
19
20
2nd Grade
Number and Number Sense
Three-digit numerals, and an understanding of each place value, are
the focus of 2nd grade. Increasingly more complicated fractions and
skip counting are introduced to students.
Computation and Estimation
Addition and subtraction facts up to 20 should be recalled by
students. An understanding of estimation is acquired for subtraction
and addition.
Measurement
Specific measurements are gathered and understood by students
including cups, pints, quarts, and gallons.
Geometry
Lines of symmetry are drawn by students and solid figures are
introduced.
Probability and Statistics
Data from experiments is used to create graphs and predict
outcomes in 2nd grade lessons.
Patterns, Functions, and Algebra
Not only are object patterns still used in 2nd grade, but numeral
sentences are also incorporated. The non-equals sign,
21
≠, is discussed.
Farm Fractions
Standards of Learning:
Math: 2.3
Materials:
Apple Fractions by Jerry Pollatta
Examples of the following:
o String beans in a pod
o Peanuts in the shells (If there is an allergy, show pictures instead)
o Egg carton
o Horse figurines or pictures (to go in “stalls”)
Chart paper with 3, 6, 8, and 10 “stalls” drawn on it
Worksheet (see p. 93)
Background Knowledge:
Fractions can be illustrated using every day items. Students in second grade work
with halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, eights, and tenths. This lesson uses agricultural
items, such as eggs, beans, peanuts, and horse stalls to teach students about fractions.
Procedure:
1. Discuss with students what a fraction is. Provide examples of how to write
fractions and discuss with students what the fraction means.
4. Open the bean pod. Show students that 4 beans come in a pod.
a. Ask the students what the fraction would be if only 2 beans were there
(2/4 or ½).
b. Ask the students what the fraction would be if only 1 bean was there (1/4).
c. Ask the students what the fraction would be if 3 beans were there (3/4).
5. Open the peanut shell. Show the students that 2 peanuts come in a shell.
i. Ask the students what the fraction would be if only 1 peanut was
in the shell (1/2).
22
6. Lay out the chart paper with the “stalls” drawn on it.
7. Show students the farm animals in the stalls. Use the different number of stalls
to show thirds, sixths, eighths, and tenths.
a. Put 2 horses in the 3 stall section. How many stalls are used? 2 out of 3
(2/3).
b. Put 1 horse in the 6 stall section. How many stalls are used? 1 out of 6
(1/6).
c. Put 6 horses in the 8 stall section. How many stalls are used? 6 out of 8
(6/8).
d. Put 3 horses in the 10 stall section. How many stalls are used? 3 out of 10
(3/10).
8. As a review, ask students to complete the worksheet.
Extension:
Ask students to create their own farm fraction. Also, twelfths are not taught until
3rd grade but using the egg carton can introduce students to fractions with 12 as the
denominator.
23
Farm Animal Skip Counting
Standards of Learning:
Math: 2.4
Materials:
Interactive Bulletin Board:
o Multiple cut outs of a crab
o Multiple cut outs of a chicken
o Multiple cut outs of a turkey
o Hand prints cut out of construction paper (for turkey feathers)
o Numerals cut out
*Pictures/templates can be downloaded from clipart or created using Die-Cuts.
Background Knowledge:
Skip counting helps students begin a foundation for multiplication. Using
agricultural animals to practice skip counting provides examples students can rely
on for counting if necessary. Chickens are the top commodity for Virginia farmers
and help students practice counting by 2s because of the two legs on the animal.
Crabs have 10 appendages, 8 legs and 2 claws, and are a great way for students to
practice counting by 10s. These animals are gathered in the Chesapeake Bay.
Turkeys are the fourth highest commodity for Virginia farmers, and hand prints
can be used to represent their feathers. The hand prints also represent groups of 5
and help students learn their multiples of 5.
Procedure:
1. Set up a bulletin board entitled “Farm Animal Skip Counting.”
2. Cut out several crabs, chickens, turkey bodies, and hand prints.
a. Write 2, 5, and 10 on a few examples to use as starter for the students.
24
3. Prepare several turkeys with construction paper. On the belly of some turkey
bodies, write a multiple of five, but do not attach the feathers. Provide students
with enough hand print feathers (with 5 fingers on each) to match the number
on the bodies. For other turkeys, include the feathers and ask the students to
determine the multiple of 5.
4. On the bulletin board, post several multiples of 10 and ask the students to put
up the correct number of crabs. Also, put up some examples of groups of crabs,
and ask the students to determine the multiple of 10 they represent.
5. On the bulletin board, post different examples of multiples of 2. Ask the
students how many chickens match the multiple of 2. Post several groups of
chickens, and ask the students to explain the multiple of 2 the chickens
represent
Extension:
The use of an interactive bulletin board can also be applied to fractions.
25
Crop Picture Graphs
Standards of Learning:
Math: 2.8, 2.19, 2.21
Materials:
Chart paper with the following key:
Create picture graphs of the crops three different farmers produce (see p. 94)
Worksheet (see p. 95)
Background Knowledge:
Picture graphs can be used to teach data analysis and computation. By creating a key
for the picture graph, students can solve addition and subtraction problems, and create
their own numerical sentences. Also, apples, pumpkins, and corn are agricultural
commodities grown by Virginia farmers.
Procedure:
1. Display the graphs from page 94. Discuss what each picture represents.
2. Ask the students questions such as:
a. Which farmer produces the most apples?
b. How many more apples does Farmer Dan produce than Farmer Sally?
c. How many more corn stalks does Farmer T.J. need to plant in order to fill the
row, if each row has 120 corn stalks?
3. Provide students with the worksheet attached. Ask them to use the key to solve the
problems. Then ask students to create their own numerical sentences that use the
key.
Extension:
Practice subtraction problems using the same method.
26
Scarecrow Measuring
Standards of Learning:
Math: 2.11
Science: 2.1
Materials:
Paper plate
Yarn
Brown construction paper for gallon body*
Red construction paper for quarts*
Orange construction paper for pints*
Yellow construction paper for cups*
Extra construction paper
Examples of the following measuring containers: gallon, quart, pint, cup
*The whole pieces of construction paper must be the same size.
Background Knowledge:
Measuring tools, such as gallons, quarts, pints, and cups, are important for cooking
and buying food products. Milk comes in a gallon jug, strawberries are packaged in
quarts, consumers can buy pints of blueberries, and soybeans are measured in cups.
Students need to understand how to convert units: 2 cups = 1 pint, 2 pints = 1 quart,
and 4 quarts = 1 gallon.
Procedure:
1. Read students Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant. Farmers use scarecrows to keep
pests out of their farms in order to preserve their crops. This book beautifully
describes the peaceful, but important, purpose of a scarecrow.
2. Allow students to create a face for the scarecrow. Use the yarn for hair and the
additional construction paper for a hat.
3. Show the gallon container. Discuss and illustrate how much it holds. Explain
27
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
that you are using the brown piece of paper to represent a gallon. Repeat this
step with the other measurements.
Use the whole piece of brown construction paper for the body and write
“Gallon” in the middle. Attach the head to the top of the brown paper (see
picture).
Cut the red paper into 4 equal pieces and write “Quart” in the middle of them.
Glue one on the right side of the brown paper, one on the left side of the paper,
and two on the bottom of the paper.
Cut the orange paper into 8 equal pieces. Write “Pint” on the papers and glue
two to each quart.
Cut the yellow paper into 16 equal pieces. Write “Cup” on the papers and glue
two cups to each pint.
Discuss the conversions from cup, to pint, to quart, to gallon. Bring in items
that are measured in these ways so students have a representation of the
unit.
a. Milk: gallon
b. Quart: strawberries
c. Pint: blueberries
d. Cup: soybeans
Extension:
Provide students with a recipe that uses some, if not all, of these units. Help
them practice measuring ingredients and cook the food item.
Paper Plate for Head
Gallon
Brown
Paper
Quart
Red
Paper
28
Pint
Orange
Paper
Cup
Yellow
Paper
Produce Printing
Standards of Learning:
Math: 2.15
Science: 2.8
Materials:
Large pieces of white paper (1 per student)
Several different paint choices for students
Paint brushes or sponges
Produce stamps:
o Apples: cut in half
horizontally
o Peppers: cut horizontally
into rings
o Carrots (cut if desired)
o Ears of corn
o Potatoes: can cut
symmetrical designs into
it to create a stamp
o
o
o
o
Leaves
Onion
Peanuts
Cucumbers: sliced
horizontally
o Baby pumpkins: cut
horizontally or vertically
o Grapes: whole or cut
o Squash: whole or cut
Background Knowledge:
Symmetry can be found in nature. Virginia’s produce can be used to demonstrate
natural symmetry. This lesson allows students to investigate fruits and vegetables
that Virginia farmers grow, as well as the concept of symmetry.
Procedure:
1. Pass out the supplies to the students. Provide several examples of produce for
the children to paint with.
2. Allow the children to put paint on the produce and stamp the images on the
paper. Try to keep each image spaced out in order to draw lines of symmetry.
29
3. After the students have time to stamp with the produce, discuss symmetry.
Objects are symmetric if one half of the image is the mirror image of the other
half.
4. After the paint is dry, ask the students to find lines of symmetry in their
paintings and draw them on their produce prints.
Extension:
Discuss the parts of the produce they see (seeds, veins, etc).
30
31
32
3rd Grade
Number and Number Sense
Students in 3rd grade should read and write six-digit numerals. They
should also recall basic multiplication and division facts. Mixed
numbers and fraction inequalities are also taught in 3rd grade.
Computation and Estimation
Students are expected to solve single- and multi-step addition and
subtraction problems. Arrays, sets, and number lines model
multiplication problems for 3rd graders.
Measurement
Larger quantities of money must be recognized by 3rd grade students.
Perimeter and area of polygons are measured by students.
Geometry
Comparisons between plane and solid figures teach students how to
identify them by specific characteristics.
Probability and Statistics
Line plots are added to the types of graphs students can create.
Patterns, Functions, and Algebra
Patterns with numbers, tables, and pictures are created by students.
The children also investigate the commutative properties of addition
and multiplication.
33
Watermelon Fractions
Standards of Learning:
Math: 3.3
Science: 3.8
Materials:
Interactive Bulletin Board:
o Paper plates cut into fractions and colored like watermelon
o Equals signs
o “What is missing=” signs
o “Are the missing parts equal=” signs
Samples of watermelon
Background Knowledge:
By third grade, students have had prior experiences with fractions. This lesson
provides students with the opportunity to compare fractions and determine
equivalency. Students can discover equal and non-equal watermelon slices, and how
that relates to the missing fraction. Students can also learn about the life cycle of
this Virginia-grown fruit. First it starts as a seed, and then sprouts into a leaf. A
flower blooms and is pollinated. Then a small watermelon is formed, which grows
until ripe.
Procedure:
1. Take several white paper plates and cut them into the following fractions:
a. Halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, eighths, tenths, and twelfths.
34
2. Color the fractions to make them look like watermelon.
3. Create various scenarios for fractions (allow students to use extra watermelon
slices to determine the answers):
a. Put up ½ and ask: What is missing?
b. Put up 7/12 and ask: What is missing?
c. Put up ¼ and ask: What is missing?
d. Put up 4/6 and 2/3 and ask: Are the missing parts equal?
e. Put up 4/6 and 4/8 and ask: Are the missing parts equal?
f. Put up 1/5 and 2/10 and ask: Are the fractions on the board equivalent?
Extension:
Begin asking simple computation questions, such as ¾ + ¼ = ____. Also, review the
life cycle of a water melon with the AITC lesson, “Watermelon Chain.” Read
students Watermelon Wishes by Lisa Moser to see illustrations of the life cycle of
watermelons incorporated into a heart-warming story.
35
Agriculture Arrays
Standards of Learning:
Math: 3.5, 3.6, 3.20
Materials:
Chart paper
o Practice array can be found on p. 96
Soybeans
Cotton balls
Background Knowledge:
Arrays can be used to discover multiplication facts and the commutative property
of multiplication. For example, a 2x3 array is similar to a 3x2 array. By providing
concrete objects, students can understand how multiplication works and equality
between facts. Cotton and soybeans are important agriculture commodities for
farmers in Virginia. Before allowing students to use the manipulatives, ask them for
any facts they know about cotton and soybeans. Then, share with them the
following information: In 2008, 60,000 acres of cotton and 570,000 acres of soybeans
were harvested. Soybeans are the 8th highest Virginia commodity, and cotton is 16th.
One bale of cotton can make 215 pairs of jeans. Soybeans are made into different
types of oils, soaps, cereals, and crayons. Read Why the Brown Bean was Blue: the Story
of a Soybean Frown Turned Upside Down by Susan M. Pankey for more information
about soybeans.
Procedure:
1. Use large sheets of chart paper to create a large 12x12 array.
2. Bring in beans and cotton balls for the students to use. Allow students, one at
a time, to create arrays that represent multiplication facts through the 12’s
table.
36
3. Show different ways to set up multiplication problems. If a student is given
2x3, and the array looks like this: XXX, show the students 3x2: XX
XXX
XX
XX
4. Pair students off. Give them cotton balls and soybeans to work with. Ask
them to create 2 arrays for specific multiplication problems (i.e. 3x4 and 4x3;
5x6 and 6x5).
5. Check student work to ensure understanding.
6. To further review with the students, ask individual children to create arrays
for new multiplication problems.
Extension:
Move from using concrete objects to abstract understanding through paper-andpencil assignments. Provide grids and ask students to color different arrays.
2x3
For the purpose of this picture, pumpkin seeds were used.
37
Apple Statistics
Measuring and Statistics Unit: Apple Statistics
Lesson 1
Standards of Learning:
Math: 3.9, 3.10
Science: 3.1
Materials:
Apples: have the same number of apples for each kind of apple, and give one
apple to each child. The types of apples used for this lesson should include
Granny Smith, McIntosh, Gala, Golden Delicious, and Red Delicious apples
o Students should donate apples for the simulation of the activity. More
than 2 of each kind of apple should be used.
Plastic knives
Paper plates
Twine
Rulers
Scales or triple beam balances with weights
Excel (if desired)
Worksheets (see p. 97-100)
Background Knowledge:
There are many different types of apples, and Virginia produces 11 different varieties.
There are 5 seed pockets in apples, and the number of seeds per carpel is determined
by the vigor and health of the plant. This lesson investigates the circumference, weight,
and number of seeds of different apples. Students will learn about different types of
apples, practice determining circumference and weight, complete various statistical
graphs and data collection techniques, and determine if there is a correlation between
the variables.
38
Procedure:
*This is a multi-step lesson. Please use the AITC lesson “Apple Statistics, Lesson 2” for
the probability and statistics and English activities, which uses the data collected in this
lesson.
1. Collect materials and set up scales/balances around the classroom.
2. Pass out the following to each student: student packet, 1 apple, plastic knife,
paper plate, twine, and ruler. Ask students to write what kind of apple they have
on the worksheet (provide examples so they know which kind they have).
3. Have students find the circumference and weight of their apple. Record on the
data sheet.
a. If students have not used twine to measure circumference, review the
following steps: find the largest part around the apple, wrap twine around
the apple, and mark the spot where the twine intersects. Measure the
length of twine with a ruler.
b. Provide instructions for weighing apples either on the scale or balance if
students are unfamiliar with the processes (i.e. let scale equal zero and
then set the apple on the scale to read the weight; or place the apple on
one side of the balance and add weights until it is level).
4. Ask students to cut their apple in half. Count the number of seeds that are in
the apple and record on the worksheet.
5. Collect student data and compile it for the students.
a. Example of chart for class data (filled in with student collected data):
Type of Apple
Weight (in pounds)
Circumference (in inches)
Average # of seeds
6. Let them eat the apples! Talk about which kinds of apples the students enjoy
eating.
Extension:
Healthy eating habits could be discussed. The life cycle of an apple can also be paired
with this activity.
Resources:
http://www.virginiaapples.org/industry/index.html
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/apples/facts.cfm
39
Apple Statistics
Measuring and Statistics Unit: Apple Statistics
Lesson 2
Standards of Learning:
Math: 3.17
English: 3.5
Materials:
Copies of the data from the previous lesson
Worksheets (see p. 97-100)
o There are 2 versions: 1 has a grid to help students make their bar charts and
the line plot is already labeled. The other packet does not have a grid and the
line plot is not labeled. Use whichever student packet that meets the needs of
your students
Excel (if desired)
Procedure:
*This is a multi-step lesson. Please use “Apple Statistics, Lesson 1” for the measurement
activities which provides the data needed for this lesson.
1. Pass back each child’s packet and a copy of the total data set.
a. Example of chart for class data (filled in with student collected data):
Type of Apple
Weight (in pounds)
Circumference (in inches)
Average # of seeds
2. Complete the following statistic activities that are applicable (instructions follow):
a. Bar Graph: kind of apple vs. average seeds
b. Line Plot: weight
3. Ask the following discussion questions:
a. What type of food is an apple?
b. Why do you think apples have different numbers of seeds? How does the
size of the apple affect the number of seeds it has?
c. Which kind of apple do you think would have the highest average
number of seeds?
40
d. Are weight and circumference related?
e. Who grows apples?
f. How do you think the size of apples impacts farmers?
i. I.e. packaging, price, livelihood, orchards, weather/climate, cooking,
etc.
Extension:
Describe different types of literature, including legends, with your students. Books about
the legend of Johnny Appleseed can be read, a discussion about different types of
literature can be conducted, and this math lesson can incorporate apples.
For a mathematics extension, the bar graph can be made using Excel:
To create a chart with each apple type and the average number of seeds (use student
data collected in Lesson 1):
o Label A1: Type of Apple (this will be the x-axis)
 Enter the varieties of the apples in column A
o Label B1: Average number of seeds (this will be the y-axis).
 Enter the average number of seeds for each type of apple in column B
(align with appropriate apple variety).
o Highlight the two columns (type of apple and average number of seeds) by
holding the CTRL button and selecting the desired data.
o On the tool bar, select “Insert” bar/column chart for the data. Make sure the
chart selected has the titles of the chart, x-axis, and y-axis (usually choice 9).
41
Example Work
*This is not the Student Packet*
Apple Statistics
Name ____________________
Type of apple: see chart
Number of seeds in the apple: see chart
Type of Apple
Circumference
(inches)
Number
of seeds
Granny Smith 1
Weight
(in
pounds)
.5
10
2
Granny Smith 2
McIntosh 1
McIntosh 2
Gala 1
Gala 2
Golden Delicious 1
.66
.51
.54
.56
.61
.5
11
10.75
10.75
10
10.75
10
2
3
5
8
7
4
Golden Delicious 2
Red Delicious 1
Red Delicious 2
.48
.57
.53
9.25
10
9.75
3
2
1
Type of Apple
Granny Smith
McIntosh
Gala
Golden Delicious
Red Delicious
Average number of seeds
2
4
7.5
3.5
1.5
Average Number of Seeds Bar Chart
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Granny
Smith
McIntosh
Gala
Type of Apple
42
Golden
Delicious
Red
Delicious
Excel Graph for Average Number of Seeds
Average Number of Seeds
8
7
Number of Seeds
6
5
4
3
Average number of seeds
2
1
0
McIntosh
Granny Smith Macintosh
Gala
Golden
Delicious
Red Delicious
Type of Apple
Quantitative Graph
Line Plot: Weight (in pounds)
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
.45 .46 .47 .48 .49 .50 .51 .52 .53 .54 .55 .56 .57 .58 .59 .60 .61 .62 .63 .64 .65 .66 .67 .68 .69 .70
Weight of Apples (in pounds)
43
Classifying Virginia Products by Solid Figure
Geometry Unit: Solid Figures
Lesson 1
Standards of Learning:
Math: 3.14
Social Studies: 3.6
Materials:
-
Virginia products and their general shapes (provide a picture or an example):
Apple (sphere)
- Bunch of grapes (cone)
Tomato (sphere)
- Hay bale (cylinder)
Ear of corn (rectangular prism)
- Peach (sphere)
Cotton ball (sphere)
- Watermelon (cylinder)
Cucumber (cylinder)
- Lumber (rectangular prism)
Strawberry (cone)
- Egg (sphere)
Block of cheese (rectangular prism)
- Cereal box (rectangular prism)
Peanut (cylinder)
- Sausage link (cylinder)
Chicken nugget (sphere)
- Loaf of bread (rectangular prism)
Evergreen tree (square pyramid)
- Pumpkin (sphere)
Soybean (sphere)
Large chart paper to be put on the ground and used as a grid, with sections
titled: sphere, square pyramid, rectangular prism, cone, and cylinder with a
picture beside the shape.
Background Knowledge:
Virginia produces many products that can be classified by general solid figures.
Students can identify objects as a sphere, square pyramid, rectangular prism, cone,
and cylinder using specific characteristics, including the number of angles, vertices,
edges, faces, and general shape. Use the Agriculture Map of Virginia to discuss
where these items are produced. This lesson provides concrete, tangible objects
students can study and investigate to determine what solid figure the objects
represent.
44
Procedure:
1. Discuss shapes and what the characteristics are of each solid figure.
2. Ask the children, one at a time, to sort the Virginia products by their solid
figure.
3. Display a map of Virginia and talk about where the products are produced.
Extension:
Graph the number of products for each solid figure.
45
Classifying Virginia Products by Solid Figure
Geometry Unit: Solid Figures
Lesson 2
Standards of Learning:
Math: 3.14
Social Studies: 3.6
Materials:
-
Virginia products and their general shapes (provide a picture or an example):
Apple (sphere)
- Bunch of grapes (cone)
Tomato (sphere)
- Hay bale (cylinder)
Ear of corn (rectangular prism)
- Peach (sphere)
Cotton ball (sphere)
- Watermelon (cylinder)
Cucumber (cylinder)
- Lumber (rectangular prism)
Strawberry (cone)
- Egg (sphere)
Block of cheese (rectangular prism)
- Cereal box (rectangular prism)
Peanut (cylinder)
- Sausage link (cylinder)
Chicken nugget (sphere)
- Loaf of bread (rectangular prism)
Evergreen tree (square pyramid)
- Pumpkin (sphere)
Soybean (sphere)
Large chart paper to be put on the ground and used as a grid, with sections
titled: sphere, square pyramid, rectangular prism, cone, and cylinder with a
picture beside the shape.
Worksheet (see p. 101)
Background Knowledge:
Virginia produces many products that can be classified by general solid figures.
Students can identify objects as a sphere, square pyramid, rectangular prism, cone,
and cylinder using specific characteristics, including the number of angles, vertices,
edges, faces, and general shape. Students must use their prior knowledge of solid
figures to sort pictures of Virginia products.
46
Procedure:
1. After completing Lesson 1 of “Classifying Virginia Products by Solid Figure,”
complete the following activity:
a. Review with the students the objects from Lesson 1 and how to classify
solid figures.
b. Ask review questions such as:
i. How many faces does a sphere have?
ii. What shape is the base of a rectangular prism?
iii. What shape is the base of a cylinder?
c. Ask students to complete the review sheet on page 101.
Extension:
Graph the number of products for each solid figure.
47
48
4th Grade
Number and Number Sense
Students in 4th grade must identify decimal place values through the
thousandths and determine their fraction equivalents.
Computation and Estimation
Decimals are used in sum and difference problems in this grade.
Measurement
Equivalent measurements for the U.S. Customary and metric units
are explored by students for weight, length, and liquid volume.
Geometry
Points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles are identified by 4th
graders. An understanding of parallelism and perpendicularity is also
demonstrated.
Probability and Statistics
Predictions of outcomes are discussed with students, specifically the
likelihood, or unlikelihood, of something happening.
Patterns, Functions, and Algebra
Students now create numerical and geometric patterns. The
associative property is introduced for multiplication and addition.
49
Balancing Act
Standards of Learning:
Math: 4.3, 4.5, 4.16
Materials:
One die
Checkbook sheets (see p. 102)
Green Deposit cards (see p. 103)
Red Payment cards (see p. 104)
Board game (see p. 105-106)
Player pieces, such as cubes, small farm animal toys, different colored
counters, etc.
List of rules
Scratch paper
Background Knowledge:
Living on a farm requires a constant knowledge of available funds. It costs money to
feed animals and grow crops, but farmers can also make a profit. This activity
allows students to practice adding and subtracting decimals, learn how to keep
track of expenses, and understand what a farm costs.
Procedure:
1. Create the board game on pages 105 and 106.
1. Print out the board game and glue it into a folder to create a folder game.
2. Print the deposit cards on green paper and the payment cards on red
paper.
3. Print out multiple copies of the checkbook sheets for students to use
while they play the game.
2. Explain the rules to the students:
1. Each player begins with $5,000.
50
2. Whoever’s birthday is next can go first.
3. Roll the die and move that many spaces.
4. If the box is green, draw and read a deposit card. Write the date,
transaction description (deposit), and the deposit amount ($) in the boxes.
Add the deposit amount to the starting amount and write the new
balance.
5. If the box is red, read a payment card. Write the check number (starting
with 1 and continuing for each check written), date, transaction
description (payment), and the payment amount ($) in the boxes. Subtract
the payment amount from the starting amount and write the new balance.
Check
Number
Date
Example
1/1/11
Transaction
Description
Deposit
Example
1/11/11
Payment
Payment
Amount
$350.11
Deposit
Amount
$45.29
Account
Balance
$5,045.29
$4,695.18
6. Continue these steps according to the color of the box you move to. Make
sure to use the correct account balance when adding and subtracting. The
balance will change with every move you make. Use scratch paper to help
you solve the mathematics problems correctly.
7. Follow the boxes to the finish line. If you land on a box with special
instructions, make sure to follow them.
3. Allow the students to play the game and practice their addition and subtraction
skills with decimals.
Extension:
Ask students to write a story about themselves as a farmer, relating to the game in
terms of the cost to run a farm.
51
Balancing Act
Game Instructions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Each player begins with $5,000.
Whoever’s birthday is next can go first.
Roll the die and move that many spaces.
If the box is green, draw and read a deposit card. Write the date,
transaction description (deposit), and the deposit amount ($) in the
boxes. Add the deposit amount to the starting amount and write
the new balance.
5. If the box is red, read a payment card. Write the check number
(starting with 1 and continuing for each check written), date,
transaction description (payment), and the payment amount ($) in
the boxes. Subtract the payment amount from the starting amount
and write the new balance.
Check
Number
Example
Date
1/1/11
Transaction
Description
Deposit
Example
1/11/11
Payment
Payment
Amount
$350.11
Deposit
Amount
$45.29
Account
Balance
$5,045.29
$4,695.18
6. Continue these steps according to the color of the box you move
to. Make sure to use the correct account balance when adding and
subtracting. The balance will change with every move you make.
Use scratch paper to help you solve the mathematics problems
correctly.
7. Follow the boxes to the finish line. If you land on a box with
special instructions, make sure to follow them.
52
From Farm to Food
Standards of Learning:
Math: 4.7
Social Studies: VS.1, VS.3, VS.9
Materials:
Examples of maps of counties in Virginia, especially where your school is
located
Worksheets (see p. 108-11)
Answer key (see p. 111)
Ruler
Internet
Background Knowledge:
Food does not grow in a grocery store. Virginia farmers help provide consumers
with necessary groceries including dairy, meat, and produce items. But how do
crops and other commodities reach families, schools, and grocers? Consumers can
buy food items at a grocery store or a farmer’s market. Some food has to go through
different processes in order to be consumed. There are many steps for getting farm
items to people.
Procedure:
1. Discuss with students what happens to food before it gets to them. Use the
following information to help them understand food does not appear out of
nowhere, and there are steps food must go through in order to be eaten.
a. Tysons has several processing plants in the state of Virginia for
chickens and other poultry products.
b. Cows are milked and their milk is collected into large tanks. The milk
truck comes approximately every day to pump the milk out of the
tanks into the tanker truck. The milk is then taken to a dairy
53
2.
3.
4.
5.
processing plant to be cleaned, pasteurized, and bottled.
c. Farms can provide eggs for egg packaging companies. The eggs are
refrigerated in order to keep them fresh for the necessary period of
time until they reach their destination.
d. Corn can be taken to a grain elevator where it is kept until it is
needed. Sometimes farmers wait to sell the grain until the prices
increase, or when there is a greater need.
Talk about where food goes after it has been cleaned and processed. Food
items arrive in grocery stores, schools, farmers markets, and food banks. Food
can travel many miles before it reaches a table to be eaten.
Ask students to use the “From Farm to Food” map and the key to determine
the answers to the questions asked on the worksheet.
a. If this is the first time the students have measured distance on a map
and converted the inches into miles, please demonstrate how to do so.
The students need to find the two points of interest in the question,
measure the distance between, and count by 4’s to determine the
number of miles. Students should use quarter and half inches to get as
exact of an answer as possible.
Then hold a discussion about how food traveled when our nation first began,
and how it travels today. Determine what impact those differences had on
farmers and consumers.
Explain how, in the 20th century, the United States moved from an
agricultural society to a more industrial and urban country. Describe the
events that led to this and the impact it has had on our nation.
Extension:
Take a field trip to a milk processing plant to learn more about how milk goes
from the cow to a gallon in the store. Visit a local farmer’s market to investigate the
fresh, Virginia products people can buy locally.
54
Natural Angles
Standards of Learning:
Math: 4.10
Materials:
Picture of a flowering tree (see p. 107)
Ruler
Protractor
Different colored pencils to differentiate the labels:
o Red: points
o Orange: lines
o Yellow: line segments
o Green: rays
o Blue: angles
o Purple: perpendicular lines
o Brown: intersecting lines
o Black: parallel lines
Background Knowledge:
Lines, angles, and points make up objects. Nature can be used to discover geometry
by completing a “Geometry Search.” Some farmers grow flowering trees that produce
fruit, such as apples. These trees are filled with intersecting lines, angles, points, and
other geometric representations.
Procedure:
1. Describe and illustrate to the students points, lines, line segments, rays, and
angles.
a. A point looks like a dot.
b. Lines extend in both directions forever.
c. Line segments begin and end with points.
d. Rays have one end point and extend to infinity.
55
e. Angles are two rays that share the same endpoint/vertex.
2. Parallel lines never intersect, perpendicular lines intersect and form a right
angle, and intersecting lines intersect at least once creating any type of angle.
3. Give each student a picture of a flowering tree (see p. 107).
4. Ask them to use the key described above to draw on the picture the
geometric representations they see. Encourage them to label the
representations appropriately underneath the image.
Extension:
Invite students to go outside and take pictures of natural geometric representations
they see.
56
Pollination Probability
Standards of Learning:
Math: 4.13
Social Studies: VS.1, VS.4, VS. 6
English 4.7
Materials:
Farmer George Plants a Nation by Peggy Thomas
Name cards (see p. 112-114)
o To make it easier to identify the students, punch two holes at the top of
the name card and tie a piece of yarn so that the children can wear it
around their necks.
Quarters
Recording sheets (see p. 115-116)
Background Knowledge:
When settlers came to America, they brought foreign items with them, including apple
trees, peach trees, and watermelon. Not only did they bring produce to plant, worms
and honeybees were also transported across the Atlantic. Without earthworms or bees,
the nonnative plants would not have been able to survive. Virginia colonists grew
squash, beans, watermelon, pumpkins, apples, and peaches, with the help of pollinating
bees and wiggling earthworms. Through this lesson, students learn about probability,
pollination, and historic agriculture.
Procedure:
1. Read to the students Farmer George Plants a Nation by Peggy Thomas. Describe the
agricultural history of Virginia. Point out similarities and differences between the
past and present farming practices. Discuss the agricultural advancements
Washington made and the importance of his life to this nation.
2. Describe the game to the students:
a. Some people will be farmers. Everyone else will be bees. The bees will
simulate pollination by flipping coins. If it is heads, the farmer’s crop is
pollinated by that bee. If the coin lands on tails, the bee did not pollinate the
57
crop. The bees will have 3 minutes to visit the farms. At each stop, the bee
will flip the coin and record which side it landed on. No matter what side
landed facing up, the bee and farmer need to record the information on their
sheets of paper.
3. Tell students they will discover pollination through probability. Assign 1 student as
the farmer of the following crops grown in colonial Virginia: squash, pumpkins,
beans, watermelon, apples, and peaches (total of 5 students). Give them their name
cards to identify their crops.
4. Ask the farmers to stand throughout the room and give them the “Farmer’s Record”
sheet (p. 115). Instruct them to keep track of the number of bees that visit their
farm, and if the bees pollinated their crops or not. If a bee’s coin lands on heads,
your crop was pollinated. If a bee’s coin lands on tails, your crop was not pollinated.
Check the appropriate box on your sheet for each bee that visits you and your farm.
5. Give the rest of the children a quarter and tell them they are bees that will pollinate
the farmer’s plants. Distribute the name cards so students remember their roles.
6. Hand out the “Bee Record” sheet to the students acting as bees (p. 116). Instruct them
to go to a farmer, flip their quarter, and record if it landed on heads or tails. Ask
them to tell the farmer which side of the coin landed facing up. DO NOT move on
to the next farmer until you know your flip was recorded.
7. Allow students to “pollinate” the farms for 3 minutes. They must be careful to keep
track of each coin flip!
8. Once the 3 minutes is up, ask the students to find the probability of pollination.
a. Bees: Take the number of pollinated crops and divide that number by total
number of trips to the farmers. Multiply this number by 100 to get the
percentage.
b. Farmers: Take the number of pollinated crops and divide that number by the
total number of bees that visited your farm. Multiply this number by 100 to
get the percentage.
9. Complete several more times so students have an opportunity to play all of the
parts.
10. Then, discuss how, in the long run, your probability with be about 50% pollination.
a. Visit http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/probability/cointoss.html to show
students that, as you flip more coins, your probability gets close to 50/50.
Extension:
Have students write a story about their life in colonial Virginia, describing the
hardships colonists faced, especially during the initial days and the food shortage. If you
have old, colonial-styled clothing, allow farmers to wear them.
58
59
60
5th Grade
Number and Number Sense
An understanding of prime and composite numbers develops in 5th
grade.
Computation and Estimation
Multi-step problems with whole numbers, decimals, and fractions are
expected of students. Children also use the order of operations.
Measurement
Perimeter, area, and volume are solved by students. The parts of a
circle are introduced, including: diameter, radius, chord, and
circumference.
Geometry
Fifth grade students classify angles, triangles, and plane figures.
Probability and Statistics
Sample spaces are used by fifth graders to make predictions. Stemand-leaf plots and line graphs are created. Also, vocabulary such as
mean, median, mode, and range is gained.
Patterns, Functions, and Algebra
Variables are presented to children in one-step linear equations. The
distributive property of multiplication over addition is also
investigated.
61
Flowering Factorization
Standards of Learning:
Math: 5.3
Science: 5.5
Materials:
Construction paper of every color
White squares
Brown yarn cut into 2 inch lengths or craft sticks
Markers
Scissors
Tape or glue
Practice worksheet (see p. 117-118)
Background Knowledge:
Plants use roots to obtain essential nutrients from soil. Without the thin stringy
fibers, flowers and crops would not survive. Farmers rely on healthy soil and strong
roots to keep their crops alive until they are ready to harvest. Roots begin forming
during germination and continue to grow while the plant grows.
This activity can teach students the parts of the plant and the importance of roots
while learning prime factorization. Factors of a multiple can be broken down into
only prime numbers. Students get a visual representation of how a number can be
divided into multiplication fact families, and eventually only prime factors, using
roots shooting from the stem of a flower.
Procedure:
1. Discuss with students how to complete prime factorization. Explain that
prime numbers can be multiplied together to make composite numbers.
62
Prime factorization breaks down a composite number until you reach only
the prime factors that make it composite (18 = 2 X 3 X 3).
2. Use the practice worksheet (p. 117-118) to review prime factorization with
your students. Make sure they understand that once a factor cannot be
divided into two factors except 1 and itself, it is a prime number.
3. Remind the students to circle the prime numbers in the factorization trees so
they can determine the prime factorization for the composite numbers they
are practicing with.
4. After everyone has demonstrated a clear understanding of prime
factorization, and their “trees” have been approved, ask them to choose one
composite number to use for their Flowering Factorization activity.
5. Provide all of the supplies listed above.
6. Ask the students to cut out the center of a flower and write their composite
number on it. Give them time to make their flower petals, stem, and leaves.
7. Once everyone has made their flowers, have the students write on white
squares of construction paper the factorization of their composite number.
Make sure the students include all of the steps, and not just the prime
numbers. They need to demonstrate how they reached the prime numbers.
8. Ask the students to attach the factors appropriately, matching the practice
they completed on the scratch paper.
9. On the prime numbers, draw a worm, bee, ant, or other garden critter to
indicate the final factors of the prime factorization.
10. Hang up the flowers around the room.
Extension:
Smaller versions of this activity can be done using tooth picks. You can assign
certain characteristics of composite number and students must provide an example,
such as: “This composite number has 2 prime numbers (21).” Or, “Show me 3
different ways you can begin to find the prime numbers for the number 36 (starting
factors: 2x18, 3x12, or 6x6).”
Students could also complete this activity using root vegetables. Discuss the
structure of a plant, specifically the cells.
63
Buzzing with Math Facts
Standards of Learning:
Math: 5.4, 5.18
Science: 5.5
Materials:
Honeycomb Interactive Bulletin
Board Lesson: “Buzzing with Math Facts”
(see p. 119-121)
o Bees
o Equals signs
o Honeycombs
A bee book such as Hooray for Beekeeping by Bobbie Kalman or The Honeybee
Man by Lela Nargi
Background Knowledge:
Bees create hives to store their honey. The combs bees build have six sides, and are
shaped like regular hexagons. Honey and pollen are stored in the combs, and the queen
bee also lays eggs in them. Farmers use bees for their honey and their pollinating
abilities. Fruits and vegetables, such as apples, watermelons, blueberries, and cucumbers,
would not grow without the help of bees.
For this activity, honeycombs are used to practice determining factors for a number. By
creating rows of combs, students can determine which factors of a multiple are missing.
Students will need to determine, out of a few choices, which honeycombs (with
numbers on them) belong to a particular bee. There will also be some honeycombs
already posted, and the students will have to determine the missing factor multiple.
Procedure:
1. Print hexagons on yellow paper and cut them out.
2. Laminate the hexagons.
3. Set up the bulletin board to practice factors of multiples.
64
a. Depending on what skills need to be practiced, the numbers can range from
single, double, or triple digit multiples.
4. Read a bee book to the students and discuss the structure of a bee hive.
5. Explain the bulletin board:
a. The bees represent a multiplication fact. The product is written on the wing.
b. Each honeycomb represents a factor. For example, 2 and 6 are factors of 12.
The numbers 2 and 6 are written on the honeycomb, and the number 12 is
written on the bee. An equals sign (=) illustrates the equality of both sides of
the number sentence: 2 x 6 = 12 (see the top example in the picture).
i. Even though there are not multiplication signs on the board, please
remind students that the honeycombs are multiplied together to get
the number on the bee’s wing. If students are still confused, post
multiplication symbols on the honeycombs.
c. If there is a question mark (?) on a honeycomb or bee, the students must
determine the missing number. This introduces children to variables and
linear equations. It is up to the students to use their reasoning and
multiplication knowledge to determine the factor that is missing.
i. Example in picture: 3 x ? x 2 = 42
? =7
d. If there is a ? after the = sign, the product of the multiple is the unknown. In
other words, the students must solve the multiplication problem to determine
the product.
i. 4 x 6 x 1 x 8 = ?
= 192
e. Give students a product and have them determine the multiples.
f. Have students make their own equation with 1 variable (1 missing factor).
6. Have students create their own multiplication problem with 3 or more factors.
Extension:
The students can have a friendly competition by splitting the class into groups and
asking them to work cooperatively and quickly to see which group can find the correct
factors the fastest.
65
Quilt Classifying
Standards of Learning:
Math: 5.11, 5.12
History: USI.8
English: 5.8, 5.9
Materials:
Quilts
Construction paper of every color
Large paper grocery bags
o Each child needs one panel of the bag (sides with the handles on them).
Either cut these prior to the lesson, or pair students up with a grocery
bag and ask them to do it.
Rulers
Protractors
Glue
Cotton plants or bolls
Cotton balls
Scissors
Sample quilt template (see p. 122)
Background Knowledge:
Some farmers in Virginia grow cotton. This crop is ranked 16th in cash receipts for
the state of Virginia, bringing in $36.3 million. Sixty thousand acres of Virginia land
grow cotton. Cotton is harvested and sent to a cotton gin to separate the seeds from
the cotton. The bales of cotton leave the gin and arrive at a textile mill where the
cotton is cleaned, stretched, rolled, and dyed.
Cotton has been an important agricultural commodity since the United States was
founded. The cotton gin was created by Eli Whitney, leading to incredible growth in
production and life for Americans.
66
Procedure:
1. Discuss with the students about cotton and its importance in Virginia. Read Eli
Whitney and the Cotton Gin by Jessica Gunderson and talk about the significance
of this invention.
2. Pass around a cotton plant or boll and cotton ball and discuss the differences
between the two. Ask students about their clothes and how the cotton cloth feels
in comparison to the cotton examples passed around.
3. Bring in several quilts and lay them out on the floor. The quilts can be intricate
or simple, but there should be enough angles and shapes, especially triangles, for
students to measure.
4. Assign students to different blankets. Pass out rulers and protractors
5. Ask students to find an acute angle (less than 90˚) on their blanket. Ask them to
measure it and check other members of their groups to make sure everyone has
chosen an appropriate angle.
6. Ask students to find an obtuse angle (greater than 90˚). Ask them to measure it
and check other members of their groups to make sure everyone has chosen an
appropriate angle.
7. Ask students to find an equilateral triangle (all sides are equal). Ask them to
measure it and check other members of their groups to make sure everyone has
chosen an appropriate triangle.
8. Ask students to find an isosceles triangle (two sides are equal). Ask them to
measure it and check other members of their groups to make sure everyone has
chosen an appropriate triangle.
9. Discuss with students patterns found in the quilts, shapes that be classified, and
the texture of the fabrics.
10. Provide students with a section of a brown paper grocery bag to use as a base
for their quilt. Allow them to use construction paper, glue, scissors, protractors,
and rulers to create their own paper quilt. Make sure they understand they must
include a combination of acute, right, obtuse, and straight angles as well as right,
acute, obtuse, equilateral, and scalene triangles. Their quilts can include patterns
or a scene of some sort.
a. Students should measure and draw their shapes using a protractor and
ruler. After cutting the shapes out, students should glue them on to the
brown bag base in their chosen design.
11. Display the quilts around the classroom.
67
Extension:
Students could research ways to harvest cotton and quilting techniques during the
Civil War. Research about how cotton was used and the products made with this
crop could also be completed. Then, students can research harvesting methods
cotton farmers use and how people make quilts today. A Venn diagram can be
created using the information students find.
Also, during the Civil War, quilt patterns communicated messages amongst slaves.
Students could research different symbols used in the quilts and what the symbols
meant. Then they could incorporate the symbols into their quilts and write a
journal entry from the perspective of a slave searching for freedom.
Material for quilts used to come from sack bags, old clothing, and scraps of cloth.
Women would gather together and have quilting bees. Certain areas of the country
used this as a way to build community values and relationships. Quilts brought
people together, especially during the Great Depression. Ask students to write a
diary entry as if they were growing up during the Depression. Many farmers also
struggled with their crops, so students could take on the role of quilter or farmer.
Examples of Quilt Patterns
68
Coordinating Crops
Lesson 1 in 5th Grade Probability Unit
Standards of Learning:
Math: 6.11
Social Studies: 3.5
Materials:
Large grid on chart or butcher paper with letters as the x-axis and numbers
as the y-axis
Items that can be placed on various points:
o Cotton
o Apple
o Tomato
o Small cereal box
o Egg
o Spool of wool/yarn
o Seed packet
Background Knowledge:
Gardeners and farmers plant their fields by plotting their seeds in order to provide
enough space for the plants to grow. A grid can be used to illustrate the exact
location of the seeds. In order to understand how a grid can be used, students must
practice naming coordinates on the grid.
Farmers use Global Position System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS)
to accurately determine positions using technology. The technology is used for farm
planning and mapping, soil sampling, and crop scouting. Farmers are also assisted
by these systems when visibility is hindered while maneuvering their farm
equipment. For more information about these technology systems, please visit
http://www.gps.gov/applications/agriculture.
69
By placing tangible items on points of a coordinate plane, students can practice
naming coordinates and prepare to use that knowledge in future activities.
Procedure:
1. Using large chart or butcher paper, create an enlarged version of a coordinate
plane. Label the x-axis with letters, and the y-axis with numbers.
2. Lay the grid out and gather the students around it. Put several items on various
points of the coordinate plane.
3. Name one item. Describe how to name the coordinates for the item. Tell
students that you state the x-axis (letter) then the y-axis (number). Write the
example on the board so students can see it.
4. Ask students to name the coordinates of other objects on the coordinate plane.
5. Remove the items. Provide the coordinates for the objects and ask the students
to put the objects in the correct place.
Extension:
Use the activity “Herding Cattle” to practice naming coordinates and teach
probability.
70
Herding Cattle
Lesson 2 in 5th Grade Probability Unit
Standards of Learning:
Math: 3.17, 5.14, 5.15, 5.16
*This lesson follows “Coordinating Crops”
Materials:
Game instructions (p. 123)
Game Board (1 per student, p. 124)
Cow game pieces (4 sets per page, but only 1 set per student, p. 125)
Dividers to separate players (folder, binder, etc.)
Scrap pieces of paper (1 per student)
Dry erase markers (1 per student)
Background Knowledge:
When farmers raise cattle, they allow them to graze in their fields. However, over
time, the grass will be eaten and the ground trampled on by the cows’ paths. Cattle
will often pull up new grass, including the roots, leaving the ground barren, if
allowed to graze too long in one area. In order to preserve their land, farmers herd
their cattle from paddock to paddock. The length of time the cows are kept in one
area depends on the amount of land and the number of cattle. Farmers use different
techniques to herd cattle but no matter what way they do it, all of the cattle must
be accounted for.
In this activity, students must guess where calves, cows, and bulls are on their
opponent’s game board. Calves fit on 1 point, cows on 2 points, and the bull on 3
points. Cows go their own ways sometimes and ignore the famers’ instructions. It
can take farmers several tries to round up all of the cattle. Thus, the cows and bulls
cannot be “herded” with just one point guessed correctly. It might take the farmer
several calls to get them to move, and it will take the players several correct points
to “herd” the cows.
71
Probability can be determined by using a sample space. The probability of guessing
the correct coordinate on the first try can be determined by finding the number of
points the game pieces fit on, divided by the number of total points possible. The
actual percentage of people guessing the correct answer on the first try is
determined by the following equation: (number of people guessing a correct
coordinate on the first try ÷ total number of people playing) x 100. This lesson
teaches students how to determine sample spaces while gaining an appreciation for
cattle farmers.
Procedure:
1. Complete the “Coordinating Crops” lesson and review coordinate planes.
2. Pair off the students in the classroom.
3. Ask them to set up their games. Each student should have a coordinate plane,
cow game pieces, a pencil, dry erase marker, and a scrap piece of paper.
4. Make sure a divider is placed between the two students so no one can see their
opponent’s board. Tell the students to place the cattle on their coordinate planes.
The calves fit on 1 point, the cows on 2 points, and the bulls on 3 points. None
of the animals can go on the board diagonally and the animals cannot touch.
5. Ask the students to play the game by calling out coordinates. A cow is not
herded until all of the coordinates it fits on are called by the opponent. Make
sure the students use the scrap paper to keep tallies how many times it took
them to guess a coordinate on their opponent’s board. The opponent must
respond to the other player, notifying their classmate if the guessed point “hit” or
“missed” a cow.
6. Tell students to use the dry erase markers to keep track of their guesses:
a. Put an X on their board for their guesses they’ve made on their opponent’s
board to keep track.
b. Put a ● for the coordinates their opponent guesses correctly (i.e. the
coordinates the cows are on). This way students know when cows on their
boards have been “herded.”
7. Tell students to stop guessing once they’ve guessed a correct point. They should
allow their opponent to continue guessing until he/she also guesses a correct
point.
8. Once both players have made a “hit,” ask them to stop playing and wait for
everyone in the class to have made a “hit” (guessed a coordinate correctly). They
will continue playing in a moment.
72
9. Go around the room and ask the students to tell how many times it took them
to guess a correct coordinate. Create a classroom line plot to organize everyone’s
data.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
10. Determine the most common number of tries students took to guess a correct
coordinate (mode).
11. Make a stem-and-leaf plot using the number of tries it took the students to
guess a used coordinate. Discuss the similarities and the differences between a
line plot and a stem-and-leaf plot.
a. High/low might be needed for the stem-and-leaf plot.
b. What is important to remember when creating both types of plots?
(spacing)
12. Ask the students to determine the number of possible coordinates on the game
board (132). Then count how many coordinates are used by the game pieces (21).
a. This creates a sample space for the students. Theoretically, the probability
of guessing a cow’s coordinate on the first try is found by:
Number of points used by the game pieces
Number of possible points
21 ÷ 132 = 15.91%
b. Using this sample space shows students that, after completing this
experiment many times, the probability of guessing the correct coordinate
on the first try will get closer to the probability found above.
13. Determine the number of people that guessed right on the first try (information
can be found on the line plot). To find the empirical probability of guessing right
on the first try: divide the number of people that did so by the total number of
people.
a. Empirical probability is based on direct observations or experiences. Thus,
in order to find the empirical probability of this experiment, you must
take the actual event divided by the total number events. Or, the actual
number of people that guessed correctly on the first time, divided by the
total number of people playing.
14. Then discuss with students the differences between the theoretical probability
and the empirical probability. Ask questions such as:
a. Why do you think the numbers are different?
b. If we played this game every day and kept adding together our data,
would the probability be closer to the theoretical probability or would it
move further away?
73
15. Allow the students to continue playing the game. Repeat the experiment
multiple times to show students how varied your results can be when using a
small sample space and how important it is for researchers to use good data and
appropriately sized sample spaces.
Extension:
Complete the experiment over several days and add together all of the results to
create an expanded sample space. This can provide a concrete example of how
empirical probabilities can get closer to theoretical probabilities if done over time.
If you want to discuss predicting the number of people that would guess it right on
the first time, you can have students complete the following formula:
theoretical probability X # of people playing the game = the # of people that would guess
right on the 1st time
Students can play by themselves using a numbered die and a lettered die.
74
Virginia Standards
of Learning
75
As of 2011, the following Virginia Standards of Learning are addressed in this book.
Kindergarten
Mathematics:
K.1
The student, given two sets, each containing 10 or fewer concrete objects, will identify and describe
one set as having more, fewer, or the same number of members as the other set, using the concept of
one-to-one correspondence.
K.6
The student will model adding and subtracting whole numbers, using up to 10 concrete objects.
K.8
The student will identify the instruments used to measure length (ruler), weight (scale), time (clock:
digital and analog; calendar: day, month, and season), and temperature (thermometer).
K.11
The student will
a) identify, describe, and trace plane geometric figures (circle, triangle, square, and rectangle); and
b) compare the size (larger, smaller) and shape of plane geometric figures (circle, triangle, square, and
rectangle).
K.12
The student will describe the location of one object relative to another (above, below, next to) and
identify representations of plane geometric figures (circle, triangle, square, and rectangle) regardless of
their positions and orientations in space.
K.13
The student will gather data by counting and tallying.
K.14
The student will display gathered data in object graphs, picture graphs, and tables, and will answer
questions related to the data.
K.16
The student will identify, describe, and extend repeating patterns.
English:
K.1
The student will demonstrate growth in the use of oral language.
a) Listen to a variety of literary forms, including stories and poems.
b) Participate in choral speaking and recite short poems, rhymes, songs, and stories with repeated
patterns.
K.2
c)
d)
e)
f)
Participate in creative dramatics.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
Use number words.
Begin to discriminate between spoken sentences, words, and syllables.
Recognize rhyming words.
Generate rhyming words in a rhyming pattern.
The student will use listening and speaking vocabularies.
Use words to describe/name people, places, and things.
Use words to describe location, size, color, and shape.
Use words to describe actions.
Ask about words not understood.
Follow one-step and two-step directions.
Begin to ask how and why questions.
76
Science:
K.4
The student will investigate and understand that the position, motion, and physical properties of an
object can be described. Key concepts include
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
K.7
colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple), white, and black;
shapes (circle, triangle, square, and rectangle) and forms (flexible/stiff, straight/curved);
textures (rough/smooth) and feel (hard/soft);
relative size and weight (big/little, large/small, heavy/light, wide/thin, long/short); and
position (over/under, in/out, above/below, left/right) and speed (fast/slow).
The student will investigate and understand that shadows occur when light is blocked by an object. Key
concepts include
a) shadows occur in nature when sunlight is blocked by an object; and
b) shadows can be produced by blocking artificial light sources.
K.9
The student will investigate and understand that change occurs over time and rates may be fast or slow.
Key concepts include
a) natural and human-made things may change over time; and
b) changes can be noted and measured.
Social Studies:
K.3
The student will describe the relative location of people, places, and things by using positional words,
with emphasis on near/far, above/below, left/right, and behind/in front.
Health Education:
K.1
The student will explain that the body is a living and growing organism. Key concepts/ skills include
a) the importance of making healthy food choices (e.g., eating a variety of foods from all food groups,
eating breakfast, choosing healthy snacks, eating at least five fruits and vegetables a day);
b) the effects of drugs and medicines on the body;
c) the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) and major body parts (e.g., head, trunk, arms, legs,
hands, feet);
d) the need for regular physical activity.
st
1 Grade
Mathematics:
1.1
The student will
a) count from 0 to 100 and write the corresponding numerals; and
b) group a collection of up to 100 objects into tens and ones and write the corresponding numeral to
develop an understanding of place value.
1.7
The student will
a) identify the number of pennies equivalent to a nickel, a dime, and a quarter; and
b) determine the value of a collection of pennies, nickels, and dimes whose total value is 100 cents or
less.
1.11
The student will use calendar language appropriately (e.g., names of the months, today, yesterday, next
week, last week).
77
1.12
The student will identify and trace, describe, and sort plane geometric figures (triangle, square,
rectangle, and circle) according to number of sides, vertices, and right angles.
The student will investigate, identify, and describe various forms of data collection (e.g., recording
daily temperature, lunch count, attendance, favorite ice cream), using tables, picture graphs, and object
graphs.
The student will recognize, describe, extend, and create a wide variety of growing and repeating
patterns.
1.14
1.17
English:
1.1
The student will continue to demonstrate growth in the use of oral language.
a) Listen and respond to a variety of media, including books, audiotapes, videos, and other ageappropriate materials.
b) Tell and retell stories and events in logical order.
c) Participate in a variety of oral language activities, including choral speaking and reciting short
poems, rhymes, songs, and stories with repeated patterns.
d) Express ideas orally in complete sentences.
1.2
1.3
The student will continue to expand and use listening and speaking vocabularies.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Increase oral descriptive vocabulary.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Initiate conversation with peers and adults.
Begin to ask for clarification and explanation of words and ideas.
Follow simple two-step oral directions.
Give simple two-step oral directions.
Use singular and plural nouns.
The student will adapt or change oral language to fit the situation.
Follow rules for conversation.
Use appropriate voice level in small-group settings.
Ask and respond to questions in small-group settings.
Science:
1.1
The student will conduct investigations in which
1.4
a)
b)
c)
d)
differences in physical properties are observed using the senses;
e)
f)
g)
h)
length, mass, and volume are measured using standard and nonstandard units;
simple tools are used to enhance observations;
objects or events are classified and arranged according to attributes or properties;
observations and data are communicated orally and with simple graphs, pictures, written statements,
and numbers;
predictions are based on patterns of observation rather than random guesses;
simple experiments are conducted to answer questions; and
inferences are made and conclusions are drawn about familiar objects and events.
The student will investigate and understand that plants have life needs and functional parts and can be
classified according to certain characteristics. Key concepts include
a) needs (food, air, water, light, and a place to grow);
b) parts (seeds, roots, stems, leaves, blossoms, fruits); and
78
c) characteristics (edible/nonedible, flowering/nonflowering, evergreen/deciduous).
1.5
The student will investigate and understand that animals, including people, have life needs and specific
physical characteristics and can be classified according to certain characteristics. Key concepts include
a) life needs (air, food, water, and a suitable place to live);
b) physical characteristics (body coverings, body shape, appendages, and methods of movement); and
c) other characteristics (wild/tame, water homes/land homes).
1.7
The student will investigate and understand the relationship of seasonal change and weather to the
activities and life processes of plants and animals. Key concepts include how temperature, light, and
precipitation bring about changes in
a) plants (growth, budding, falling leaves, and wilting);
b) animals (behaviors, hibernation, migration, body covering, and habitat); and
c) people (dress, recreation, and work).
Health Education:
1.2
The student will explain that good health is related to health-promoting decisions. Key concepts/skills
include
a) personal hygiene, including care of one’s teeth;
b) personal safety behaviors;
c) the harmful effects of misusing medicines and drugs;
d) sleep habits;
e) physical activity and healthy entertainment;
f) proper nutrition.
2
nd
Grade
Mathematics:
2.3
The student will
a) identify the parts of a set and/or region that represent fractions for halves, thirds, fourths, sixths,
eighths, and tenths;
b) write the fractions; and
c) compare the unit fractions for halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, eighths, and tenths.
2.4
The student will
a) count forward by twos, fives, and tens to 100, starting at various multiples of 2, 5, or 10;
b) count backward by tens from 100; and
c) recognize even and odd numbers.
2.8
The student will create and solve one- and two-step addition and subtraction problems, using data
from simple tables, picture graphs, and bar graphs.
2.10
The student will
a) count and compare a collection of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters whose total value is $2.00
or less; and
b) correctly use the cent symbol (¢), dollar symbol ($), and decimal point (.).
2.11
The student will estimate and measure
a) length to the nearest centimeter and inch;
79
b) weight/mass of objects in pounds/ounces and kilograms/grams, using a scale; and
c) liquid volume in cups, pints, quarts, gallons, and liters.
The student will
a) draw a line of symmetry in a figure; and
b) identify and create figures with at least one line of symmetry.
The student will use data from experiments to construct picture graphs, pictographs, and bar graphs.
The student will analyze data displayed in picture graphs, pictographs, and bar graphs.
The student will identify, create, and extend a wide variety of patterns.
The student will solve problems by completing numerical sentences involving the basic facts for
addition and subtraction. The student will create story problems, using the numerical sentences.
2.15
2.17
2.19
2.20
2.21
English:
2.3
The student will use oral communication skills.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Use oral language for different purposes: to inform, to persuade, and to entertain.
Share stories or information orally with an audience.
Participate as a contributor and leader in a group.
Summarize information shared orally by others.
Science:
2.1
The student will conduct investigations in which
a) observation is differentiated from personal interpretation, and conclusions are drawn based on
observations;
b)
c)
d)
e)
observations are repeated to ensure accuracy;
two or more attributes are used to classify items;
conditions that influence a change are defined;
length, volume, mass, and temperature measurements are made in metric units (centimeters, meters,
liters, degrees Celsius, grams, kilograms) and standard English units (inches, feet, yards, cups, pints,
quarts, gallons, degrees Fahrenheit, ounces, pounds);
f) pictures and bar graphs are constructed using numbered axes;
g) unexpected or unusual quantitative data are recognized; and
h) simple physical models are constructed.
2.4
The student will investigate and understand that plants and animals undergo a series of orderly changes
in their life cycles. Key concepts include
a) some animals (frogs and butterflies) undergo distinct stages during their lives, while others generally
resemble their parents; and
b) flowering plants undergo many changes, from the formation of the flower to the development of the
2.8
fruit.
The student will investigate and understand that plants produce oxygen and food, are a source of useful
products, and provide benefits in nature. Key concepts include
a) important plant products (fiber, cotton, oil, spices, lumber, rubber, medicines, and paper);
b) the availability of plant products affects the development of a geographic area; and
c) plants provide homes and food for many animals and prevent soil from washing away.
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Health Education:
2.1
The student will explain that personal health decisions and health habits influence health and wellness
throughout life. Key concepts/skills include
a) how food choices contribute to a healthy lifestyle;
b) the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco;
c) the need for regular health check-ups and screenings;
d) the importance of learning and using refusal skills to make good decisions;
e) the use of nonviolent strategies to resolve conflicts.
3
rd
Grade
Mathematics:
3.3
The student will
a) name and write fractions (including mixed numbers) represented by a model;
b) model fractions (including mixed numbers) and write the fractions’ names; and
c) compare fractions having like and unlike denominators, using words and symbols
(>, <, or =).
3.5
The student will recall multiplication facts through the twelves table, and the corresponding division
facts.
3.6
The student will represent multiplication and division, using area, set, and number line models, and
create and solve problems that involve multiplication of two whole numbers, one factor 99 or less and
the second factor 5 or less.
3.9
The student will estimate and use U.S. Customary and metric units to measure
a) length to the nearest ½ - inch, inch, foot, yard, centimeter, and meter;
b) liquid volume in cups, pints, quarts, gallons, and liters;
c) weight/mass in ounces, pounds, grams, and kilograms; and
d) area and perimeter.
3.10
The student will
a) measure the distance around a polygon in order to determine perimeter; and
b) count the number of square units needed to cover a given surface in order to determine area.
3.14
The student will identify, describe, compare, and contrast characteristics of plane and solid geometric
figures (circle, square, rectangle, triangle, cube, rectangular prism, square pyramid, sphere, cone, and
cylinder) by identifying relevant characteristics, including the number of angles, vertices, and edges,
and the number and shape of faces, using concrete models.
3.17
The student will
a) collect and organize data, using observations, measurements, surveys, or experiments;
b) construct a line plot, a picture graph, or a bar graph to represent the data; and
c) read and interpret the data represented in line plots, bar graphs, and picture graphs and write a
sentence analyzing the data.
3.20
The student will
a) investigate the identity and the commutative properties for addition and multiplication; and
b) identify examples of the identity and commutative properties for addition and multiplication.
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English:
3.2
The student will present brief oral reports.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
3.5
Speak clearly.
Use appropriate volume and pitch.
Speak at an understandable rate.
Organize ideas sequentially or around major points of information.
Use grammatically correct language and specific vocabulary to communicate ideas.
The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of fiction.
a) Set a purpose for reading.
b) Make connections between previous experiences and reading selections.
c) Make, confirm, or revise predictions.
d) Compare and contrast settings, characters, and events.
e) Identify the author’s purpose.
f) Ask and answer questions.
g) Draw conclusions about character and plot.
h) Organize information and events logically.
i) Summarize major points found in fiction materials.
j) Understand basic plots of fairy tales, myths, folktales, legends, and fables.
Science:
3.1
The student will plan and conduct investigations in which
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
3.5
predictions and observations are made;
objects with similar characteristics are classified into at least two sets and two subsets;
questions are developed to formulate hypotheses;
volume is measured to the nearest milliliter and liter;
length is measured to the nearest centimeter;
mass is measured to the nearest gram;
data are gathered, charted, and graphed (line plot, picture graph, and bar graph);
temperature is measured to the nearest degree Celsius;
time is measured to the nearest minute;
inferences are made and conclusions are drawn; and
natural events are sequenced chronologically.
The student will investigate and understand relationships among organisms in aquatic and terrestrial
food chains. Key concepts include
a) producer, consumer, decomposer;
b) herbivore, carnivore, omnivore; and
c) predator and prey.
3.6
The student will investigate and understand that environments support a diversity of plants and animals
that share limited resources. Key concepts include
a) water-related environments (pond, marshland, swamp, stream, river, and ocean environments);
b) dry-land environments (desert, grassland, rain forest, and forest environments); and
c) population and community.
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3.8
The student will investigate and understand basic patterns and cycles occurring in nature. Key concepts
include
a) patterns of natural events (day and night, seasonal changes, phases of the moon, and tides); and
b) animal and plant life cycles.
Social Studies:
3.5
The student will develop map skills by
a) positioning and labeling the seven continents and five oceans to create a world map;
b) using the equator and prime meridian to identify the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western
Hemispheres;
c) locating the countries of Spain, England, and France;
d) locating the regions in the Americas explored by Christopher Columbus (San Salvador in the
Bahamas), Juan Ponce de León (near St. Augustine, Florida), Jacques Cartier (near Quebec, Canada),
and Christopher Newport (Jamestown, Virginia);
e) locating specific places, using a simple letter-number grid system.
3.6
The student will read and construct maps, tables, graphs, and/or charts.
4
th
Grade
Mathematics:
4.3
The student will
a) read, write, represent, and identify decimals expressed through thousandths;
b) round decimals to the nearest whole number, tenth, and hundredth;
c) compare and order decimals; and
d) given a model, write the decimal and fraction equivalents.
4.5
The student will
a) determine common multiples and factors, including least common multiple and greatest common
factor;
b) add and subtract fractions having like and unlike denominators that are limited to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8,
10, and 12, and simplify the resulting fractions, using common multiples and factors;
c) add and subtract with decimals; and
d) solve single-step and multistep practical problems involving addition and subtraction with
fractions and with decimals.
4.7
The student will
a) estimate and measure length, and describe the result in both metric and U.S. Customary units; and
b) identify equivalent measurements between units within the U.S. Customary system (inches and
feet; feet and yards; inches and yards; yards and miles) and between units within the metric system
(millimeters and centimeters; centimeters and meters; and millimeters and meters)
4.10
The student will
a) identify and describe representations of points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles, including
endpoints and vertices; and
b) identify representations of lines that illustrate intersection, parallelism, and perpendicularity.
4.13
The student will
a) predict the likelihood of an outcome of a simple event; and
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b) represent probability as a number between 0 and 1, inclusive.
The student will
a) recognize and demonstrate the meaning of equality in an equation; and
b) investigate and describe the associative property for addition and multiplication.
4.16
English:
4.7
The student will write effective narratives, poems, and explanations.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
Focus on one aspect of a topic.
Develop a plan for writing.
Organize writing to convey a central idea.
Write several related paragraphs on the same topic.
Utilize elements of style, including word choice and sentence variation.
Write rhymed, unrhymed, and patterned poetry.
Use available technology.
Social Studies:
VS.1
The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and responsible
citizenship, including the ability to
a) identify and interpret artifacts and primary and secondary source documents to understand events
in history;
b) determine cause-and-effect relationships;
c) compare and contrast historical events;
d) draw conclusions and make generalizations;
e) make connections between past and present;
f) sequence events in Virginia history;
g) interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives;
h) evaluate and discuss issues orally and in writing;
i) analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships among landforms, water features, climatic
characteristics, and historical events.
VS.3
The student will demonstrate knowledge of the first permanent English settlement in America by
a) explaining the reasons for English colonization;
b) describing how geography influenced the decision to settle at Jamestown;
c) identifying the importance of the charters of the Virginia Company of London in establishing the
Jamestown settlement;
d) identifying the importance of the General Assembly (1619) as the first representative legislative
body in English America;
e) identifying the importance of the arrival of Africans and English women to the Jamestown
settlement;
f) describing the hardships faced by settlers at Jamestown and the changes that took place to ensure
survival;
g) describing the interactions between the English settlers and the native peoples, including the
contributions of Powhatan to the survival of the settlers.
VS.4
The student will demonstrate knowledge of life in the Virginia colony by
a) explaining the importance of agriculture and its influence on the institution of slavery;
84
VS.6
VS.9
5
th
b) describing how the culture of colonial Virginia reflected the origins of European (English, ScotsIrish, German) immigrants, Africans, and American Indians;
c) explaining the reasons for the relocation of Virginia’s capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg to
Richmond;
d) describing how money, barter, and credit were used;
e) describing everyday life in colonial Virginia.
The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the establishment of the new
American nation by
a) explaining why George Washington is called the “Father of our Country” and James Madison is
called the “Father of the Constitution”;
b) identifying the ideas of George Mason and Thomas Jefferson as expressed in the Virginia
Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom;
c) explaining the influence of geography on the migration of Virginians into western territories.
The student will demonstrate knowledge of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Virginia by
a) describing the economic and social transition from a rural, agricultural society to a more urban,
industrialized society, including the reasons people came to Virginia from other states and
countries;
b) identifying the impact of Virginians, such as Woodrow Wilson and George C. Marshall, on
international events;
c) identifying the social and political events in Virginia linked to desegregation and Massive
Resistance and their relationship to national history;
d) identifying the political, social, and/or economic contributions made by Maggie L. Walker; Harry F.
Byrd, Sr.; Oliver W. Hill; Arthur R. Ashe, Jr.; A. Linwood Holton, Jr.; and
L. Douglas Wilder.
Grade
Mathematics:
5.3
The student will
a) identify and describe the characteristics of prime and composite numbers; and
b) identify and describe the characteristics of even and odd numbers.
5.4
The student will create and solve single-step and multistep practical problems involving addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division with and without remainders of whole numbers.
5.11
The student will measure right, acute, obtuse, and straight angles.
5.12
The student will classify
a) angles as right, acute, obtuse, or straight; and
b) triangles as right, acute, obtuse, equilateral, scalene, or isosceles.
5.14
The student will make predictions and determine the probability of an outcome by constructing a
sample space.
5.15
The student, given a problem situation, will collect, organize, and interpret data in a variety of forms,
using stem-and-leaf plots and line graphs.
5.16
The student will
a) describe mean, median, and mode as measures of center;
b) describe mean as fair share;
85
c) find the mean, median, mode, and range of a set of data; and
d) describe the range of a set of data as a measure of variation.
The student will
a) investigate and describe the concept of variable;
b) write an open sentence to represent a given mathematical relationship, using a variable;
c) model one-step linear equations in one variable, using addition and subtraction; and
d) create a problem situation based on a given open sentence, using a single variable.
5.18
Science:
5.5
The student will investigate and understand that organisms are made of cells and have distinguishing
characteristics. Key concepts include
a)
b)
c)
d)
basic cell structures and functions;
kingdoms of living things;
vascular and nonvascular plants; and
vertebrates and invertebrates.
English:
5.8
The student will write for a variety of purposes: to describe, to inform, to entertain, and to
explain.
5.9
The student will edit writing for correct grammar, capitalization, spelling, punctuation, and
sentence structure.
Social Studies:
USI.8
The student will demonstrate knowledge of westward expansion and reform in America from 1801 to
1861 by
a) describing territorial expansion and how it affected the political map of the United States, with
emphasis on the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the acquisitions of
Florida, Texas, Oregon, and California;
b) identifying the geographic and economic factors that influenced the westward movement of
settlers;
c) describing the impact of inventions, including the cotton gin, the reaper, the steamboat, and the
steam locomotive, on life in America;
d) identifying the main ideas of the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements.
Additional SOL’s:
Mathematics
6.11
The student will
a) identify the coordinates of a point in a coordinate plane; and
b) graph ordered pairs in a coordinate plane.
86
Masters Egg Carton Math
Diagram
88
Seasons on a Farm
Summer
Worksheet
Spring
Fall
Winter
Name __________________________
Name __________________________
Above
Below
Worksheet
Below or Above?
Apple Orchard Math
Hundreds Chart
91
Apple Orchard Math
Worksheet
Name: ___________________________
Apple Hundreds Chart
Directions: Fill out the rest of the chart with the correct numbers.
92
Farm Fraction Practice
Worksheet
Name: ________________________________
Crop Picture Graph
Crop Picture Graph
Worksheet
Practice
Agriculture Array
Apple Statistics
Student Packet: Version 1
Apple Statistics
Name ____________________
Type of apple: _________________
Number of seeds in the apple: ______
Use the chart with the compiled information to complete the graphs that follow.
Average Number of Seeds Bar Chart
97
Quantitative Data
Line Plot: Weight in Pounds
.45 .46 .47 .48 .49 .50 .51 .52 .53 .54 .55 .56 .57 .58 .59 .60 .61 .62 .63 .64 .65 .66 .67 .68 .69 .70 98
Apple Statistics
Student Packet: Version 2
Apple Statistics
Name ____________________
Type of apple: _________________
Number of seeds in the apple: ______
Use the chart with the compiled information to complete the graphs that follow.
Average Number of Seeds Bar Chart
99
Quantitative Data
Line Plot: Weight in Pounds
100
Name: ______________________________
Classifying Virginia Products by Solid Figure
Worksheet
Balancing Act
Checkbook Register
Starting Amount: $5,000.00
Check
Number
Example: 1
Date
1/1/11
Transaction
Description
Payment
Example
1/11/11
Deposit
Payment
Amount
$350.11
Deposit
Amount
Account
Balance
$4,649.89
$45.29
$4699.18
102
Deposit Cards (print on green paper)
Balancing Act
Deposit Cards (print on green paper) Balancing Act Your cow wins 1st place The 50 bushels of
at the county fair and
soybeans you planted
you receive $100.00
sold for $692.00.
The cotton harvest sold You have 40 extra small
round bales of hay that
for $1,547.30.
you sold for $760.
Ten pounds of
strawberries are sold
for $30.00.
At the farmer’s market,
you sold 75 carnations
for $28.50.
Red delicious apples
are harvested and sold
for $134.10.
At the market you sold
15 bunches of sunflowers
for $187.50.
You sold an 18 pound
container of grapes for
$29.75.
While at a live stock
auction, you sold a heifer
for $118.75.
Your peach harvest,
which was 4 bushels,
totaled $187.60.
The hens on your farm
laid 420 eggs, which you
sold for $32.20.
At the farmer’s market,
you sold your squash
for a total of $37.80.
Your cows produced 550
pounds of milk, which
sold for $115.50
103
Payment Cards (print on red paper) Balancing Act
You had to buy corn
seed for $350.91.
You must pay $500.75 for
utilities used on your
farm this month.
Your diesel fuel tank is A fence needs repairing,
empty. Refill it for
which costs $215.00.
$375.22.
The tractor blew a
The hay supply ran out
large tire. Replace it for so you bought 3 large
$2,199.99.
square bales for $162.32.
You had to hire more
One cow is in a livestock
farm hands. Pay them a show. The new show
total of $800.00.
harnesses cost $149.99
At an auction, you
purchased a heifer for
$118.00.
Your child wants to raise
chicks so you buy 20 for
$10.57.
You purchased a sheep A farmer’s market opens.
at auction for $176.50. You pay $120.00 for a
year of rental space.
A goat was purchased
for $190.99 at a
livestock auction.
5 hens are purchased for
a total on $15.10.
104
Balancing Act
Left Side of Game Board
105
Balancing Act
Right Side of Game Board
106
N
A
T
U
R
A
Points:
L
Natural Angles
Worksheet
Line Segments:
Perpendicular Lines:
Angles:
Parallel Lines:
Intersecting Lines:
Points:
Rays:
Name the following:
Lines:
A
N
G
L
E
S
Name: _________________________ From Farm to School Map
From Farm to Food
Market 10 Miles to Farmer’s 1 in = 4 mi Name: ___________________________________
From Farm to School
Worksheet
Directions: Use the key to figure out the symbols on the map. To answer the questions
below, use your ruler to measure the distance between the two things in the question.
Remember, 1 inch = 4 miles.
1. How far does the farmer’s wheat have to go to reach the grain elevator?
2. How far does the milk have to go from the barn to the dairy processing plant?
3. How far does the corn travel from the barn to the farmer’s market?
109
4. How far does the corn travel from the barn to the grocery store?
5. How far does the hay travel to the barn?
6. How far do the eggs travel to the farmer’s market?
Use websites such as “Virginia Grown” at www.vdacs.virginia.gov/vagrown/index.shtml
to answer the following questions:
7. What is the name of the closest farmer’s market to your school?
8. What is the name of a beef farm that is close to your school?
110
9. What apple orchard is close to your school?
Use Google Maps and your school’s address to answer the following questions:
10. How long would it take you to drive to the nearest farmer’s market from Question
7?
11. How long would it take you to drive to the nearest beef farm from Question 8?
12. How many miles is the nearest apple orchard from Question 9?
Answer Key:
1. 3x4=12 12+25 =37 Approximately 37 miles
2. 10x4=40 40 +50= 90 Approximately 90 miles
3. 11x4=44 44+10=54 Approximately 54 miles
4. 8x4=32 32+10=42 Approximately 42 miles
5. Between 4 and 20 miles, depending on where the student started from
6. 10x4=40 40+10=50 Approximately 54 miles
111
Bean
Farmer
Apple
Farmer
Name Cards
Pollination
Probability
Peach
Farmer
Squash
Farmer
Pollination Probability
Name Cards
Watermelon
Farmer
Pumpkin Farmer 113
Name Cards
Pollination Probability
Pollination Probability
Name: _____________________
Farmer’s Record
Type of Crop: _______________________
Directions: Check off in the “Pollinated” column if the bee flipped the coin and landed on
heads. Check off in the “Did not Pollinate” column if the bee flipped the coin and it landed
on tails. Fill out the rest of the information below the chart.
Pollinated
Did not
Bee Count
Pollinated
Did not
(continued)
(heads)
Pollinate
Bee Count
(heads)
Pollinate
(tails)
(tails)
17
1
18
2
19
3
20
4
21
5
22
6
23
7
24
8
25
9
26
10
27
11
28
12
29
13
30
14
31
15
32
16
Total number of bees that visited your crops: _______
1) What was the probability that a bee
pollinated your crops?
2) What was the probability that a bee did
not pollinate your crops?
115
Pollination Probability
Name: _____________________
Bee’s Record
Directions: Check off in the “Pollinated” column if you flipped the coin and it landed on
heads. Check off in the “Did not Pollinate” column if you flipped the coin and it landed on
tails. Fill out the rest of the information below the chart.
Pollinated
Did not
Farm Visits
(continued)
(heads)
Pollinate
Pollinated
Did not
(tails)
Farm Visits
(heads)
Pollinate
(tails)
16
1
17
2
18
3
19
4
20
5
21
6
22
7
23
8
24
9
25
10
26
11
27
12
28
13
29
14
30
15
Total number of crops you pollinated: ____
Total number of crops you didn’t pollinate: ____
1) What was the probability that you
pollinated a farmer’s crops?
2) What was the probability that you
did not pollinate a farmer’s crops?
116
Flowering Factorization
Page 1
117
Flowering Factorization
Page 2
118
Buzzing with Math Facts
Bulletin Board Pieces
119
LJsdjlJDLjljflajflj
Bulletin Board Pieces
Buzzing with
Math Facts
Buzzing with Math Facts
Bulletin Board Pieces
(Print on yellow paper)
Quilt Classifying
Quilt Template
122
Herding Cattle
Game Rules
Today you will herd cattle from one paddock to the next.
It takes time to gather all of the cows and move them.
For this game, you must guess the location (coordinates) of the cows.
Once you’ve guessed all of the points, that cow has joined the
herd and moved to the new paddock.
Game Instructions:
1. Put the divider between you and your partner. Grab a scrap sheet of paper and
pencil.
2. Place your cows on your game board. The calves go on 1 point, the heifers go on 2
points, and the bull goes on 3 points. None of the animals can go on the board
diagonally and the animals cannot touch.
3. Take turns guessing the coordinates your partner placed his/her cows. Make sure
you say the letter then the number (A1, B10, etc). Keep track of the number of
guesses you’re making.
a. Use the dry erase markers to keep track of your guesses:
i. Put an X on their board for their guesses they’ve made on their
opponent’s board to keep track.
ii. Put a ● for the coordinates their opponent guesses correctly (i.e. the
coordinates the cows are on). This way students know when cows on
their boards have been “herded.”
4. Once you’ve guessed correctly for the first time, stop guessing and tally how many
times it took you. Allow your partner to guess until he/she has guessed correctly.
5. Participate in the classroom discussion about calculating probability.
6. Finish the game and herd all of your partner’s cows into the new paddock!
123
Herding Cattle
Game Board
124
Herding Cattle
4 sets of game pieces
125