Lesson 1
Welcome to the Farm
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Objectives:
- Students understand that there are many different
kinds of living things that live in a variety of environments.
- Students identify the characteristics of animals who
live in the farm.
Time Required:
Vocabulary:
Materials:
- The City Mouse and the Country Mouse
(any version)
- All About Farm Animals by Brenda Cook
- Farm Alphabet Book by Jane Miller.
- Picture Cards (city and country scenes)
- Word Processing Program
- Internet
- Kid Pix
Procedures:
Day 1
- Read the story The City Mouse and the
Country Mouse
- When children hear the word farm, what do
they think of? Talk about how farms are located in spacious landscapes rather than
in crowded cities. Discuss the area around your school. Is it surrounded by
houses with yards? Forests and/or fields? Office buildings, restaurants, and
stores? Is there much traffic in your area? Through these types of questions,
guide students to understand the differences between the city and country.
- Begin a two-column chart. Generate a
list of characteristics of both the city and the country on chart paper.
- Play a game of City or Country? Sort.
Reinforce student's knowledge of the difference between city and country
areas. Set up two baskets and label one "City" and the other
"Country." Pass out picture cards to students and allow each student to
come up and place the card in the appropriate basket. Have students discuss a little
bit about the picture to the class and what makes the picture belong to either the
"City" basket or the "Country" basket. (Ahead of time find
pictures in magazines or in the computer of farm life and city life. For example,
farmers, fields, animals, tractors, buildings, taxis, people, busy streets, etc.
Glue pictures to construction paper or oak tag and laminate.)
Day 2
- Read the story All About Farm Animals
by Brenda Cook and Farm Alphabet Book by Jane Miller.
- Discuss all the different animals found in
the farm, the different foods and vegetables, etc.
- Students will go on a Scavenger Hunt in order to learn
and explore about different farm animals.
- Make a list of all the farm animals and
products for each letter of the alphabet with students.
Evaluation:
- Each student will be assigned a letter of the
alphabet. Students will use Kid Pix to illustrate a farm animal or product of the
farm that begins with the letter assigned to them. Print all pictures and make your
own class Farm Alphabet Book.
Extension Activities:
- Students can visit www.alphabet-soup.net/farm/farmspell.html.
Students look at the picture of the animal and click on the answer to the correct
spelling of the animal name.
- Students can visit www.kiddyhouse.com/Farm/ and look for the ABC
and click on it. Here students can play a Farm Phonics activity.
- Students will go on a field trip to the local
farm.
Home Learning:
- Students will use any word processing program
and write about their favorite animal that lives on the farm with an illustration showing
the animal's environment (i.e., duck in the pond, pig in the mud, etc.).
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