K - 2nd Grade ELA Standards:
Reading

R1:
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

A Tail of Two Sheep: Students compare and contrast hair sheep and wool sheep, discover the reasons why farmers raise sheep, and explore ways farmers meet the needs of the sheep they raise.

A Walnut Orchard Through the Seasons: Students will gain an understanding of the changes that take place in a walnut orchard through the seasons by reading and discussing a story about a walnut farm and learning the meaning of important vocabulary words.

Agriculture and Me: Students will categorize sources of basic agricultural products alphabetically.

All Kinds of Farms: Students discover that there are many different types of farms.

Animals on the Farm: Students discover that farm animals produce different types of products.

Crops on the Farm: Students investigate different food crops and how they grow.

Cultures, Food, and Communities Around the World: Students explore different cultures around the world and their unique traditions centered around food and its preparations. Students discover how food gets from the farm to the grocery store.

Exploring Aquaponics: The students will identify the basic needs of plants and fish and engineer, assemble, maintain, and observe a small-scale aquaponics system that meets plant and fish needs.

Four Seasons on a Farm: Students identify the characteristics of the four seasons of the year, investigate what causes seasons, and observe the effects changing seasons have on farms.

From Chicken Little to Chicken Big: Students will identify different breeds of chickens, examine physical characteristics and determine the stages of a chicken's life cycle.

Fruit and Vegetable Bingo: Students will recognize the names of different fruits and vegetables and understand why they are important.

John Deere, That’s Who!: Students will explore how producers and consumers work together to meet human needs by using the book “John Deere, That’s Who!”

Little Red Hen: Students will use the story “The Little Red Hen” to learn about wheat production and bread making. Students will thresh their own wheat and grind it into flour to make bread.

Machines on the Farm: Students identify different machines used on farms and what they do.

Made to Move: Students explore simple and complex machines and discover how they are used in agriculture.

Milk or Meat? Beef or Dairy?: Students will identify the differences between beef and dairy cattle and determine the commodities produced by each type of cattle.

Milk, Sugar, Science: Engineering Ice Cream: Students explore the journey of milk from cow to ice cream, make ice cream in a bag, and discover how food engineers have developed many different processes for making ice cream.

My Little Seed House and Seed Book: Students will observe the growth and development of seeds and learn what conditions make seeds germinate.

Photosynthesis and You: Students will learn how plants make their own food and how photosynthesis provides the food they eat.

Thank You Farmers: Students discover what farmers do and how they help their community.

The Amazing Honey Bee: Students will investigate the three types of honey bees in a colony, identify their roles and recognize honey bees as part of a community that works together.

The Case of the Missing Pumpkin: Students investigate the phenomenon of decomposing pumpkins as a part of the plant's life cycle.

The Seed Match: Students will investigate where food comes from, the parts of plants that we eat, and the difference between fruits and vegetables. Activities include examining food plants and their seeds, reading and discussing the book “Tops and Bottoms,” and completing activity sheets.

The Soil We Grow In: Students will gain an understanding and appreciation for the importance and complexity of the Earth’s soil.

This Little Pig: Students will learn basic information about pigs and the products they provide through reading the book “Pigs” by Gail Gibbons, completing a worksheet and participating in a class activity.


R2:
With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

A Day Without Agriculture: Students explore the wide scope of agriculture, identify the variety of agricultural products they use in their daily lives, and discuss the difference between needs and wants.

Baa, Ram, Ewe… Sheep Tales: Students will explore the process of making wool into cloth.

Discover Christmas Trees: This lesson is composed of six learning activities to teach about the Christmas tree. Science, history and geography topics are used to explore the history of the Christmas tree; life cycle of a conifer; types of trees and how they adapt, work on a Christmas tree farm; and the ecology of conifer trees.

Growing Plants in Science and Literature, More Than an Empty Pot: Students will use the story of “The Empty Pot” to explore literature and science, practicing story mapping and learning about the needs of plants and the importance of soil and water. Like the characters in the story, students will plant and observe the growth of seeds.

How Does Your Garden Grow?: Students will understand the needs of a seed to germinate and the needs of a plant to grow while exploring the life stages of a flowering plant.

How to Grow a Monster: The Needs of a Zucchini Plant: Students read How to Grow a Monster, describe the needs of a zucchini plant, identify the structure and function of zucchini plant parts, grow classroom zucchini plants, and experiment with different environments and growing conditions.

Plant Tops and Bottoms: Students will identify where fruits and vegetables belong on a MyPlate diagram and describe the major parts of plants—roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits—according to if they are produced on the top or bottom of a plant.


R3:
With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas or pieces of information in a text.

A Garden Plot: The Tale of Peter Rabbit: Students will identify foods grown in a garden, observe various types of seed and grow their own milk jug garden. Students will hear “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter and learn about produce that is grown in gardens or on farms.

From Sap to Syrup: Students will recognize how geography and climate allow for the growth of maple trees and the process of making syrup. They will identify the characteristics of maple trees that produce the best sap for making maple syrup and name the steps in the process of creating syrup from sap.


R4:
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

A Garden Plot: The Tale of Peter Rabbit: Students will identify foods grown in a garden, observe various types of seed and grow their own milk jug garden. Students will hear “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter and learn about produce that is grown in gardens or on farms.

Snappy Stems: Students will learn the function of plant stems and identify edible stems belonging to certain plants.


R5:
Identify the front cover, back cover and title page of a book.

Milk or Meat? Beef or Dairy?: Students will identify the differences between beef and dairy cattle and determine the commodities produced by each type of cattle.


R7:
Grade 1: Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting or events.
Grade 2: Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.

A Taste of Leafy Greens: Students explore a variety of greens to identify their structure and function in plant growth and prepare, cook, differentiate, and enjoy the health benefits leafy greens have to offer.

Agriculture and Me: Students will categorize sources of basic agricultural products alphabetically.

Fabulous Flowers: The purpose of this lesson is to review the functions of flowers and to help students understand that some flowers are edible.

Fruit and Vegetable Bingo: Students will recognize the names of different fruits and vegetables and understand why they are important.

Let’s Go Shopping!: Students will learn the differences between needs and wants, goods and services, and producers and consumers by participating in a grocery store simulation, exploring the source of grocery store items, and designing their own products to sell.

Snappy Stems: Students will learn the function of plant stems and identify edible stems belonging to certain plants.

Survival of the Fittest: Comparing the Needs of Humans and Cows: Students identify what cows and humans need to survive by exploring the physical characteristics of cows and the food, water, shelter, and other environmental needs of cows compared to their own needs. Students also examine how farmers work to meet the needs of their cows.

Understanding MyPlate: Students explore appropriate serving sizes and learn how to make healthy dietary decisions by understanding the components of nutrition as illustrated by MyPlate.


R10:
Grade 2: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

From Chicken Little to Chicken Big: Students will identify different breeds of chickens, examine physical characteristics and determine the stages of a chicken's life cycle.

Supreme Seeds: Students will observe various types of seed, be introduced to the many uses of seeds, taste edible seeds and make a seed mosaic.