Jona Welle Social Studies Grade 6

Farming Day 1 History

Objectives:

After completing this lesson, students should be able to:

1)  understand how the purpose of the farmer has changed since the 1800’s

2)  to vividly explain what a farmer’s life in the 1800’s would be like

Rationale:

The reason that I think it is important to spend a day on the history of farming is because the students need to develop an idea of what farming was like in the past in order to appreciate its survival in the present as well as the future. I think a brief history is also important just to build a base when referring to farming so that the students will have an accurate portrayal of its history. This will also allow students to compare farming of the past with that of the present day.

Procedure:

·  start the day by explaining the new unit, and what we will be doing for the rest of the week

·  next I would like to give a concise lecture on the history of farming in the Midwest including: who farmed, when was farming made popular in the Midwest and how, explain the different types of farming, why did these settlers farm, and the settlements around the farmland

·  while giving the lecture I will require students to take notes from the overhead on the points that I think are important

·   at the conclusion of the lecture I will ask for questions or comments or thoughts based on material, that may or may not lead to discussion

·  moving on, I would break the class up into 4 groups and ask them each to discuss the life of a farmer in the 1800’s, points that would be encouraged to be discussed would be: what crops were farmed and why, what do you think family life would have been like on a farm, what was the purpose of farming, etc.

·  once adequate discussion has occurred, I would like to reconvene into a large group for a discussion on the material

·  finally, after the discussion I will end the class by asking for questions or comments on the days material

Assignments:

-    the students need to fill out the parental permission slip and have it signed for the upcoming field trip

-    a test will be issued on day 4 of the unit, and students will be encouraged to study for it

Materials:

Permission Slips Overhead Notes

Pictures of Historical Farms

Evaluation:

Students will be evaluated on their participation in the group activity as well as class discussion. I will mainly be looking for evidence that the student is applying a historical overview of his/her thoughts. Also the students will be evaluated by the test on day 4.

Reflective Questions:

Why may have it been beneficial to have a large family in historical farms?

What was significant about the places that farms were settled as well as the towns that developed around them?