LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Modern technology and farming

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?DocID=248

A lesson plan for Grade 6 Science

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

About this resource

Appropriate grades
6
Subjects
science (agriculture, technology and innovation), thinking skills (information literacy, research skills)
Provider
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Legal

Creative Commons License

This catalog record is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License. This license applies to the content of this page only and does not apply to the referenced website.

In this lesson, students explore the role of technology in farming. Students will have the opportunity to explore five different kinds of farms on a website with visual and audio components. Prior to beginning the lesson, the teacher should discuss technology with students so that they can better understand what role it plays in the farms they will encounter. After engaging students in a dialogue about where food comes from, the teacher discusses the functions of technology in farming. Then, students visit the 4-H Virtual Farm, and using the student e-sheet, conduct research about farming and farming technology. Finally, students report their findings to the class. Science NetLinks provides links to the student handout and web resource, as well as discussion questions and directions necessary for completing the assignment. This lesson also contains links to other lessons from Science NetLinks that have similar focuses.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Science (2005)

Grade 6

  • Goal 1: The learner will design and conduct investigations to demonstrate an understanding of scientific inquiry.
    • Objective 1.01: Identify and create questions and hypotheses that can be answered through scientific investigations.
    • Objective 1.05: Analyze evidence to:
      • Explain observations.
      • Make inferences and predictions.
      • Develop the relationship between evidence and explanation.
    • Objective 1.08: Use oral and written language to:
      • Communicate findings.
      • Defend conclusions of scientific investigations.
    • Objective 1.09: Use technologies and information systems to:
      • Research.
      • Gather and analyze data
      • Visualize data.
      • Disseminate findings to others.
    • Objective 1.10: Analyze and evaluate information from a scientifically literate viewpoint by reading, hearing, and/or viewing:
      • Scientific text.
      • Articles.
      • Events in the popular press.
  • Goal 2: The learner will demonstrate an understanding of technological design.
    • Objective 2.01: Explore evidence that "technology" has many definitions.
      • Artifact or hardware.
      • Methodology or technique.
      • System of production.
      • Social-technical system.
    • Objective 2.02: Use information systems to:
      • Identify scientific needs, human needs, or problems that are subject to technological solution.
      • Locate resources to obtain and test ideas.
    • Objective 2.03: Evaluate technological designs for:
      • Application of scientific principles.
      • Risks and benefits.
      • Constraints of design.
      • Consistent testing protocols.
    • Objective 2.04: Apply tenets of technological design to make informed consumer decisions
      • Products.
      • Processes.
      • Systems.