Getting ready for the Census: 2006 Teacher's Kit > Lesson Plans >

Activity 5: Agriculture at a Glance

Download activity 5 in PDF format (PDF)

Overview
Learning objectives
Materials
Getting started
Census activity 5A
Census activity 5B
Census activity 5C
Extension/enrichement

Overview

This activity introduces students to the Census of Agriculture. It helps them to understand why a detailed picture of Canada's most important primary industry is needed every five years. Students will begin to appreciate the place of agriculture in today's society and its affect on their own lives. Three activities round out the lessons for various age levels.

In activity 5A, students write a short play and assume the roles of a farm family struggling to make important business and family decisions in a changing world. (1 to 2 class periods)

In activity 5B, using real statistics students can measure and compare the size of their classroom or school to the size of an average Canadian farm. (1 class period)

In activity 5C, a short matching game encourages students to recognize various types of bread made with grains grown on Canadian farms. (¼ to ½ class period)

Note: See the Teacher's Guide for general background on the census and census vocabulary. Census of Agriculture vocabulary is provided in worksheet 1.

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Learning objectives

• Develop an awareness and appreciation of agriculture as a vital and changing industry in Canada.
• Learn cooperation by working in small groups.
• Express ideas through developing and playing roles in a short play.
• Appreciate that statistics represent real people and their actions.

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Materials

• Teacher's Guide
• Worksheet 1: The Changing Face of Canadian Agriculture (printer-friendly format)
• Activity 5A: Worksheet 2: Create a Play (printer-friendly format)
• Activity 5B: Calculators, Worksheet 3: Land Size Conversions and Comparisons and answers to activity 5B (printer-friendly format)
• Activity 5C: Activity 5C: Worksheet 4: Breads of the World: A Game of Ethnic Breads and Canadian Grains (printer-friendly format)

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Getting started

Explain to your students that the next census takes place on May 16, 2006. Begin with a general discussion of the census — what it is and how it is carried out. (See Teacher's Guide.) Distribute Worksheet 1: The Changing Face of Canadian Agriculture to your students.

Besides saving money, conducting the Census of Population and the Census of Agriculture at the same time every five years allows us to combine the data so we can compare the farm operator to the general population. By looking at current trends, we can predict what is likely to happen in the future.

Explain how the charts indicate trends. Take turns reading aloud in class. Discuss the trends in farming that were identified through the reading. These include:

• the decreasing number of farms
• the move to larger, more specialized farms
• the increase in the use of technology and computers
• management of farms by men and women
• the education and aging trend
• new data on farm-related injuries
• farm income and motivation for non-farm work
• why more farm women work off the farm

Choose an activity from 5A, 5B, and 5C.

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Census activity 5A (1 to 2 classroom periods )

Divide the class into small groups. (The preferred group size is four, but the exercise can be conducted by a group of three.)

Distribute Activity 5A: Worksheet 2: Create a Play and read through the scenarios with the class.

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Census activity 5B (1 classroom period)

Distribute Activity 5B: Calculators, Worksheet 3: Land Size Conversions and Comparisons.

Have students convert the figures provided in the Table in Worksheet 3 – and add your school's figures. Students will require the data on the size of the school grounds or the classroom if time is not available to calculate it. Review the steps to writing numbers in scientific notation.

Answers to activity 5B (printer-friendly format)

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Census activity 5C (a short game)

Using Activity 5C: Worksheet 4: Breads of the World: A Game of Ethnic Breads and Canadian Grains, match the bread name to its grain and description.

Answers: K, J, I, H, G, F, E, D, C, B, A (A to K backwards)

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Extension/enrichement

Organize a field trip to a nearby farm to study the farm operation and interview the farm operators.

Invite a guest speaker to class to talk about farming from his or her perspective. Ask a retired farmer, a student from an agricultural college, an agricultural scientist, a representative from provincial agricultural offices or laboratories, a real-estate agent, a farm auctioneer or a practising farmer to come in.

To expand on Activity 5C, ask the students to bring in samples of the grain products in the main activity. Bake some bread!

Thirty-eight lessons were designed to compliment the 2001 edition of Canadian Agriculture at a Glance. Each lesson corresponds with one article (also provided in PDF format) and focuses on secondary school curricula in the following subject areas: Family Studies/Home Economics; Geography; History; and Science. When online, access the lesson plans at /kits-trousses/agric04/edu01g_0001-eng.htm. Census of Agriculture data are available at /ca-ra2001/index-eng.htm.

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