Canadian Agriculture at a Glance Teacher's Kit > Lesson plans

Lesson: The pumpkin patch - a venture in agri-tourism

View the article (PDF)
Introduction
Curriculum connections
Notes to teacher
Teaching and learning strategies
Assessment/evaluation strategies
Accommodation and enrichment strategies
Links to other activities
Suggestions for further research

Introduction

This activity focuses on changes in the way in which fruit and vegetable producers are selling their produce. Using the pumpkin industry as a case study, it examines the agri-tourism trend.

Curriculum connections

Geography

• demonstrates understanding of the diversity of agricultural endeavours in Canada.

Family Studies/Home Economics

• identifies food supply and production industries in Canada
• identifies factors that affect food supply in Canada
• investigates food-related issues
• promotes understanding of links between agriculture and the consumer.

Notes to teacher

This entire unit, which corresponds to the chapter "The Business of Farming" in the book, can be done as a group work project, with each group completing one activity and presenting it to the rest of the class (PDF).

Teaching and learning strategies

1. Students read the article "The pumpkin patch - a venture in agri-tourism" on pages 241 to 246 in Canadian Agriculture at a Glance (PDF).
2. Students answer the following questions as they read the article:
1. How has pumpkin growing area changed in Canada?
2. Where in Canada are most pumpkins grown?
3. How have the ways in which pumpkins are sold and advertised changed in the business of farming?
4. How can farmers benefit from consumers coming to the farm?
5. How do consumers benefit from coming to the farm?
3. Students add terminology to their glossaries.

Assessment/evaluation strategies

1. Assess answers for completion and accuracy.
2. Assess glossaries for accuracy and completion.

Accommodation and enrichment strategies

• Some students may require assistance in order to complete written work.
• Students with special needs may work with a partner to complete a task.
• Templates for note-taking should be provided to students with special needs.
• Main ideas and/or new information should be mapped out and organized to meet the needs of all students.
• Wherever possible, vocabulary lists should be provided with a discussion of context clues and related vocabulary.
• For enrichment, students can study other types of farms that bring consumers to the country.
• For enrichment, students can design an "agriculture awareness" poster to display when consumers visit the farm.

Links to other activities

This activity is linked to:

• What's for dinner, Daisy?
• Dairy and beef - contrasting industries
• A tag in every ear
• Pig production is getting bigger and more specialized
• There's a pig in your closet
• Growing dominance of a few large poultry farms - a continuing legacy
• How supply management works
• Prairie farmers have always found a way to adapt
• Grain elevators and getting bigger but fewer
• The rise and fall of fall rye
• What's in your grocery cart?
• Tapping the Manitoba maple - a Prairie cottage industry

Suggestions for further research

• Students can visit websites to find out more about agri-tourism as an industry. They can also look for existing agri-tourism businesses or opportunities for starting one in their community.
• Students can use 2001 Census of Agriculture data in E-STAT for data analysis, graphing and mapping activities for specific geographic areas of local interest.

You need to use the free Adobe Reader to view PDF documents. To view (open) these files, simply click on the link. To download (save) them, right-click on the link. Note that if you are using Internet Explorer or AOL, PDF documents sometimes do not open properly. See Troubleshooting PDFs. PDF documents may not be accessible by some devices. For more information, visit the Adobe website or contact us for assistance.