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

Lesson: There's a pig in your closet

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
Worksheet

Introduction

Most of us think of farm animals only as sources of meat, eggs or milk. This article shows the variety of other products and benefits we get from pigs.

Curriculum connections

• demonstrates an understanding of the diversity and uses of end products from pigs.

Science

• describes scientific and technological developments and teaches an appreciation of their impact on individuals, society and the environment, both locally and globally
• teaches an appreciation of the role and contribution of technology to our understanding of the world.

Notes to teacher

This unit, which corresponds to the chapter "The Business of Farming" in the book, can be taught 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. Teacher discusses with students how pigs are used.
2. Students read article "There's a pig in your closet" on pages 229 to 231 in Canadian Agriculture at a Glance (PDF).
3. Students complete the worksheet as they read.
4. Students add terminology to their glossaries.

Assessment/evaluation strategies

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

Accommodation and enrichment strategies

1. Some students may require assistance in order to complete written work.
2. Students with special needs may work with a partner to complete a task.
3. Templates for note-taking should be provided to students with special needs.
4. Main ideas and/or new information should be mapped out and organized to meet the needs of all students.
5. Wherever possible, vocabulary lists should be provided with a discussion of context clues and related vocabulary.
6. For enrichment, students can investigate other agricultural products and the contributions they make to our lives other than as food (e.g., corn transformed into ethanol). For research see "A science-fiction harvest", on page 277 in the book.)

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
• Growing dominance of a few large poultry farms — a continuing legacy
• How supply management works
• The pumpkin patch — a venture in agri-tourism
• Prairie farmers have always found a way to adapt
• Grain elevators are getting bigger but fewer
• The rise and fall of fall rye
• A science-fiction harvest

Suggestions for further research

• Students can visit agricultural producers' websites to see the variety of ways in which commodities are used. Some suggested sites:
• When is a cow more than a cow?
  http://www.agt.net/public/jross/beefprod.htm
• How animals are part of everyday life
  (Ontario Farm Animal Council)
  http://www.ofac.org/everyday.html
  
• 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.

Please send comments or examples of how you used this lesson in your class to Learning Resources.

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