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Canadian Agriculture at a Glance Teacher's Kit > Lesson plans
Lesson:
What's growing under glass?
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 looks at the increase in greenhouse area in Canada, and how this industry is changing.
Curriculum connections
Geography
- demonstrates an understanding of the diversity of agricultural endeavours in Canada.
Family Studies/Home Economics
- identifies food supply and production industries in Canada.
Notes to teacher
In this unit, which corresponds to the chapter "Farm Profiles" in the book, activities can be done co-operatively as a group. Students can be divided into groups of "experts" to learn about one of the farms profiled; they can then teach the rest of the class about their topic. (PDF)
Samples of Canadian greenhouse products and similar imported products would enhance this lesson.
Teaching and learning strategies
- In small groups, students rate two different examples of the same vegetable, one imported (and grown outdoors) and one from a Canadian greenhouse. (Students are not told which product came from where.) Students can develop criteria for rating the vegetables, such as size, colour, absence of blemishes and disease, texture, taste and overall freshness.
- Class ratings are tallied. A class discussion follows.
- Students read the article "What's growing under glass?" on pages 63 to 71 in Canadian Agriculture at a Glance. (PDF)
- After reading the article, students answer the following questions:
- What are the most popular vegetables grown in greenhouses?
- How is the greenhouse industry similar to other agricultural industries? How is it different?
- Where in Canada are the biggest concentrations of greenhouses?
- Why is there a trend to growing more vegetables in greenhouses?
- What is the most expensive part of running a greenhouse in Canada?
- Students log onto the Atlas of Canada website (www.atlas.gc.ca) and download the map on greenhouses.
Students add terminology to their glossaries.
Assessment/evaluation strategies
- Assess answers for completion and accuracy.
- 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 investigate how an increasing awareness of the connection between diet and health has changed agricultural production in Canada.
Links to other activities
This activity is linked to:
Suggestions for further research
- Students can investigate research into greenhouse technology.
- 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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