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

Lesson: From wild beast to docile partner

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 how cattle were domesticated and the changes in choice of breeds raised in Canada over the past 100 years.

Curriculum connections

Geography

• demonstrates an understanding of the diversity of agricultural endeavours in Canada
• identifies the human factors that affect food production.

Family Studies/Home Economics

• identifies factors that affect food supply in Canada.

Science

• describes ways in which research has brought about improvements in animal breeding.

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)

Teaching and learning strategies

1. Students read article "From wild beast to docile partner" on pages 109 to 115 in Canadian Agriculture at a Glance. (PDF)
2. Students answer the following questions after reading the article:
1. What are the ancestors of today's domestic cattle?
2. How did human intervention shape cattle development?
3. Are cattle native to Canada? When and how did they get here?
4. What uses did early settlers have for cattle?
5. What breeds of cattle have been imported from Europe into Canada in the past half century? What characteristics were farmers looking for?
6. What breeds are predominant in the dairy and beef industries?
3. Students add terminology to their glossaries.

Assessment/evaluation strategies

1. Assess answers 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 will find out what types of cattle are raised in their area.

Links to other activities

This activity is linked to:

• Bud the Spud moves west
• What's in your grocery cart?
• What's growing under glass?
• Fresh produce north of 60
• From Concord to Chardonnay: Canada's grape transformation
• Little bees, big potential
• Tapping the Manitoba maple - a Prairie cottage industry
• The little devils are everywhere!
• Stop the car! Are those llamas in that field?
• Dairy and beef - contrasting industries
• A tag in every ear

Suggestions for further research

• Students can look at changes in the ways in which other livestock have been raised by Canadians in the past 100 years.
• 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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