Lesson Plan
All grades 1-6

1.	Introduce new vocabulary: tillage, plowing, seed bed, disc, harrow, fertilizer, planter, irrigation, harvest, combine, storage bin, hopper.
2.	Read the book Flat Stanley, by Jeff Brown, to the students. Inform the students that they will become like Flat Stanley in a very special way. Instruct the students to draw pictures of themselves on paper. Also have the students write a letter to a local farmer explaining that they are studying about field crops and would he/she be so kind as to keep a journal for them for two weeks explaining how they take care of their farm from planting to harvesting, including record keeping. For the lower grades the teacher may have to have the students sign pre-written letters to the farmers.
3.	During the two weeks that the farmers are working on the student's journal these activities can be used.
4.	Plant a garden using the lesson guide of "How Does My Garden Grow? "Take some pictures of the planting. When the journals are returned compare the steps in planting a garden to those of planting field crops.
5.	Identify pictures of farm machinery from farm magazines and from farm catalogues that are easily obtained from local farm equipment stores.
6.	Have students complete "Farming the Farm" and/or "Crop Farming Matchup."
7.	Have students write a story about "Producing Crops" using all the steps of farm production in their stories. Lower grades may want to give stories orally and work together with partners.
8.	For grades 4-6 students should write a compare/contrast composition between a garden and field crops. This should be done when the journals are completed and returned to the students. The TAAS outline for mode of writing should be followed. For grades 1-3 the students should make statements about the differences in both and the teacher can then write them on the board and have the students copy the sentences.
9.	This lesson can be adapted to include local farmers/ ranchers, and/or from the United States or the world.

THIS LESSON IS ADAPTED FROM A LESSON THAT WAS ORIGINATED BY BECKY ROSS OF CALIFORNIA.