Lesson Plan 9 - Cow 'Bout That! - Ag in the Classroom

(1) tape two pieces of chart paper to the wall, chalkboard, etc.; (2) draw twointersecting circles (like a Venn diagram) on the chart paper; (3) tape the"Beef Cow" picture to the left of one circle of the Venn diagram and the"Dairy Cow" picture to the right of the other circle making it clear wherestudents will put the beef products and where they will put the diaryproducts; (4) leave a roll of tape for students to use during the activity; and(5) create two sets of cow product cards by writing the names of the variouscow products from “Corral By-Product Facts – Beef Cows” and “Corral By-Product Facts – Dairy Cows” plus “glue,” “leather,” “fertilizer” and “medicine”on index cards; place a stack of cow products, for each team’s easy accesson team table/desk, etc.• Using cardstock, make two sets each of "Corral By-Product Facts – BeefCows" and "Corral By-Product Facts – Dairy Cows." Cut into cards.Separate into two stacks, each stack containing the same products. Shuffleeach stack to ensure that the order is mixed. These will be used by the"corralling" teams.• On two large sheets of butcher paper, draw a Venn diagram, marking one“Before” and the other “After.” Make enough copies of "Cow 'Bout That!" foreach student. Tape up two pieces of chart paper, distinct from those in the"corrals," and write "Before" at the top of one and "After" at the top of theother.• Review information about MyPlate at www.choosemyplate.gov.1. By show of hands, ask students if they like milk, cheese, hamburger, steaks,etc. Ask them where they think these products are derived. Answers willvary. Students should conclude that the products come from cows. Askstudents if they think the products come from the same type of cow. Allowstudents time to explore their positions. Have students suggest ways inwhich cows could be different (coat color, gender, weight, etc.). If needed,prompt by asking them to consider some of the noticeable differencesbetween themselves and their classmates. Write their responses pertainingto cows on the chart paper labeled “Before.” Inform students that they willbe exploring the differences between cows in more detail.2. Divide students into two teams. Distribute "Corral By-Product Facts,"scissors, glue or tape, and plain white paper (2 pieces per students). Giveoral instructions. Solve the addition problems in the corner of each box andwrite the answer in the circle after the "=." Cut out each box. Using thenumbers in the circle, match like answers. Tape or glue matching boxestogether to form a longer, complete fact sentence strip. Read the fact.Notice the product name in the lower right-hand corner of each fact strip andthe word "beef" or "dairy" printed in the lower left-hand corner. For example,one strip might have the word “milk” in the lower right-hand corner and theword “dairy” printed in the other corner. Students should deduce that thefact strip refers to a dairy cow and one dairy cow product is milk. Using thenumbers in the circle, glue or tape the fact strips, in chronological order, tothe plain white paper. Two pieces of paper will be needed. All 8 strips of©2012, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc Grade 1

each fact sheet should fit on one piece of paper. When finished, studentswill have two fact sheets, one for beef cows and the other for dairy cows.Have students write their names on both fact sheets and put them in"safekeeping" until the next activity is completed.3. Inform teams that they will "corral" beef and dairy cow products and that thefirst team to successfully complete "corralling" will receive a special dairyproduct treat. Remind students of the importance of teamwork and that thesuccess of a team depends on the full cooperation of each individualmember. Communication, cooperation, and working towards a commongoal are all aspects of a successful team. Allow teams to choose names.Write team names on the chart paper in respective corrals. Afteremphasizing teamwork, give oral instructions for team corralling. Official"corralling" does not begin until you say "GO!" Teams will work together todetermine which products in the stack of "Cow Products" are beef and whichare dairy. Beef products will be taped in the "Beef Cow" corral and dairyproducts will be taped in the "Dairy Cow" corral. Inform students that four ofthe products in their stacks come from both beef and dairy cows. These fourproducts are not represented on “Corral By-Product Facts.” Explain thatboth corrals are Venn diagrams. Explain what a Venn diagram is and how itis designed to be used to show various things. Demonstrate how to placeproducts that come from both beef and dairy cows in the intersectingsegment of the Venn diagram. Give teams time to decide the most effectivemethod of "corralling" the products before beginning. Do not let teams flipthrough the stack of "Cow Products" until you say "GO!" The first team tocomplete the "corral" will sit down, either on the floor in front of their corral orin their. Opposing team should continue "corralling" until it is establishedthat the first team has correctly placed each product. Once this has beenestablished, the winning team is served the dairy product treat first.4. Have students return to their desks/tables. As a class, review the beef anddairy cow products displayed in the team "corrals." Make sure studentsknow what the various items are. Have volunteers read their completedchronological "Corral By-Product Facts" aloud. Have students note thesimilarities and differences between beef and dairy cows. Use Backgroundinformation for reinforcement and continue discussing beef and dairy cows,their products, and the differences between them. Refer students to the listof differences compiled before the activity. Now how do they think cows canbe different? Write their responses on the chart paper labeled "After."Discuss the products that come from both beef and dairy cows (glue,fertilizer, medicine, leather). How are these products different from the otherproducts? Lead students to conclude that they are non-food products anddiscuss the relevance. Distribute "Cow 'Bout That!" as a review.Extension Activity1. Instruct the class on the food guide, MyPlate. Discuss the fact that beef anddairy cattle represent two important pyramid groups: meat and dairy.Furthermore, meat (in this case, beef), is significant because of the protein©2012, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc Grade 1

and other vitamins and minerals it provides us. Protein builds strongmuscles. Dairy products provide calcium needed to build strong muscles.Dairy products provide calcium needed to build strong bones and teeth.Distribute "How to Make a Muscle and Bone Building Burger." Have classwrite the directions for making a cheeseburger, making sure to use thewords from the word box. The main ingredients of this burger arehamburger meat (or ground beef) and cheese; the rest is up to the student.Remind them that they should write their directions for someone who hasnever made a burger. Emphasize that anyone should be able to follow gooddirections and get the desired results.2. Supply enough milk cartons for every student. Have an equal share of skim,2%, whole, and chocolate milk cartons, if possible. Refer students to theback of the carton where the nutritional information is located. Informstudents that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) requires packagedfoods to display information about the product on the food label in order toprotect consumers. Define consumers. Be sure to acknowledge their role asconsumers. Tell students that all food labels must contain the commonname of the product, name and address of the product's manufacturer, netcontents in terms of weight, measure, or count, ingredient list, serving sizes,and nutrition facts. As a class, locate each required part of the label anddiscuss. Compare the information on the various milk cartons. Askstudents how the various kinds of milk differ from one another. Does onehave more calories in a serving than the others? Do they all contain thesame amount of calcium, protein, etc? Are the ingredients the same?Determine the most significant differences between the milk types.Nutritionally, which is the best for the consumer? Ask students which is theirfavorite kind of milk.3. Contact your county Farm Bureau for assistance in setting up a farm tour ata local beef and/or dairy cattle operation. Ideally, you would visit both -which might prove to be at the same location – so that your class couldmake comparisons between the two. If only able to visit one or the other,discuss the differences with the farmer at the tour site. Be sure to reviewwith students beforehand, so that they can be active participants in this onsitediscussion.Background InformationCattle, collectively, are male and female. Only female cattle, or cows,produce milk. They begin producing milk after giving birth to their first calf(baby cow). Cows that are able to produce large quantities of milk are raisedas dairy cows. Cattle that are more muscular are raised as beef cattle. Beefcows produce milk, but only enough to nurture their young. Male cows arealso used in beef production. Can they be used in dairy production? (No,because male cows do not produce milk).Beef and dairy cow production in North Carolina are two distinct industriesbecause of the trait differences mentioned above (milk production in large©2012, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc Grade 1

quantities vs. more muscular). North Carolina beef production occurs in allareas of the state as either a full time or a supplemental enterprise. Thedairy industry, demonstrating the changing role of agriculture through itsdecreased farm numbers and increased milk production, is primarily locatedin the upper Piedmont and mountain foothills of North Carolina.The cow that produced 1,500 quarts of milk a year a hundred years agoproduces 7,812 quarts a year today. (One first grade student would have todrink 85 plus cartons of milk a day for an entire year to equal this amount!).The dairy cows are milked two to three times a day, depending on the farm,in a building called a milking parlor. Automatic milking machines are used.How was a cow milked a 100 years ago?Most beef cattle herds in North Carolina are small, consisting of 50 or fewercattle. The term "cattle ranch" is not accurate for North Carolina. Anaverage dairy farm in North Carolina has about 110 cows. In 1997, beefcattle products ranked 8 th while dairy products ranked 10 th in major NC farmcommodities (current rankings can be confirmed with the North CarolinaDepartment of Agriculture at http://www.agr.state.nc.us/stats).Both industries are highly regulated. Stages of regulation occur in the initialcare of the livestock on the farm, the processing of the product whether it isbeef or dairy, and the proper packaging and labeling of the product.Ultimately, the result is a consumer-safe product.Bovine Medicines – Bovine refers to cattle; bovine medicines are derivedfrom cattle. Some are: Cortisone (hormone from the liver); Estrogen(hormones from the ovaries; Hyperimmune Bovine Colostrum (compoundderived from the colostrums of post-natal cows); Cartilage (used in treatingosteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis); Bovine insulin (from the pancreas).The first vaccine for small pox (totally eradicated by 1980) came from a cowinfected with cowpox.©2012, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc Grade 1

Beef Cow©2012, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc Grade 1

Dairy Cow©2012, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc Grade 1

Corral By-Product Facts – Beef Cows2+5=They only produce enough milkbeef3+0=Silage is made by chopping upbeef4+4=We get many productsbeef1+0=large amounts of milk.graze in the pasture.cows when it is cold outside.3+3=hamburger0+1=steak2+2=ribs2+0=In the summer, cowsbeef1+3=the farmer feeds the cows silage.pot roast3+2=The farmer must provide shelter forbeef1+1=When the weather is cold,beef2+4=heavily muscled.to nurture their young.cubed steak4+3=prime rib2+1=They do not producebeef1+4=immature corn (ears, leaves, and stalk).meatloaf3+5=Beef cows arebeeffrom beef cows.roast beef©2012, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc Grade 1

Corral By-Product Facts – Dairy Cows2+0=They eat silage, grass, alfalfa,dairy5+1=Their bodies start making milk afterdairy0+3=Silage is made by chopping updairy0+1=Cows like todairy2+3=about 100 glasses of milk a day.graze in the pasture.they have a baby calf.clover, wheat, and hay.5+0=milk1+0=cheese4+2=butter1+1=yogurt7+1=Dairy cows use food to producedairy6+1=The milk is made in a sackdairy2+6=When the udder is full of milk, the dairy cowdairy4+0=Many farmers raise crops todairyis milked – normally once in the morning andonce in the evening.ice cream0+7=under their bellies called an udder.whipping cream3+1=feed the cows – usually hay and silage.buttermilk1+2=the immature ears, leaves, and stalk of corn.milk chocolate candy©2012, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc Grade 1

Where’s the Milk? Got Beef?1. Circle the correct answerMale cows produce milk.TRUEFALSE2. Circle the correct answer.Silage is chopped up corn.TRUEFALSE3. Circle the word that completes thesentence.Dairy cows produce large quantities of ________.steaks milk ice cream corn4. Circle the word that completes thesentence.Beef cows are more ______ than dairy cows.brown cute muscular5. Complete the sentence. __________ cows are milked 2 to 3 times a day.6. Circle the word that completes thesentence.Beef and dairy cows like to _____in the pasture.sleep play graze swim7. Circle all beef products8. Circle all dairy products.©2012, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc Grade 1

How to Make a Muscle and Bone Building BurgerDraw a picture of the finished burger on the back of this sheet.©2012, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc Grade 1

©2012, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Inc Grade 1