Request a guest speaker for your classroom! Below you will find tips on how to connect the speaker's presentation to your classroom instruction, how to request a speaker and much more. Please note that the speaker can only come to your school once so work with other teachers in your school who may want a presentation coordinated for the same day.
Students will sit through an hour-long presentation from an expert in the agricultural field. During this time, students will be learning about a wide range of topics from; what a farmer does each day/throughout the year, different types of crops that are planted, identification of the different types of seeds, and the sequence of planting to harvesting process. Students will learn what the crops are used for and how Kansas crops are used all over the world. The presenter will also briefly discuss what Kansas farmers grow and compare that to what farmers all over the United States grow.
Read suggestions before you request your visit.
Speaking and Listening:-SL.K-6.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups to expand language comprehension.
Language in Writing:-W.K.10.C: Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what,where, when, why, how).
Question Page
Can be used for grades K-5. These pages are broken down into specific grade levels. This page is for students to write down/draw their questions about corn or farming before the presentation.
Grades K-1 Question Page
Grades 2-3 Question Page
Grades 4-6 Question Page
Thank You Letter
Can be used for grades K-5. These pages are broken down into specific grade levels. This is a page that can be used to thank the presenter after the presentation. Teachers can use this as a simple writing assignment or turn it into how to write a friendly letter.
Grades K-1 Thank You Letter
Grades 2-3 Thank You Letter
Grades 4-6 Thank You Letter
Letters can be mailed to: Kansas Corn Farmer Bill or Kelli 110 W. 4th Ave. P.O. Box 446 Garnett, KS 66032
Seed Worksheet
Can be used for grades 2-6. This page will help students identify the types of seeds that were given in their packets during the presentation. This activity can be done after the presentation at the convenience of the teacher.
The following examples are how you can incorporate your free STEM unit with the presenter coming to your classroom. Depending on the age group you teach, not all units involve building a hypothesis. These are examples, adapt based on what your grade level unit will be teaching.
How to use the presenter before the STEM unit:
The presenter will be used as a way to kick off your Kansas Corn STEM unit and get students excited. The presentation will give students the knowledge going into the STEM unit of what a farmer’s job is, how crops grow and what farmers do with their crops after harvesting. Having this knowledge before teaching the unit could give the students insight on the topic and help with building a hypothesis for what they are about to study. Teachers need to be prepared that some students may already know what the STEM unit will be solving if they learned the information from the presentation.
How to use the presenter during the STEM unit:
The presenter will be used as a way to reinforce and grow knowledge from the already started unit. Students have already built their hypothesis, have already setup what they are going to test and have started to see some results from the experiment. The presenter can come in and share their knowledge while asking questions about their experiment. This would allow students to be actively thinking about how their experiment will turn out.
How to use the presenter after the STEM unit:
Have the presenter come in after the unit is over. Make sure as a class you have already discussed what worked and what did not from their findings from the experiment. Students will have knowledge going into the presentation that will help with their active listening skills. Students will learn through the presentation on a larger scale why farmers choose to do things in a certain order and way. Students will also be actively engaged because they were the “farmer” for their experiment.
Fun way to tie it all together:
Throughout the STEM unit, YouTube videos are linked where experts like Farmer Bill and Kelli are explaining specific vocabulary words, a farmer’s life, or products that corn is found in. As you set up your lesson, let students know that Farmer Bill and Kelli are needing them to help them solve this STEM question. They are wanting to know their findings. Use Farmer Bill and Kelli’s name often so they are linking it to a real person.
As an extra special treat:
Don’t let students know who is coming in to talk to them. Just say someone from Kansas Corn is going to present. Students will be so excited when they see Farmer Bill or Kelli!
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