Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to understand the origin and evolution of corn.
• Students will have knowledge of the targeted vocabulary words.
• Students will be able to understand how a plant scientist picks desirable seeds to plant for the following harvest.

Student Worksheets

Print off the Activity Sheets. These packet of sheets include:

• “Types of Corn” worksheet to go along with the video.
• Trashcan, ear of corn and corn kernels for the plant breeding activity.
• Additional photos of the four types of corn with cut out characteristics that can be used as a game for assessment of what we learned.
• Optional: A follow along worksheet is available for students to fill in while they learn or can be used as an assessment tool.
• Seesaw Activity 

Vocabulary Words

• Nomadic: living a life without a fixed habit.
• Adapted: to change so that it is easier to function in a particular place or situation.
• Edible: able to eat as food.
• Characteristic: something that makes a person or thing different from others.
  • Example: Flint corn can have colorful kernels while dent corn in yellow.

Activity

Introduce these words before you begin reading. Ask students if they have heard or recognize the words before. Then, read the definitions and talk about them as a class. Do more of the students recognize the words now? See if students can use the vocabulary words in sentences.

Front Cover

Allow time for students to share their thoughts on the questions that were asked. Teachers can write down their ideas on the board so it can be revisited after reading.

Inside

• When you come to a vocabulary word, take the time to stop and redefine the words.
• After reading the content, revisit what students brainstormed from the front cover. Were any of their ideas mentioned in the reading?

Top Secret Fill in the Blank Challenge

• This activity is a great way for students to check their knowledge and understanding of the text and of the photographs. This activity is also a great way for students to show how they can reread text to find information.
• This activity can be done individually or as a whole group.
• These words can be provided as a word bank: 9,000, teosinte, calendars, Mesoamerica
• Students should be encouraged to highlight the sentence where they found their information. This will reinforce rereading while looking for specific information.

Activity

• An Edpuzzle can be pushed out on Google Classroom for students to watch as a class or independently. It is an interactive video about the history of corn that will stop to ask students questions as they watch.
• Using the Types of Corn worksheet, have students watch “Types of Corn” Farmer Bill’s video provided by the QR Code in the reader. While they watch, have students fill out their own Types of Corn diagram listing characteristics in each
  column.

Back Cover

Plant Breeding Activity

• This activity is a great way for students to decide what characteristics would make corn desirable and which would not.
• For upper grades use the corn kernels that are blank and have students come up with desirable and undesirable characteristics on their own.
• Optional: The corn kernels with the characteristics on them can be used as a starting point for students and students can come up with other characteristics for the kernels that are blank.
• This activity can be done individually or in small groups