Time

45-1 hour*

The amount of time will vary depending on the age group that is participating.

Materials

• “We Grow Corn! Raising Corn on a Kansas Family Farm” by Sharon Thielen, Ph.D.
  • Also available online, read by the author (20:24)
  • After reading full book return focus on pages 4-7 (10 Minutes)
• Videos to watch:
  • Kernels of Knowledge Video: Meet Farmer Brad McCauley (2:36)
  • Kernels of Knowledge Video: Meet Farmer Steve Rome (1:44)
• Activity #1: Corn Plant Growing Cycle Activity (15-20 minutes)
  • ½ printed cardstock with four growing cycle sections
  • 16 corn kernels
  • Three small brown rectangle pieces
  • Sprout sticker
  • Two brown leaf cutouts
  • Glue
  • Crayons/markers/colored pencils
• Activity #2-Online Breakout Box Challenge
  • Electronic device to project challenge
• Activity #3-Space it Out
  • Scotch/Painters tape or sidewalk chalk
  • 6-inch marker options: Rulers or (6) 1-inch squares or (6) linking cubes or six-inch strips of paper
• Suggested Snack: Corn Nuts

Book

To begin the unit, read “We Grow Corn! Raising Corn on a Kansas Family Farm.” The book was designed for many different reading levels. If the students are elementary level, you can choose to skip some of the more advanced fact bubbles. The book gives a great overview of the growing stages of corn which is the base for this unit’s activity. If students have questions, keep in mind that more details will be discovered in the following units, however you can choose to answer questions as you go. When reading focus their attention on the growth cycle of corn.

After reading the entire book, return to pages 4-7. On pages 4-5 the student will learn about farm machinery that is needed to grow a corn crop. Take note of the size of the equipment, many students do not realize how large the equipment is. On pages 6-7 the student will learn the details of planting corn. For some students this may be the first time they realize that planting corn in a field is very different than in a garden. A planter will plant around 30,000 seeds in an area the size of a football field. You can ask the students how long it would take them to plant that many seeds by hand. Farmers need equipment like tractors and planters to be able to put seeds in the ground faster. The planter also makes sure to put seeds in the ground with the right amount of spacing and depth, around 6 inches apart and 2 inches deep with 30 inches between rows (pages 6-7 show these details).

Videos

The Kernels of Knowledge videos allow the students to dig deeper into the details related to growing corn. The first two videos feature the farmers from the book as they show how they grow corn. The third video focuses on what a farmer needs to do to prepare for planting. Much of this involves making decisions on when and what to plant but also getting the equipment ready. The fourth video focuses on planting corn. The students will be able to see what it is like to plant corn from inside a tractor and as someone standing in the field.

Kernels of Knowledge Video: Meet Farmer Brad McCauley (2:36)

Kernels of Knowledge Video: Meet Farmer Steve Rome (1:44)

Kernels of Knowledge Video: Preparing for Planting (3:25)

Kernels of Knowledge Video: Planting Corn (3:46)

Activity

Throughout the “We Grow Corn!” book, students learn about the process of growing corn. When looking at the growth cycle of corn, there are many stages farmers watch. Four main growth stages will be discussed in this activity: seed, sprout, plant, and ear of corn. The end product should look similar to this picture with the materials provided:

Instructions

1. Lay out all supplies and place card of the growing stage boxes in front.
2. Seed: take a brown rectangle piece which represents the dirt. Optional: You can use scissors to change the way the top of the dirt looks. Glue to bottom of that box.
3. Glue two kernels on top of dirt to represent the planting process.
4. Sprout: take second brown rectangle (dirt) and do the same with the sprout box. Take the sprout sticker and place above the dirt to reflect that they are emerging from the ground.
5. Plant: take third brown rectangle (dirt) and do the same as previous boxes. Color or draw a picture of what a corn plant looks like in late summer. See page 12 for an example.
6. Ear of Corn: place the two brown leaf cutouts in the box like they are wings, these represent husk. Take corn kernels and glue them between the husk to create an ear of corn.

Explanation

Describe the four stages:

Seed: Seeds, also called kernels, are planted in the ground using a planter. A planter will plant around 30,000 seeds in an area the size of a football field. You can ask the readers how long it would take them to plant that many seeds by hand. Farmers need equipment like tractors and planters to be able to put seeds in the ground faster. The planter also makes sure to put seeds in the ground with the right amount of spacing and depth: around 6 inches apart and 2 inches deep with 30 inches between rows (pages 6-7 show these details). The seed then will sit in the ground until it germinates. The warmer the ground, the sooner you will see the seed emerge from the ground as a sprout.

Sprout: The little leaves that start to come out of the ground are called sprouts. The farmer wants all the sprouts to come out of the ground around the same time. This is why when you drive by a field a week after corn has been planted you will see a perfect line of little green plants. A sprout is the first sign of success that the plant is off to a good start.

Plant: During the summer, the plant will need sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil to keep growing. By late summer, the farmer hopes to have a tall corn plant with 1-2 ears of corn on each plant. A corn plant can get as tall as a basketball goal.

Ear of Corn: At harvest, the corn plant has died and the kernels on the ear of corn have dried. The farmers need the corn to be dry so that it can be used to feed livestock and make fuel. The type of corn grown in Kansas is field corn which is a grain. This is the final stage of the corn growth stage. A combine rips the ear of corn off the plant and separates the kernels from the cob and then the millions of corn kernels are taken to a place where it will be used. What the reader needs to understand at this stage is that the one seed (kernel) that was put into the ground during the first stage will become 800 seeds/kernels.

Online Challenge

This challenge can be done as a large or small group. Each group will need an electronic device to access the online challenge. If done in a large group, project the challenge onto the screen and designate one person to enter in the guesses. The first time they do an online challenge it may seem difficult but the more challenges they complete the easier and more fun they will become.

Answer Key

We Grow Corn! – Our Farm

• ABC Lock- F,A,M,I,L,Y
• 123 Lock- 4,5,0,0
• 123 Lock- 6,8

We Grow Corn! – Let’s Plant Corn!

• ABC Lock- P,L,A,N,T,E,R
• Color Lock- Blue, Green, Purple, Red (The color around the photo is placed in order based on the name
  it is matched with.)
• 123 Lock- 9,0 (3×30)

Space it Out

Overview

Do farmers plant their seeds by hand like we do in our garden? After this activity, students will be able to tell how far apart corn kernels are planted in the field and how farmers use equipment to plant thousands of seeds in a short amount of time.

Activity

• Remind the students what they learned on pages 6-7 of the book.
• Each student will need tape (if inside) or sidewalk chalk and a 6-inch marker. Show the diagram on page 7. Show how farmers, using planters, plant their corn kernels six inches apart.
• Set boundaries for the students so they know where to “plant” their kernels. Students will draw corn kernels with chalk using their 6-inch marker.
• Discussion: How many kernels did you plant? How do you think farmers feel about having a machine to help them plant? What if they had to plant all those kernels by hand?

Optional Online Challenge

If time allows there is an online challenge that goes with this activity.

Space it Out Answer Key

• 123 Lock-2,3,5
• 123 Lock-2,2,5
• ABC Lock-S,I,X.I,N,C,H,E,S

Out the Door

On the way out the door, ask the students how many kernels they were able to plant and if they had to plant 10,000 seeds would they want to do this by hand or with a planter?