Students will understand how agriculture influenced and shaped culture, class, and society during the Middle Ages. Grades 6-8

Students investigate the impact of cotton on the history and culture of the United States. Students will discover the growth and processing requirements for cotton, recognize how the invention of the cotton gin affected slavery, explain how the plantation system was organized, and ultimately understand the role of cotton in the Civil War. Grades 6-8

Students will participate in a foraging activity, gaining perspective on how scarcity of resources can affect well-being and how agriculture provides the benefit of a steady, reliable food supply. Then they will read about hunter-gatherers and early agriculture and use maps to explore how geography affected the development of early civilizations. Grades 6-8

Students investigate the importance of the Pony Express to the settlement and expansion of the American West by mapping Pony Express stations. Grades 6-8

Students explore New World and Old World food origins to discover how the Columbian Exchange altered people’s lives worldwide. Grades 6-8

Students will explore the importance of wheat in the development of culture by learning about the advent of agriculture, discussing wheat cultivation in ancient Egypt, threshing a head of wheat with their hands, and making a corn dolly out of wheat stems. Grades 6-8