Skip to main content

Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom

Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix

Search Result(s)


Lesson Plans (18)

A Common Thread: The Significance of Wool in Medieval England

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

A Tail of Two Sheep

Students compare and contrast hair sheep and wool sheep, discover the reasons why farmers raise sheep, and explore ways farmers meet the needs of the sheep they raise. Grades K-2

Animals on the Farm

Students discover that farm animals produce different types of products. Grades PreK-K

At Home on the Range (Grades 3-5)

Students investigate rangelands by growing their own grass to represent a beef or sheep ranch. Grades 3-5

At Home on the Range (Grades 6-8)

Students investigate rangelands by growing their own grass to represent a beef or sheep ranch. Grades 6-8

Baa, Ram, Ewe... Sheep Tales

Students explore the process of making wool into cloth. Grades K-2

Bartering Through the Seasons

Students investigate the seasons, explore the process of wool production, and discover how trade and barter have historically allowed people to satisfy their needs and wants. Grades 3-5

Caring for the Land

Students explain why people have different opinions regarding soil management and identify cause and effect relationships relating to agriculture and the environment. Grades 3-5

Counting Sheep or People? Census 2020

Students explore the Census of 2020 by making a connection between shepherds counting their sheep and counting the population of the United States. Grades K-2

Drones in High-Tech Farming (Grades 6-8)

Students discover the science behind how a drone works, explore how drones are used in agriculture, and program and operate a drone for the purpose of monitoring grazing sheep. Grades 6-8

Farm Animal Life Cycles

Students investigate six major livestock species, discover that animals need air, space, food, water, and shelter to survive, explore the life cycle of a farm animal, and identify the products each farm animal produces. Grades K-2

Federal Lands: Ranching & Recreating on Common Grounds

Using various forms of maps, students will analyze public lands in the western United States, describe how ranchers raise food and fiber on federally owned land, and discuss different points of view concerning public lands use and public lands grazing. This lesson covers a socioscientific issue and aims to provide students with tools to evaluate science within the context of social and economic points of view. Grades 9-12

From Wool to Wheel

Students investigate how the need for wool impacted the American colonists by examining the Wool Act of 1699, determining the importance of wool in colonial America, and comparing and contrasting the differences between processing wool then and now. Students spin, weave, and dye wool to explore how wool was processed in Colonial times. Grades 3-5

Roll of the Genes

Students explore how genes affect important traits such as growth, reproduction, disease resistance, and behavior and discover the responsibilities of an animal geneticist. Grades 3-5

Sheep See, Sheep Do (Grades 3-5)

Students explore the difference between inherited and acquired traits and discover why knowledge of inherited and acquired traits is important to agriculture. Grades 3-5

Sheep See, Sheep Do (Grades 6-8)

Students explore the difference between inherited and acquired traits and understand why knowledge of inherited and acquired traits is important to agriculture. Activities in this lesson include trait sorting, two video clips, a PTC taste test, and student presentations. Grades 6-8

Taming the Wild Aurochs

Students will read about and research the domestication of animals to better understand why and how they are raised on a farm. They will create a timeline of animal domestication. Grades 6-8

The Great Debate: The Reintroduction of Gray Wolves (Grades 6-8)

Students discover multiple perspectives concerning the reintroduction of gray wolves into the wild by researching pros and cons and participating in a debate. Grades 6-8

Companion Resources (44)

Activity
Farm Pop-Ups

Students use this template to create a pop-up game to reinforce agricultural concepts concerning various plants and animals. Templates are available for apples, cows, dairy, pigs, sheep, and turkeys. Teachers can use the blank template to create their own pop-ups to reinforce concepts and understanding for any area of study.

Hands-On With Wool
Spinning, dyeing, weaving, and felting wool can easily be done in the classroom. This activity provides instructions and a materials list, making it easy to prepare a hands-on wool project for your class. Wool processing is a topic that connects easily to lessons in history and science.
Selectively Breeding Sheep: Punnet Square Practice
This activity can be a companion to a secondary genetics lesson allowing students to practice completing Punnett Squares. Students will learn about sheep production and how sheep breeders can use the Punnett Square to predict the likelihood of lambs in their flock inheriting a disease called Spider Lamb Syndrome or SLS.
Book
A New Coat for Anna

In A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert, Anna needs a new coat, but her mother has no money, and the stores are empty. The story takes place in the hard times following World War II. Anna's mother barters, directly exchanging goods or services with a sheep farmer, a spinner, a weaver, and a tailor to produce the new coat. 

A Young Shepherd
A young boy raises orphaned lambs. The text showcases that raising sheep is hard work. He makes sure the sheep get the attention they need to grow healthy and strong. It is a solid depiction of raising orphaned lambs and integrating them into a sheep herd. It also showcases how Cass keeps good records of his animals and shows them at the county fair. 
Brave Dogs, Gentle Dogs
Sheep need protection from predators. Guardian dogs are used to protect the flocks from danger. This book provides a good introduction for how these animals are used in agriculture.  Students will enjoy seeing the bond that these animals share. A good text for introducing how ranchers deal with predators and protection of their animals.
Charlie Needs a Cloak
A shepherd shears his sheep, cards and spins the wool, weaves and dyes the cloth, and sews a beautiful new red cloak for himself.
Ewe Bee Ewe: A Sheep Tail
Welcome to the vibrant world of "Ewe Bee Ewe," where Leon the sheep shines brighter than the rest! Join Leon on his radiant adventure through the pituresque landscapes of colorful Colorado, where he discovers the joy of sharing his glowing attitude with all his farmyard friends. 
Farm Animals
Farm Animals is a 32-page book filled with facts to learn about many types of farms and the animals that live there. The book includes real-life pictures and color illustrations. In addition to the text, each page includes a fun fact. Readers will learn why traditional farm animals such as beef cattle, dairy cattle, goats, sheep, chickens, and pigs are kept on farms. They will also learn why specialty farms raise ducks, geese, fish, and ostriches.
Farm Animals: Sheep
How do farmers keep sheep healthy? Find the answers to this and many other questions about sheep in this informative 32-page book. Fabulous photos illustrate various aspects of sheep farming, and make the book easy and fun for children to read. Includes table of contents, glossary, and index.
Farm Boots
Grab your boots, it's time to explore life on a farm! In joyful verse, follow a diverse cast of families as they work together to care for crops and animals on their farms through spring, summer, fall, and winter. Follow farming families as they work and play in boots, all year long. Whether its springtime puddle-splashing, riding at the summer fair, or herding sheep into the barn in winter, there's a type of boot for every kind of weather and activity. Each season brings adorable farm animals, farming equipment, and of course boots in this exploration of farm and country life.
From Sheep to Sweater
This book comes from the "Start to Finish" series.  It outlines the steps and process of how wool is taken from a sheep to make a sweater.
Homespun Sarah
Sarah's life in Colonial Pennsylvania is anything but easy. She and her family have to grow, raise, and make everything they need—including their clothes. The time and effort that takes means that nothing is replaced until it's absolutely necessary. As Sarah helps plant flax and raise sheep throughout the year, her one dress gets tighter and tighter. But in the nick of time, wool is spun, fabric is woven, and a brand-new dress is made just for her.
If You Want to Knit Some Mittens
How do you knit a pair of mittens? The first step is to get a sheep of course! In this playful story, a girl follows 18 steps to knit mittens—from bringing home a sheep to carding, spinning, and dyeing the wool to knitting the mittens. But along the way, her mischievous sheep creates chaos and wins her heart. By wintertime, the girl has sunny-yellow mittens, the sheep has a sunny-yellow hat, and together they're ready for adventure. This tale of patience, creativity, and friendship is knitted from skeins of humor and love.
Sheep on the Farm
Students will read about the physical appearance and basic needs of sheep and will  learn why farmers raise certain types of animals.
Sheepology: The Ultimate Encyclopedia
Discover all there is to know about sheep in all their woolly glory in Sheepology, a delightfully illustrated guide ewe will flock to again and again. Did you know that sheep do not like to be alone and get along well with other animals? Or that a sheep was the first mammal to be cloned by humans? Have you ever wondered how sheep's milk turns into cheese? Or how sheep are shorn and wool is made into cloth? These and other intriguing and engaging facts can be found in Sheepology, a visual encyclopedia.
The Perfect Barn
Have you ever wondered about the purpose or function of different types of barns? The Perfect Barn is a captivating story about an owl that searches for a barn that would meet her needs and tells the story about some of the modern-day uses of barns. In the book, the main character, Barn Owl, takes flight to find the perfect barn. On her journey, she discovers various types of barns and the animals that live there—chickens, pigs, dairy cows, and sheep. Will Barn Owl find the perfect barn? At the last farm, Barn Owl makes a great discovery.
The Shepherd's Trail
A wagon sits in the sagebrush-covered desert, while herders on horseback move sheep to high summer range. It looks like a scene from the Old West, but it's actually a sight you can see today. Shepherds still live in wagons, tending their flocks in Wyoming and other places in the American West just as they have done for more than a hundred years. From breeding season to lambing season, and shearing in between, this informative text filled with stunning photographs shows how sheep are raised over the course of a year. Use this book as an introduction for examining migrant workers and the importance of their contribution to the American economy or as a background text to provide context to lessons on wool or ranching.
The Surprise
A sheep shears, dyes, and spins her wool into a wonderful surprise.  True to its title, this wordless story will keep readers wondering what "sheep" is up to. After taking some measurements, she realizes that she has enough wool on her body to suit her purposes. She dyes the wool red, shears it off, and, donning a sweater to warm herself, takes the wool to a poodle to be spun into yarn. The sheep then works late into the night, knitting and sewing. Obviously she is preparing something special–but what is it? The final page turn brings a satisfying resolution to the mystery. Even the very young will be able to follow the story by reading the illustrations. A fine addition for wordless-book collections.
Unraveling Fibers
Clear, colorful photographs and detailed drawings delve into the sources of our clothes, tablecloths, sheets, towels, and blankets. The authors describe a variety of fibers used to make cloth and how these fibers are collected.
Warm as Wool
When Betsy Ward's family moves to Ohio from Connecticut in 1803, she brings along a sock-full of coins to buy sheep so that she can gather wool, spin cloth, and make clothes to keep her children warm. Based upon a true story.
Weaving the Rainbow
How do you make a rainbow? If you are a weaver you can make a rainbow with wool. If you are a sheep you can BE a rainbow! This book is filled with lovely watercolor illustrations that show the process of tending the sheep, shearing their wool, spinning the wool, using natural dyes, and weaving the colored yarn into a piece of art. 
Where Did My Clothes Come From?
Did you know that the cotton for your jeans was picked from a plant? How did the colorful wool in your sweater get from a sheep’s back to a ball of yarn? Where did your soccer uniform, your rain boots, and your fleece jacket come from? And what does recycling plastic bottles have to do with anything? This book will take you to visit farms, forests, and factories all over the world to find out how everything you wear has a story behind it. The fabrics covered include denim, wool, and synthetics, and suggestions on how to recycle or repurpose old clothes are also provided.
Wild Rose's Weaving
Rose’s grandmother wants to teach Rose how to weave, but Rose is enjoying the beautiful day outside far too much to come in and learn. It is not until Grandma shows Rose how she has woven the elements of nature into her rug that Rose wants to create a rug of her own. But now Grandma has spied a rainbow. Hand in hand, she and Rose head outside, and the next day, that rainbow reappears in Rose's own rug.
Kit
About Farm Animals Mini Kit
This kit contains a one-page coloring and activity sheet for kindergarten and first-grade-age students, complete with wool, felt, grain and other feed samples for students to paste into place. Order this kit online from agclassroomstore.com.