PA Agriculture in the Classroom Lesson Plan

Lori Stack

Mother of Sorrows School, Murrysville, PA

August 2010

Title: F is for Frolicking Farm Feet

Audience: Kindergarten/ P-K

Duration: 40 minutes each of 4 days

Objectives:

Students will:

Strengthen their understanding of different types of farm animal feet.

Compare the feet of farm animals in appearance and function.

Explain how duck feet are adapted for water.

Process Skills:

  • Compare and contrast
  • Cut on a line using scissors
  • Printing
  • Following directions
  • Hypothesizing
  • Repeating a rhythm pattern
  • Sequencing
  • Color within lines
  • Model objects

Standards:

1.6 A; 1.6F; 2.3B; 2.3E; 2.7A; 2.8A; 3.1L; 3.2A; 3.2B; 3.2C; 3.1C; 3.1E; 3.3; 3.3D; 3.3F; 3.3G; 3.3I; 4.1B; 4.4A; 4.7A; 4.7B.

Chicken Feet Day 1

Materials:

Farm animal models, farm animal pictures, pipe cleaner pieces (cut in half), scissors, glue sticks, stapler, single channeled coffee stirrers, printed chicken pictures, crayons, tape, feathers, orange paint, paper plates, aluminum pie pans, paper, soap and water,

Anticipatory Set Day 1:

  1. a. Share the book, Rosie’s Walk.

b. Where have you seen birds on a farm?

c. What kind of feet do chickens have?

  1. Show chicken pictures and toy models.
  2. How can we use pipe cleaners to make a model of a chicken’s feet?

Procedures Day 1:

  1. Before class, cut pipe cleaners in half.
  2. Give each child a single channeled coffee stirrer, and 2 pipe cleaner pieces.
  3. Fold the pipe cleaner pieces in half. From the fold, push the pipe cleaner pieces about 1/3 of the way into the coffee stirrer, leaving 4 pipe cleaner ends protruding from the straw about 2 inches.
  4. Manipulate the pipe cleaners so that three pieces extend to the front and one to the back to resemble chicken toes. Repeat.
  5. Give each student a chicken picture to color and cut. Tape the chicken legs to the back of the bird picture.
  6. Give each child a few craft feathers to glue as chicken wings.
  7. As children finish, have them repeat making the chicken feet model but push the pipe cleaner in 2/3 of the ways into the coffee stirrer so the chicken’s toes will be no longer than 1 inch each.
  8. Give each student a piece of green or brown construction paper.
  9. Pour orange paint onto paper plates.
  10. Let the students dip their new chicken foot into the paint and create chicken tracks on the green or brown construction paper.
  11. Provide extra materials if the student would like to try to manipulate two chicken legs at the same time.

(HOSO)

Wet Feet Day 2

Materials:

40 rubber bands, large tag-board duck feet, small tag-board duck feet, 2 large plastic bins ½ filled with water, 2 Styrofoam balls, towels, paper, pencil.

Anticipatory Set Day 2:

  1. Can you guess which swimming, walking animal this is? Instruct students to squat, hold their arms close to their body with their hands touching their chest and flap elbows for wings.
  2. Have students waddle around the classroom following you, flapping elbows and quacking.
  3. Gather the students in a circle and have them guess what farm animal’s feet they are learning today.

(HOSO)

Procedures Day 2:

  1. Precut small and large duck feet from tag board.
  2. Show the students a picture of a duck footprint.
  3. Have them compare it to a chicken footprint. How are they alike? How are they different?
  4. Ask which works better in water, separate toes or webbed toes?
  5. Give each child a small pre-cut duck foot and place it on the child’s hand with a rubber band.
  6. Divide the class in small groups. Give each group a large bin half filled with water.
  7. Place a Styrofoam ball in each bin.
  8. Let the students try to move the ball by pushing the water first with their bare hand and then with the duck foot. Instruct the students to just move the ball with the water without actually touching the ball.
  9. Ask: Which hand moved more water?
  10. Attach a large tag board duck food to the bottom of each child’s shoes with a large rubber band.
  11. Have students waddle around. Ask: How does it feel? Do webbed feet work as well on land?

(HOSO)

Evaluation Day 2:

Ask: When would it be helpful for us to have webbed feet? Record each child’s answer.

Hoofs Day 3:

Materials:

White construction paper, black or brown paint, dishpan with water, scissors, foil pie pans, horse shoes, CD player, galloping music.

Anticipatory Set Day 3:

  1. Display toy farm horse models.
  2. Ask; what kind of foot does a horse have?
  3. Where have you seen horses?
  4. What is a horse’s foot called?
  5. How can we make a print that looks like a horse with a sponge?

Procedure Day 3:

  1. Prior to class: Cut flat oval sponges that expand in water, in half.
  2. With a permanent marker, make a V into the straight side of each half.
  3. Have students cut along the V mark, place the sponge in water to expand and squeeze out excess water.
  4. Pour black or brown paint, diluted with water if necessary, into foil pie pans.
  5. Students dip the sponge footprint into the paint and print several onto paper. Place on drying rack.
  6. Play galloping music as children clean up.
  7. When finished, have students attempt to run by using all four limbs.
  8. Gather students to the circle area to discuss how this felt. Explain the people are not developed to run on all fours. Horses, however, have all four legs equal in size.
  9. Have students clap out the beat of a horse walking, and then galloping by slapping hands to legs, right hand to right leg, left hand to left leg. Have students repeat this rhythm faster and faster. Slow the rhythm back down to a walk.
  10. End by explaining that both horses and people wear shoes to protect their feet. Show a hors shoe.Ask what would happen in people and horses didn’t wear shoes?

(HOSO)

Ending Evaluation (Days 1,2,3):

Students will color, then cut apart the pictures of feet and animals on the Farm Feet activity sheet. They are to match the pictures of the feet with the correct animal to comprise a book by organizing the papers so that the picture of the animal it belongs to follows an animal foot.

Resources:

Breitbart, Karen. Farm Life. Monday Morning Books, 1998.

Hutchins, Pat. Rosie’s Walk. Scholastic, 1987.

Hands On Science Outreach, Two Feet, Four Feet. Hands On Science Programs, 2003.