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Vermont Farm Lesson: Elementary Student
Farm lesson for elementary students which includes an accessible book, non-visual map, and activities!
During the Perkins Non-Visual Digital Map workshop, orientation and mobility specialists learned how to create, use and apply non-visual digital map skills. Each participant was asked to create a map and to write a short scenario on how she/he would use her/his non-visual digital map during an O&M lesson. This is the Vermont Farm map and lesson geared for elementary school students. (See Vermont Farm: Drawing Conclusions from an O&M Map post; this post also includes additional Fun Facts about the Vermont Farm that are not included in the book or map.) the Scenario 1 lesson geared for middle or high school students.)
When Mrs. Bissonette shared her map assignment, it sparked a discussion about various things on her farm. She created a terrific early reader book, Farm Buildings. (See Farm Buildings Book post.) Scenario 2 is a a lesson that combines reading the book and exploring the map as an O&M (or social studies farm-related!) lesson for an elementary student.
Lesson Goal: Scenario 2
The goal of this lesson is to use the Vermont Map and the Farm Buildings Book to support farm concepts, vocabulary and map skills.
Objectives
- To build farm-related concepts
- To build farm-related vocabularly: barn, loft, milking parlor, stanchion, bulk tank, bunker, silo, garage, cupola, chicken coop, manure storage tank
- To build a mental map of the farm layout
General Book Questions
Read the Farm Buildings Book. Discuss the vocabularly words.
- Describe the Vermont Farm barn.
- What kind of animals can be found on this farm?
- What is silage? Name two ways that it is stored.
- What kind of crop(s) do you think the farm grows? Why?
- How do the cows give back to the farm?
General Map Questions
Using the non-visual digital map, answer the following questions:
- How many houses are listed in the map?
- Which house is closest to the majority of the farm buildings?
- Which house is the farthest from the majority of the farm buildings?
- Move to the Main Farm house; how far is the wood processor?
- If you are at the Main Farm house, where is Peanut Hill? If you are at Grandma’s house, where is Peanut Hill?
- Name main three roads that surround the farm. Describe the shape that these three roads. Is the farm contained between these three roads? Why or why not?
Resources
- Remote O&M Instruction for Students Transitioning to College: Building a Mental Map post (for details on how to introduce non-visual digital maps to students who are visually impaired)
- Vermont Farm: Drawing Conclusions from an O&M Map post (Vermont Farm Scenario 1 for middle and high school students and additional Vermont Farm Fun Facts)
- Farm Buildings Book post
- Farm Vehicles Book post (related emerging reader farm book)
- SAS Graphics Accelerator Page (for a list and links to all the posts about non-visual digital maps)
The map, Scenario 1 and the Farm Buildings Book were created by S. Bissonette.
By Diane Brauner
