We entered December with the flu. It wasn’t a very fun Thanksgiving and we are still recovering. Lessons are slow and we are floppy. Every day we’re getting better but it’s taking a lot longer than usual to get back to 100%.
The eldest will be back from his first term at college on Tuesday. We are very excited to have him back for the holidays and we get to keep him until after MLK day in January.
I am writing a unit study on corn. There is alot of information online created by state agriculture departments. Some of it is propaganda and much of it is interesting. Various “corn growers associations” have put out their own versions of lesson plans on corn. I take what looks interesting and do my own research and we study it as we go.
I don’t have an agenda for teaching corn. I find it interesting because it is a food that some people have allergies to, it has been hybridized and genetically modified, and it is used in an incredibly diverse range of products. Also, the idea of corn lessons appealed to me because we love doing corn mazes in the fall, so that also seemed like a fun tie-in. We love the idea of growing our own vegetable garden and growing corn is one of our favorite vegetables to grow. We have friends who invite us to a party every mid-August called, the Corn Roast – where they roast a huge amount of fresh sweet corn over large fires. The corn is soaked in the husk and then put on grates above the fires, steaming the corn within its husks.
Another fun connection is the “three sisters” of Native American lore. The Three Sisters are beans, squash and corn. Planted together, they make excellent companion plants. There is also a connection to the Pilgrims, the First Thanksgiving and the Native Americans who helped them.
Corn Lessons
My lessons are geared towards the fifth grade level. They can be adapted to be easier or harder or individualized as you like.
Lesson 1: Research Corn
- Visit a very detailed corn website titled Corn Color Concepts from Biological Exceptions.
- Check your local library for books on corn, such as Corn by Gail Gibbons, Corn is Maize by Aliki, The Life and Times of Corn by Charles Micucci, From Kernel to Corn by Robin Nelson, I Like Corn by Robin Pickering, Racoons and Ripe Corn by Jim Arnosky, Corn Aplenty by Dana Meachen Rau, and The Corn Grows Ripe by Dorothy Rhoads.
- Create a Corn Glossary. As you research, write down interesting terms related to corn. Include words such as: kernel, cob, ear, bushel, acre, combine, corn syrup, and ethanol. There are also different types of corn such as popcorn, sweet corn, and field corn.
- Encyclopedias both online and in book form will have detailed articles on corn.
- Create a Corn Facts posterboard or booklet. Whenever you find a fact about corn that is interesting and worth writing down, add it to the posterboard or booklet. When the unit is done, you will have quite a lot of information.
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