Fall Lessons and Activities on the Farm

Homeschool Families can visit the farm for a fieldtrip and receive a lesson about turkeys.  During the Covid-19 pandemic we require each family member wear a mask and as much as possible practice social distancing.  
 

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Email us for details about classes on the farm.  

Let’s Talk Turkey
Turkeys are often thought of during the autumn months as families prepare for their great Thanksgiving feast.  A turkey is pardoned by the President of the United States.  Turkeys both real and cartoon, are seen in commercials and store advertisements as a mascot for Fall and Thanksgiving, but what does the average person know about turkeys?

Hunters often think of turkeys as the prize of a day spent in search of the largest gobbler to take home.  Farmers who raise turkeys see them as the large, awkward birds that are in demand for Thanksgiving.  In this lesson we will:
1.    Look at the differences and similarities of domestic and wild turkeys. (handout with picture of wild turkeys)
2.    Examine the body of domestic turkeys. (external body parts, feathers and coloration)
3.    Examine the shape and color of turkey eggs.
4.    Feed turkeys and watch them eat and drink.
5.    Observe turkey behavior and compare to other poultry on the farm (chicken and ducks).
6.    Listen to turkey calls.
7.    Observe and describe turkey habitat in journal, take photographs and draw pictures of turkey in habitat. 
 

Our main lessons include:

"A Rafter of Turkeys"
Grade Level(s):  3 - 5

Estimated Time: 2-3 one-hour class periods

Purpose:  Students will learn about the domestication and life cycle of the turkey, recognize how turkeys are raised on farms, and identify turkey products.

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Turkey Life Cycle
Grade Level(s):  K - 2

Estimated Time: 60 Minutes

Purpose: This lesson introduces students to turkeys, teaches that animals need air, space, food, water, and shelter to survive, and introduces students to the life cycle of a farm animal.

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Students visiting the farm for these classes can meet some of these standards:

 

South Carolina Standards LIFE SCIENCE: ANIMALS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS 
Standard 2.L.5: The student will demonstrate an understanding of how the structures of animals help them survive and grow in their environments.
2.L.5A. Conceptual Understanding: There are many different groups of animals. One way to group animals is by using their physical characteristics. Animals have basic needs that provide for energy, growth, reproduction, and protection. Animals have predictable characteristics at different stages of development. Performance Indicators: Students who demonstrate this understanding can: 
2.L.5A.1 Obtain and communicate information to classify animals (such as mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, or insects) based on their physical characteristics. 
2.L.5A.2 Construct explanations for how structures (including structures for seeing, hearing, grasping, protection, locomotion, and obtaining and using resources) of different animals help them survive.
2.L.5B. Conceptual Understanding: Animals (including humans) require air, water, food, and shelter to survive in environments where these needs can be met. There are distinct environments in the world that support different types of animals. Environments can change slowly or quickly. Animals respond to these changes in different ways. Performance Indicators: Students who demonstrate this understanding can: 
2.L.5B.1 Obtain and communicate information to describe and compare how animals interact with other animals and plants in the environment. 
2.L.5B.2 Develop and use models to exemplify characteristics of animals that help them survive in distinct environments (such as salt and freshwater, deserts, forests, wetlands, or polar lands). 
2.L.5B.3 Analyze and interpret data from observations to describe how animals respond to changes in their environment (such as changes in food availability, water, or air). 
2.L.5B.4 Construct scientific arguments to explain how animals can change their environments (such as the shape of the land or the flow of water).

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4.L.5A.3 Develop and use models to compare the stages of growth and development in various
animals.
4.L.5A.4 Construct scientific arguments to support claims that some characteristics of organisms
are inherited from parents and some are influenced by the environment. 

4.L.5B.3 Construct explanations for how structural adaptations (such as methods for defense,
locomotion, obtaining resources, or camouflage) allow animals to survive in the
environment. 

5.L.4B. Conceptual Understanding: All organisms need energy to live and grow. Energy is
obtained from food. The role an organism serves in an ecosystem can be described by the way in
which it gets its energy. Energy is transferred within an ecosystem as organisms produce, consume,
or decompose food. A healthy ecosystem is one in which a diversity of life forms are able to meet
their needs in a relatively stable web of life.
Performance Indicators: Students who demonstrate this understanding can:
5.L.4B.1 Analyze and interpret data to explain how organisms obtain their energy and classify an
organisms as producers, consumers (including herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore), or
decomposers (such as fungi and bacteria).
5.L.4B.2 Develop and use models of food chains and food webs to describe the flow of energy in
an ecosystem.
5.L.4B.3 Construct explanations for how organisms interact with each other in an ecosystem
(including predators and prey, and parasites and hosts).
5.L.4B.4 Construct scientific arguments to explain how limiting factors (including food, water,
space, and shelter) or a newly introduced organism can affect an ecosystem. 

Standard 6.L.4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of how scientists classify
organisms and how the structures, processes, behaviors, and adaptations of animals allow them to
survive.
6.L.4A. Conceptual Understanding: Life is the quality that differentiates living things (organisms)
from nonliving objects or those that were once living. All organisms are made up of cells, need food
and water, a way to dispose of waste, and an environment in which they can live. Because of the
diversity of life on Earth, scientists have developed a way to organize groups of organisms
according to their characteristic traits, making it easier to identify and study them.
Performance Indicators: Students who demonstrate this understanding can:
6.L.4A.1 Obtain and communicate information to support claims that living organisms (1) obtain
and use resources for energy, (2) respond to stimuli, (3) reproduce, and (4) grow and
develop.
6.L.4A.2 Develop and use models to classify organisms based on the current hierarchical
taxonomic structure (including the kingdoms of protists, plants, fungi, and animals).
6.L.4B. Conceptual Understanding: The Animal Kingdom includes a diversity of organisms that
have many characteristics in common. Classification of animals is based on structures that function
in growth, reproduction, and survival. Animals have both structural and behavioral adaptations that
increase the chances of reproduction and survival in changing environments.
Performance Indicators: Students who demonstrate this understanding can:
6.L.4B.1 Analyze and interpret data related to the diversity of animals to support claims that all
animals (vertebrates and invertebrates) share common characteristics.
6.L.4B.2 Obtain and communicate information to explain how the structural adaptations and
processes of animals allow for defense, movement, or resource obtainment.
6.L.4B.3 Construct explanations of how animal responses (including hibernation, migration,
grouping, and courtship) to environmental stimuli allow them to survive and reproduce.
6.L.4B.4 Obtain and communicate information to compare and classify innate and learned
behaviors in animals.
6.L.4B.5 Analyze and interpret data to compare how endothermic and ectothermic animals
respond to changes in environmental temperature. 

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Sing songs about turkeys 
Make Thanksgiving Cards
Write a poem about turkeys.

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