The Science of Maryland Agriculture GOAL STATEMENT: Students will simulate a farmer s market to learn about the benefits of locally grown food. OBJECTIVES: Students will understand the benefits of purchasing and consuming local produce. Students will define locally grown produce. Students will identify Maryland agriculture products. Students will learn to make nutrition decisions when selecting foods to eat. REQUIRED MATERIALS: Farmer s Markets worksheet (1 per student) For 10 Farmers (students) Farmer s Worksheet (1 per farmer) Set of food item pictures (these need to be copied and cut prior to class these can be laminated for repeated use 1 per chef) For Chefs (remaining members of class who are not farmers) $30 worth of cutout money each (these need to be copied and cut prior to class) This lesson assumes that each bill is worth $1. The instructor may choose to write in different denominations onto the bills, or to use pennies or other materials to represent currency if they prefer. Menu Worksheet (1 per chef) Copy of the MyPlate.gov dietary guidelines (1 per student) Farmer s Market Activity Instruction Sheet (1 per student) AMOUNT OF TIME TO ALLOW: 50-55 minutes. Extension activities will take additional time. University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, or gender identity or expression.
A farmers market is made of many individual vendors (often farmers) selling produce and animal products like meat and eggs. In many cases they are comprised of booths or stands set up by local producers, providing consumers with the opportunity to purchase fresh foods that are produced near to where they live. Farmers markets exist worldwide, and since they are comprised of local vendors, each market greatly reflects the culture and economy of the community where it is located. Farmers markets have many benefits to the communities where they are located. Because the vendors are most often also the producers, there is no middle man (such as a grocery store). This means that there is very little profit loss to the producer since he or she markets products directly to the consumer. Also for this reason, consumers who shop at farmers markets know exactly where and how their food products are produced. The food is fresh and grown locally, which is considered healthier than most heavily-processed foods. Finally, money used at farmers markets supports the local community rather than a far away corporation. While many farmers markets were replaced by grocery stores during the Industrial Age, an increase in desire for healthy, fresh, and local foods has led to an increase in markets in the United States within recent years. Some markets have strict rules and policies on prices and quality, while others are more relaxed and more dependent on the farmers themselves. 10 minutes Ask students if they have ever been to a farmer s market. If anyone has, ask them to share their experiences there with the class. Explain that a farmer s market is a place that farmers go to sell their locally grown produce to people in the community. Ask students what they think locally grown means. Explain that locally grown means sold close to home rather than being shipped from across the country. The national definition of locally grown is food that travels less than 100 miles to reach you. For example, Florida oranges are NOT locally grown for people in Maryland. On the other hand, corn harvested from a farm that is 15 or 20 minutes away from your house IS locally grown. Have students define what an agricultural product is (a basic definition is a food or fiber that is grown and harvested). Have students identify local farms, what they grow, where the farm stands are, and if they think the farmers may participate in the farmers markets. Do their families buy from local stands or farmers markets? A list of county farmer s markets in Maryland is available at the Maryland Department of Agriculture website. Google Maryland Department of Agriculture and once you open the website conduct a search for farmers market using the search tool. University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, or gender identity or expression.
30 minutes Part 1 (Intro and Setup): 10 minutes Directions: 1. Review the MyPlate.gov dietary guidelines with students identifying each type of food category and examples of food items for each. 2. Refer to Farmers Market Activity Directions. 3. Select 10 students to be farmers and provide them with the farmer s worksheet. 4. Assign them each two food items to grow and sell (i.e. milk, apples, peaches, potatoes, peas, corn, eggs, ground beef, chicken, etc.). 5. The rest of the students in the class will be chefs; hand each of them a chef s menu sheet. 6. The farmers will have to sell their food items, while the chefs will have to buy enough items to create one healthy dinner. The meal should take into account the MyPlate.gov dietary guidelines and include vegetables, fruits, dairy, grains, and protein. Students will have to attend the farmer s market in order to obtain all necessary items. Each farmer will have a stand at the farmers market. 7. Give each farmer their goods (cut out pictures) and have him or her set up their stand by placing their products out for other students to view. (Please note that you do not need to distribute all of the icons provided as they are based on a class size of 30. Please adjust accordingly.) 8. Give all chefs $30 worth of cutout money and have them develop a menu for their meal. PART 2 (ACTIVITY): 20 minutes Directions: 1. Have the chefs visit the farmers at the market and purchase their food. They are allowed to buy more than one thing at any station, but remind them that they only have a limited amount of money to buy all of their goods. The cost of each good is written on the good itself. Allow 15 20 minutes for students to purchase their produce. PART 3 (CONCLUSION): 10 minutes Directions: Once finished, have the chefs complete the Menu worksheet by writing their goods into the correct spot and filling out the price column and total and have the farmers fill out the Farmer s Worksheet. University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, or gender identity or expression.
10-15 minutes Explain that all of the goods that the students sold or bought are sold in farmer s markets across the state of Maryland. Consumers sometimes go to these markets over grocery stores because they can get locally-grown food. Discuss the benefits of locally grown food (i.e. money goes to local farmer and thus helps the community; better for the environment because less fuel for transportation is used and less packing supplies are used; food is fresher than foods purchased in grocery stores, and because of this foods are both crisper and hold more nutrients; food may be safer because you know where it came from). Have a discussion of the buying/selling activity to see if there were problems in purchasing adequate goods for the menus, availability of enough for menus, etc. Sample Question Prompts: What environmental effects can buying locally grown foods have? Would you rather eat food a day after it is picked or a week after it is picked? Why? Who gets the money from food bought at a farmer s market? Who gets money from the food you purchased at a grocery store? A fact sheet with reasons to buy local produce can be found at the University of Vermont Extension website. Google University of Vermont Extension. Once the website is open, search buying local produce in the search bar. 10 minutes Ask students to brainstorm other products they might find at a farmer s market held in Maryland. These could include crabs, oysters, melons, strawberries, blueberries, ornamental plants, nuts, timber, and black walnuts. Have students complete the Farmer s Markets worksheet with reflection questions and then discuss with the entire class. Have students work in small groups to create a poster advertising a fictional farmer s market. Posters should include what is sold and some of the benefits of buying locally grown food. Have students research where local farmer s markets are within their city and/or county and have them report back. Farmer s markets have many related careers. Clerk This person may work at the market booth. Farm personnel This person works to produce the goods. Farmer s market manager This person runs the market itself. Chefs and other food service workers may purchase goods from the farmer s market. University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, or gender identity or expression.
A pre/post test should be completed with this lesson plan. Student understanding of concepts can also be evaluated through class discussion as well as through evaluation of completed activity data sheets. Analysis/conclusion questions that are answered incorrectly by a large number of students should be addressed in a follow-up discussion. Maryland Department of Agriculture, <www.mda.state.md.us/pdf/cookout_local_benefits.pdf> Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, <www.somarylandsogood.com> Pictures taken from: Microsoft Clip Art Gallery <free-extras.com/images/peaches-5534.htm> <www.organicclimbing.com/> <www.clker.com/clipart-29023.html> <jambo85.wordpress.com/2008/10/08/starting-new-work-through-experimentation/> <www.how-to-draw-cartoons-online.com/cartoon-chicken.html> <pierce258.blogspot.com/> <www.freeclipartpics.com/freeappleclipart.htm> <www.clker.com/clipart-23775.html> <www.clker.com/clipart-9613.html> University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, or gender identity or expression.
Name: Date: Period: Goal: Simulate a farmer s market to learn about the benefits of locally grown food. Materials: Paper money Paper goods Background: Have you ever been to a farmer s market? Do you know what a farmer s market is? Farmer s markets are places where local farmers go to sell the products that they have grown or raised to other members of their community. Going to a farmer s market can be a very exciting experience because there are always lots of things going on! Instructions: Your teacher will select several students to be farmers, and the rest of the class will become chefs. If you are a farmer, your job is to sell your good to the chefs. If you are a chef, your job is to buy goods to create a well-balanced meal! Farmers will receive their goods from the teacher, and chefs will receive $30 worth of paper money. The chefs will need to collect one good from each food group except fats (i.e. grain, protein, fruit, vegetables, and dairy). To do this, visit different farmers and purchase the goods that they are selling. Pay careful attention to prices though! Remember you only have $30 to buy everything that you need. In exchange for their goods, farmers will collect money from the chefs and try to sell as many of their goods as they can! Once the simulation is over, listen to your teacher for directions to finish the project. The Science of Maryland Agriculture
Name: Date: Period: Food Group Item(s) Picked: Why did you select this item? How are you planning on incorporating it into your meal? Cost: Protein Dairy Fruit Vegetables Grain Total Cost: What other items would you have liked to see available for purchase at the farmer s market and why? The Science of Maryland Agriculture
Name: Date: Period: List the food you sold and the amount: Do you have any leftover goods? If so, make a list of the goods you have left and explain why you think they might be left over. What do you think farmers have to do with their leftover goods that do not get sold at the farmer s market? The Science of Maryland Agriculture
Name: Date: Period: Reflection Questions Who do you think sells their goods at farmer s markets small family farmers or large companies? Why? List the benefits of purchasing food at a grocery store and a farmer s market. Which one would you choose and why? GROCERY STORE BENEFITS FARMER S MARKET BENEFITS Why do you think that one stand at a farmer s market can be more successful than another stand? The Science of Maryland Agriculture
Name: Date: Period: The Science of Maryland Agriculture
The Science of Maryland Agriculture PRE-Evaluation: Buy Close to Home, Purchase Locally Grown 1. How old are you? 2. Are you... (Select one.) A boy A girl 3. Are you.(select ALL that apply.) African American/Black Asian Other Native American/Alaskan Native Hispanic/Latino White Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander 4. What type of school do you go to? (Select one.) Public school Private school Religious school (Catholic, etc.) Home school Your Science and Agriculture Opinions and Knowledge 5. BEFORE going through the AGsploration Program, please circle the degree to which you agree or disagree with the following statements. Strongly Disagree Disagree I like science. 1 2 3 4 I feel that Maryland agriculture is a part of science. 1 2 3 4 Science is useful for solving everyday problems. 1 2 3 4 Maryland agriculture is beneficial to me, my family, and my community. When I graduate from high school, I would like to have a job in agricultural science. Agree Strongly Agree 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 I can name three jobs in the agriculture industry. 1 2 3 4 6. BEFORE going through the AGsploration Program, please circle your knowledge level about the topics listed below. None Low Medium High Very High Maryland agriculture 1 2 3 4 5 Farmer s markets 1 2 3 4 5 MyPlate dietary guidelines 1 2 3 4 5 Locally grown produce 1 2 3 4 5 Nutrition 1 2 3 4 5
The Science of Maryland Agriculture POST-Evaluation: Buy Close to Home, Purchase Locally Grown Your Science and Agriculture Opinions and Knowledge 7. AFTER going through the AGsploration Program, please circle the degree to which you agree or disagree with the following statements. Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree I like science. 1 2 3 4 I feel that Maryland agriculture is a part of science. 1 2 3 4 Science is useful for solving everyday problems. 1 2 3 4 Maryland agriculture is beneficial to me, my family, and my community. When I graduate from high school, I would like to have a job in agricultural science. 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 I can name three jobs in the agriculture industry. 1 2 3 4 8. AFTER going through the AGsploration Program, please circle your knowledge level about the topics listed below. None Low Medium High Very High Maryland agriculture 1 2 3 4 5 Farmer s markets 1 2 3 4 5 MyPlate dietary guidelines 1 2 3 4 5 Locally grown produce 1 2 3 4 5 Nutrition 1 2 3 4 5 9. As a result of participating in this activity, tell one new thing you will try or one thing you will find information about.
The Science of Maryland Agriculture SUPPLEMENTAL-Evaluation: Buy Close to Home, Purchase Locally Grown Directions: If you are teaching more than one lesson plan in one day, you may attach this to the pre/post evaluation form for the other lesson you are teaching. Please have the student fill out these during the pre and post evaluation times. In addition, only have the student fill out the post evaluation questions Q5 Q7 at the completion of all lessons. PRE-Evaluation BEFORE going through the AGsploration Program, please circle your knowledge level about the topics listed below. None Low Medium High Very High Maryland agriculture 1 2 3 4 5 Farmer s markets 1 2 3 4 5 MyPlate dietary guidelines 1 2 3 4 5 Locally grown produce 1 2 3 4 5 Nutrition 1 2 3 4 5 POST-Evaluation AFTER going through the AGsploration Program, please circle your knowledge level about the topics listed below. None Low Medium High Very High Maryland agriculture 1 2 3 4 5 Farmer s markets 1 2 3 4 5 MyPlate dietary guidelines 1 2 3 4 5 Locally grown produce 1 2 3 4 5 Nutrition 1 2 3 4 5