Activity Books Wool & Sheep Activity Book | Page 2

Wool & Sheep Activity Book
This book includes a variety of ready-to-use activities to integrate agriculture into basic subject areas. The
activities are ideal for use in classrooms, community organizations or anywhere young people could benefit from
learning more about the food, fiber and natural resource industries.
Why Teach about Agriculture?
In the past, people were very aware of the role agriculture
played in their lives. It meant survival. Nearly everyone - men,
women and children - worked the land. On average,
today's youth are five generations removed from the land. They no
longer have a grandfather or aunt on the farm. They no
longer have firsthand contact with farms or ranching. They are not
aware of the vast range and impact of agriculture on our society and
way of life. Because we eat, we are involved with agriculture.
Importance of Agriculture
Agriculture, with its related occupations, is the nation's and the
world's largest industry. It generates billions of dollars each year and
one out of every five American jobs depends on agriculture in some
way. Agriculture has a huge impact on the American economy and
on the prices Americans pay for their basic needs of food, clothing
and shelter. Agriculture influences the United States balance of trade
and directly affects the number, as well as kinds, of jobs throughout
the world.
Opportunities in Agriculture
Few students today pursue agricultural careers. Along with a
limited knowledge of agriculture itself, there seems to be a
widespread and false belief that agricultural careers are mainly
production farming and low-income jobs. In reality, there are growing
demands and excellent career opportunities for well-educated,
qualified people in many of the over 500 occupations associated with
agriculture. Agriculture needs good people with technical skills.
Challenges in Agriculture
It is estimated that 20% of our population is employed in
agriculturally related occupations. However, only about two percent
of U.S. citizens work in production agriculture. This small group
meets the food and fiber needs of the entire nation as well as many
people abroad. Agriculture faces huge challenges to meet the needs
of a growing world population. Tomorrow's citizens must be
agriculturally literate in order to make responsible, moral decisions
about the giant global lifeline. Building that literacy and awareness is
the goal of the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture with its
agricultural education and Ag in the Classroom programs.
Content Standards Addressed :
SCIENCE ~ GRADES 3-5
Standard 3: Life Science: Students know and understand the
characteristics and structure of living things, the processes of life,
and how living things interact with each other and their environment.
(Focus: Biology-- Anatomy, Physiology, Botany, Zoology, Ecology.)
1. Each plant or animal has different structures and behaviors that
serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction
2. Green plants need energy from sunlight and various raw materials
to live, and animals consume plants and other organisms to live
4. There is interaction and interdependence between and among
nonliving and living components of ecosystems (for example: food
webs, symbiotic and parasitic relationships, dependence on
rainfall, pollination)
5. Life cycles vary from organism to organism (for example: frog,
chicken, butterfly, radish, bean plant)
7. There are similarities and differences in appearance among
individuals of the same population (for example: size, color, shape)
8. There are similarities and differences between organisms (for
example: plants vs. animals, vertebrate vs. invertebrate)
READING AND WRITING ~ GRADES K-4
Standard 1. Students read and understand a variety of materials. In
grades K-4, what the students know and are able to do includes
using a full range of strategies to comprehend materials such as
directions, nonfiction material, rhymes and poems, and stories.
Standard 4. Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing,
speaking, listening, and viewing.
• recognizing an author's point of view;
• predicting and drawing conclusions about stories;
• differentiating between fact and opinion;
• using reading, writing, speaking, and listening to define and solve
problems;
• responding to written and oral presentations as a reader, listener,
and articulate speaker;
• formulating questions about what they read, write, hear, and view;
and using listening skills to understand directions .
Photo Credits
Cover: Jackie Etchart
Page 2: Courtesy of American
Sheep Industry
Association (ASI)
Page 3: Rambouillets (Courtesy of
ASI)
Columbias (Courtesy of
Columbia Sheep Breeders
Association of America)
Suffolk (Bob Wagner)
Page 4:
Page 5:
Page 6:
Page 7:
Page 8:
Page 9:
Page 11:
Page 12:
Page 13:
James Deeds ~ Courtesy
of Colorado Dept. of
Agriculture Photo Contest
Courtesy of ASI
Etchart Livestock
Julie Hansmire
Courtesy of ASI
Courtesy of ASI
Courtesy of the American
Lamb Board
Courtesy of ASI
Courtesy of ASI
Page 14: Courtesy of ASI
Page 16: Bonnie Brown
Page 17: Eugenie McGuire
Page 18: Julie Hansmire
Page 19: Julie Hansmire
Page 20: Bonnie Brown
Page 21: Julie Hansmire
Page 22: Eugenie McGuire
Page 23: Julie Hansmire
Page 25: Mary Miller
Page 26: Bonnie Brown
Back Cover: Bonnie Brown