olorado
Reader
NEW : Colorado Readers are now available on interactive virtual platforms !
The Colorado Foundation for Agriculture understands the ever-changing dynamics of teaching environments across Colorado schools . To help teachers and students utilize and learn from the Colorado Reader , we have created an interactive virtual version of the content of this Reader , which is now available on multiple educational platforms . This interactive virtual version includes all of the non-fiction reading content and fun , interactive assessments of student understanding . Current and previous issues of the Colorado Reader are also available in the CFA Digital Library in a flipbook format . Access both the interactive virtual and digital flip-book versions by going to GrowingYourFuture . com ; under the Education Center , click on Colorado Reader > Current Issues . The Colorado Reader can be taught using both synchronous and asynchronous teaching . Some teachers also find the Colorado Reader a great resource to use on substitute teacher days . Link to resources : http :// bit . ly / Reader-Corn
Purpose
Students will examine the value of corn production , different types of corn , many uses of corn , and learn that field corn is the major grain crop in Colorado and the U . S . They will also explore the parts and life cycle of the corn plant . Students will meet a Colorado corn farmer and learn some of the many careers involving corn - from seed to product .
Cross Curricular Connections and Colorado Academic Standards
3rd Grade Science : Life Science
• Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth , growth , reproduction , and death . ( 3-LS1-1 )
4th Grade Science : Life Science
• Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival , growth , behavior , and reproduction . ( 4-LS1-1 )
5th Grade Science : Life Science
• Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water . ( 5-LS1-1 )
3rd Grade Social Studies : Geography
• Use geographic tools to develop spatial thinking . 4th Grade Social Studies : Geography
• Use geographic tools to research and answer questions about Colorado geography .
3rd , 4th , 5th Grade Reading , Writing , and Communicating : Reading for all Purposes
• Apply strategies to fluently read , comprehend , interpret , and analyze various types of informational texts .
Educator ’ s Guide - 2020-2021 School Year
Corn : It ’ s Feed . It ’ s Fuel . It ’ s Food . It ’ s Everything !
The Colorado Reader is a FREE cross curricular resource designed to reinforce Colorado Academic Standards using real-world , fact-based , unbiased agricultural and food content that is relatable to students .
Vocabulary
bioplastics : a group of plastics made from biological materials like plant starches , cellulose , oils , or protein
bushel : for corn , a unit of weight equal to 56 pounds
by-products : in agriculture , secondary products produced from the main product of a crop or animal ; for example , cornstarch is a by-product of corn
corn : also known as maize , a tall cereal plant
endosperm : tissue formed within a seed that contains energy ( starch ) and protein for the germinating seed
ethanol : a renewable fuel that is made from corn and powers vehicles
germ : the living embryo of the corn kernel that contains the essential genetic information , enzymes , vitamins , and minerals for the kernel to grow into a corn plant
germination : the step a seed goes through to become a plant ; requires warmth , moisture , and air
harvest : the process of removing the corn kernels from the plant
insecticide : a substance used to protect plants against insects
irrigation : a technology that supplies water to land or crops to help them grow
kernel : the seed of corn
leaf collar : the light-colored , collar-like band located at the base of a leaf , near the stem or stalk of the plant
nitrogen : one of the essential nutrients to corn
nonrenewable resources : limited natural resources that cannot be replaced or reproduced within a generation and cannot be managed for renewal ; examples : oil , soil , mineral resources ( lead , iron , cobalt , zinc , etc .)
pericarp : the outer , protective covering of the corn kernel recyclable : capable of being recycled
phosphorous : one of the essential nutrients to corn pollination : the transfer of pollen to produce a seed potassium : one of the essential nutrients to corn
renewable resources : natural resources that can be replaced naturally or by human efforts at a sustainable rate ; examples : forests , fish , wildlife , agriculture , plants , animals
silk : the threadlike part of the ear of corn that produces each individual kernel when pollinated
stalk : the main stem of a corn plant
tassel : the top of the corn plant that produces pollen to pollinate the silk on the ear of corn