olorado
Reader
Educator’s Guide - 2019-2020 School Year
Cooperatives: The Business of Working Together
October is National Cooperative Month
In honor of National Cooperative Month, we are providing
this Colorado Reader to you during the month of October.
Cooperatives are community-born, community-led
organizations. Co-ops across the country serve 140 million
co-op members. Consider asking a representative or member
of a co-op in your community to visit your classroom. If
you need assistance in connecting with a local co-op,
please contact us at [email protected].
Pre-Activity
Prior to giving this Colorado Reader to your
students, please check for background knowledge
of cooperatives by asking these questions:
1. How many of you have heard of the term cooperative?
2. How many of you know that a
cooperative can be a business?
3. Can you name a cooperative that
does business in Colorado?
Colorado Academic Standard Focus
4th & 5th Grade Reading, Writing, and Communicating:
• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as
they are used in a text, including figurative language
such as metaphors and similes. (CCSS: RL.5.4)
• Refer to details and examples in a text when
explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text. (CCSS: RL.4.1)
• By the end of year, read and comprehend informational
texts, including history/social studies, science, and
technical texts, in the grades 4–5 text complexity
band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at
the high end of the range. (CCSS: RI.4.10)
4th Grade Social Studies:
• Analyze methods of limiting financial risk (PFL) (DOK 2-3)
5th Grade Social Studies:
• Identify different financial institutions (DOK 1)
• Give examples of group and individual actions that
illustrate civic ideals in the founding of the United
States. Idelas to include but not limited to freedom,
rules of law, equality, civility, cooperation, respect,
responsibility, and civic participation (DOC 1-3)
Additional standards can be easily met by utilizing the
complementary lesson plans from the National Agricultural
Literacy Curriculum Matrix, identified to the right.
Answers
Page 6 - What did we learn?
1. A supply cooperative buys things to sell to its members.
2. A marketing cooperative sells things for its members.
3. A service cooperative provides a service to its members.
4. Cooperative members are also A. customers.
5. Members elect A. the directors.
6. Directors are C. both A and B (members
and responsible for decisions.
Page 7 - Cooperatives are on Good Terms
1. Companies that are owned by the
customers are called cooperatives.
2. Cooperatives are owned by members
who are also customers.
3. Rural Electric Cooperatives are also known as associations.
4. Members can both vote for and become directors.
5. Cooperatives use the Seven Cooperative
Principles to guide their business priorities.
6. Three leading types of cooperatives
are supply, marketing, service.
7. A cooperative’s profits or savings
are returned to the members.
8. Many cooperatives operate in rural
areas that other business avoid.
9. The first cooperative in America was
started by Ben Franklin.
Lesson Plans to go with this Reader
The Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix is an online,
searchable, and standards-based database for K-12 teachers.
The Matrix contextualizes national education standards
in science, social studies, and nutritional education with
relevant instructional resources linked to Common Core
Standards. Below are a few lesson plans that could be
used in conjunction with this Colorado Reader. Go to www.
GrowingYourFuture.com and click on Curriculum Matrix (on
the Home Page or under the Educator’s Tab), search each
title within the Curriculum Matrix to find these lesson plans.
Food Miles: Students will explore the economic and
environmental benefits of buying locally grown food.
A Day without Dairy: In this lesson, students will create, read,
and interpret graphs relating to the economic importance
of the dairy industry and be challenged to understand
the economic consequences of a day without dairy.
Supply and Demand: What if?: Students will demonstrate
understanding of the importance of the relationship
between producers and consumers by explaining how
agricultural supply and demand affects commodity prices.
Grocery Store Problem Solving: Students will use
basic mathematical skills to solve problems related
to the cost of food while integrating geography and
nutrition to enhance learning. Activities include
analyzing grocery ads, assessing the nutrition and cost
of meals, and exploring diets around the world.
Colorado Foundation for Agriculture
10343 Federal Blvd Unit J Box 224
Westminster, CO 80260
970-818-3308 • [email protected]
www.GrowingYourFuture.com