Colorado Reader
Educator Guide to Accompany the Colorado Reader Potato Proud: Colorado Grows Greatness
Purpose: This issue of the Colorado Reader introduces students to the science, geography, and nutrition of Colorado-grown potatoes. Through engaging nonfiction text, hands-on activities, and cross-curricular connections, students explore how potatoes grow, where they are produced, how they fit into a healthy diet, and the role they play in Colorado agriculture. The Reader is designed to support classroom learning in alignment with Colorado Academic Standards while sparking curiosity about where our food comes from.
Colorado Academic Standards: This crosscurricular educational resource will meet the following standards through the text and various activities. Each activity is designed to align with the relevant grade-level expectations for reading comprehension, science, social studies, comprehensive health, and mathematics.
READING, WRITING, AND COMMUNICATING Grades 3-5
• RW. 3 – 5.2.1 – Reading for all purposes: Read literary and informational texts to understand central ideas, summarize key details, and explain concepts.
• RW. 3 – 5.3.1 – Writing for all purposes: Write narratives and informational pieces using correct structure, purpose, and vocabulary.
• RW. 3 – 5.4.2 – Research and reasoning: Use evidence to explain thinking and answer questions.
SCIENCE 3rd Grade: Life Science
• SC. 3.2.2 – Organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
4th Grade: Life Science
• SC. 4.2.1 – Organisms have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
5th Grade: Life Science
• SC. 5.2.1 – Organisms interact with their environment and each other.
SOCIAL STUDIES 3rd Grade: Geography
• SS. 3.2.1 – Use geographic tools to identify and locate places and regions in the United States.
4th Grade: History and Geography
• SS. 4.1.1 – Organize and sequence events to understand the chronology of Colorado history.
• SS. 4.2.1 – Use geographic tools to research and answer questions about Colorado geography.
COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH 3rd-5th Grade: Nutrition
• CH. 3 – 5.2.1 – Describe the benefits of eating a variety of foods from all food groups.
• CH. 3 – 5.2.2 – Use MyPlate to plan meals.
MATHEMATICS 3rd-5th Grade: Data and Measurement
• MA. 3 – 5. DA. 1 – Represent and interpret data.
How to use: Use this Colorado Reader during your reading, social studies, or science. Another option is to send these items home with students( or include in homework / enrichment packets) to complete at home on virtual learning days. Or use during substitute days. Pass out one copy of the Colorado Reader to each student. Ask students to read the Colorado Reader, completing the activities within the Reader as they go. Answers to the activities in the Reader are included, should you desire to collect and score responses. To further enhance learning, incorporate any of the additional lessons from the Curriculum Matrix that are identified on the back.
Vocabulary: Reviewing these terms will help students better understand the material and enhance their learning experience as they explore the world of Colorado potatoes.
asexual reproduction – when a plant grows from a piece of another plant complex carbohydrates – the good kind of carbs that give long-lasting energy
Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom • 10343 Federal Blvd Unit J Box 224, Westminster, CO 80260 • Info @ CoAgClassroom. org • CoAgClassroom. org