olorado
Reader
Educator ’ s Guide - 2020-2021 School Year The Story of Colorado Beef
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 .
Purpose
Students will examine the importance of the beef cattle industry , including where cattle are produced in Colorado , the beef production life cycle , and the key role cattle play in a sustainable food system . Concepts related to Colorado land use and careers in agriculture are also introduced .
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 )
3rd Grade Social Studies : Geography
• Examine the characteristics of places and regions , and the changing nature among geographic and human interactions .
4th and 5th Grade Social Studies : Geography
• Use geographic tools to research and answer questions about geography . 3rd , 4th , and 5th Grade Reading , Writing , and Communicating : Reading for all Purposes
• Apply strategies to fluently read , comprehend , interpret , and analyze various types of informational texts .
How to use :
Pass out one copy of the Colorado Reader to each student . Also , make one copy of the Student Worksheet included in your classroom set packet and hand out to each student . You could also send these items home with your students ( or include in homework / enrichment packets ) to complete at home on virtual learning days . Review the provided vocabulary with your students and particularly point out words related to the Colorado Land Use activity on page 5 of the Reader . Ask your students to read the Colorado Reader , complete the activities within the Reader , and then complete the Student Worksheet . Answers to the activities in the Reader and the Student Worksheet are below , should you desire to collect and score responses . An online assessment for student responses is also available . Link : https :// bit . ly / 2QHB7x6
Vocabulary
byproduct : an incidental or secondary product made in the manufacture or synthesis of something else
calf : the name for baby cattle ; plural : calves
cellulose : the main component of green plants like grass and shrubs ; not digestible by humans but very nutritious to ruminant animals cow : female cattle that have had a calf
cropland : a land cover / use category that includes areas used for the cultivation of agricultural crops
Conservation Reserve Program ( CRP ) land : a land conservation program administered by the federal government where farmers agree to remove environmentally-sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality
developed land : land that houses , buildings , etc . have been built on and land used for industrial purposes
digestion : the process by which food is changed to a simpler form after it is eaten
edible : suitable or safe to eat
federal land : lands owned by the United States federal government
feedlot or feedyard : a type of farm operation where cattle are fed balanced feed rations in preparation for harvesting
forage : bulky food such as grass or hay typically consumed by livestock
forest land : an area of land covered by forests
grazing : to eat grass or other plants that are growing in a field , pasture , etc .
heifer : female bovine that has not produced a calf
herd : a large group of animals , especially hoofed mammals , that live , feed , or migrate together or are kept together as livestock
land cover / use : the term used to describe the human use of land and represents the economic and cultural activities ( i . e . agricultural , residential , industrial , mining , and recreational uses )
pasture / pastureland : land covered with grass and other low plants suitable for grazing animals , especially cattle or sheep
other rural land : all land that is not urban and includes farmsteads and other farm structures , field windbreaks , barren land , and marshland
rangelands : open land vegetated mainly by native grasses , forbs , and shrubs used by grazing wildlife and livestock
ruminant : an animal that has a four-compartment stomach and chews its cud in order to digest plant cellulose
steer : male bovine that has been castrated
water areas : a land use category to describe bodies of waters and streams that permanent open water