Greenheads and Grains

Grade Level:
2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Time Required: 50 minutes

Objectives/Goals:
1. Participants will understand the working relationship between farmers and waterfowl.
2. Students will identify various grains grown in the U.S. by taste, texture, and color.
3. Students will make connections between the grain and the food product we eat.
4. Participants will learn to create artistic images using novel materials.

Curricular Areas:
listening, following oral instructions, categorizing, classifying plants and waterfowl, making oral/written presentations, using creative media

Overview:
1. A teacher lecture will introduce concepts and vocabulary.
2. Students participate in a discussion of the benefits of grain crops.
3. Students create a waterfowl mosaic using grains and peas.

Lesson's Concepts:
1. Wildlife depends on agricultural grain crops for food and shelter.
2. Grains are found in foods we eat every day.
3. Grains and peas are the seeds and/or fruits of plants.

Materials Needed:

• paper (construction or printer) or copies of the Mallard Template
• pencils
• liquid glue
• flat wooden craft sticks or toothpicks
• plastic bowls (one for each type of grain)
• pictures of waterfowl (field guides, books, magazines, Internet)
• any combination of the following grains and peas:
• rice (white, brown, wild black)
• wheat (white, brownish red)
• millet (white, gray, yellow, red)
• barley (white, red)
• oats (brownish white--usually rolled)
• corn (yellow, white)
• flaxseed (reddish brown)
• sunflower seeds (in the shell--gray, black)
• peas and lentils (green yellow, red--grown along the Pacific Flyway in Oregon, Washington, and Canada)

Preparation:
1. Purchase the grains and peas at a local grocery store in the bulk food section. For thirty students purchase 1 to 2 pounds of each item.
2. Separate the grains into labeled bowls for each project table.
3. Place bowls of grain, liquid glue, and craft sticks, on each project table.
4. For younger ages, make a copy of the Mallard Template for each student. Provide older students with a blank sheet of paper on which to draw their design.

Procedure:
1. Gather the group together to share the objectives and vocabulary of the day.
2. Inform the students about farmers and wetland animals. Discuss the value of grain crops for wildlife using information in the Teacher Lecture.
3. Demonstrate grain variations through hands-on instruction. Explain that grains and peas are the fruit and/or seeds of the flowering part of the plant. Allow students to touch and smell each grain, and ask them to describe the color of each one. Let them taste the softer grains and discuss the taste and texture of each. Explain how each grain is used in foods we eat every day:

• wheat--breads, tortillas, pasta
• barley--chocolate milk, tea, dog food
• oats--breads, cereal, cookies
• rice--milk, ice cream, pudding
• millet--cooked like rice or creamed like potatoes

4. Explain the steps to producing a completed mosaic. Show a completed project for the students to identify with.
5. Pass out materials and go over step-by-step procedures: Draw an outline of a duck, goose, or swan on paper using pencil. Using a picture of the bird, decide which colors to use for each part of the drawing. Lightly write the name of the color on each of the sections of the drawing that will be that color, and match the color to one of the grains. For young students use the template provided. Start in a small area, and use a craft stick to spread a small amount of glue onto the paper. Place several pieces of grain on the wet glue and arrange them side by side covering the paper. Continue adding glue and grains until the entire drawing is covered. When finished label each section of the mosaic with the grain type; title the mosaic using the name of the bird. Shake off the extra grain, let dry, and display. For an earth-friendly alternative, use recycled paper and a natural adhesive such as all natural peanut butter or rice paste. Earth-friendly mosaics can be placed outside for birds and other critters to enjoy.
6. Allow participants to get started. Walk around offering support and encouragement while they are working. Keep them aware of their time limits and clean-up expectations.

Assessment:
1. Use the following rubric to assess each student.

2. A quiz may be developed for checking that students understand the vocabulary and/or the concept of co-dependence (farmers and wildlife).

(example question)
A. Oats are a type of grain used in what food?
1. cheese 3. ice cream
2. peanut butter 4. cookies

Follow-up/Extensions:
1. Create mosaics of other waterfowl species.
2. Research a particular waterfowl species. Create a written or oral report.
3. Research another wetland creature that uses grain crops for food and/or shelter.

Vocabulary:
crops, fruit, grain, greenhead, habitat, migrate, mosaic, seed, weed control, wetland

Teacher Lecture:
More than 90% of the wetlands that once existed in California are now gone. With fewer places for wetland animals to find natural foods, private agricultural areas have become valuable feeding and nesting habitats. Crops such as wheat, oats, corn, rice, beans, and millet provide food and shelter for waterfowl and other wildlife. During the winter, ducks, geese, and swans eat the leftover grains in croplands, along with weed seeds and insects. The birds clean up the field and provide the farmer with some extra weed control, and the waterfowl get the energy they need to grow new feathers, migrate, and produce young. Explore this special working relationship between farmers and waterfowl by creating waterfowl mosaics.

Handouts/Visual Aids:
1. Mallard Template
2. Pictures of mallards