Lesson Plan 1:
Amazing Grazing

Ascending Levels of Intellectual Demand:

Ascending Levels of Intellectual Demand: Contact a local rancher near your community through your County Extension office and take your students on a field trip to their ranch. Instruct them to pay close attention to the animals, plants, and people.

How do these components (animals, plants, people) interact with one another? What factors at that particular ranch help them to live together in balance? (Or, does there appear to be an imbalance, and why?)

Students can then return and, as a class or individually, write a book similar to Amazing Grazing which tells the story of the ranch they visited. If possible, take some digital cameras with you the field trip so that you and/or the students include photographs as reference points in their book(s).

Students can draw their own illustrations, as well. Follow your classroom's editing and publishing procedures and techniques. Print and distribute copies of the students' book(s). Perhaps have them read it to an audience of students in younger grade level.