BY: Judith Allee, Cloverdale Elementary School, Cloverdale, IN; 6/15/97

PURPOSE: Pupils will investigate the role of weather in Indiana’s farming economy.

GRADE LEVEL: 4

GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS ADDRESSED:

• #1) How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools and technologies to acquire, process and report information from a spatial perspective.
• #6) How culturea nd experience influence people’s perceptions of places and regions.
• #11) The patterns and networks of of economic interdepndence on Earth’s surface.
• #15) How physical systems affect human systems.
• #16) The changes taht occur in the meaning, use, distribution and importance of resources.

MATERIALS REQUIRED: large map of Indiana, computer, graph paper, pencils, educational materials from the Soy bean Association

OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this activity students should be able to:

• 1. Access Websites to obtain information,
• 2. Work collectively in a group,
• 3. Use graphs to display information gathered, and
• 4. Make a prediction as to weather and its effect on the economy of Indiana.

PROCEDURES:

• l. Students will divide into groups of four.
• 2. Student group will select two years to investigate.
• 3. Students will graph temperature, precipitation and length of growing season for the two year period.
• 4. Students will compile data on corn, wheat and soy bean production for the two year period.
• 5. Students will determine the average price per bushel of the three crops for the given two year period.
• 6. Students will compare the yield, price, and weather conditions from the two year period selected.
• 7. Students will hypothesize the role of weather in the production yield and the price of the products.

EVALUATION: The group will present their data to the fourth grade classes using a media presentation of data collected and the conclusion formed by the group.

EXTENSION: Groups may choose to present data to local groups such as 4 - H, FFA, or Farm Bureau.

RESOURCES: htt://mcc.sws.uiuc.edu/figures.html