Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise

On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 1

On the farm Year level: K
Unit of work contributed by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW

About the unit
Unit description
In this unit of work, students explore the characteristics of farm animals so they can begin to
write descriptive text. This unit is particularly aimed at ESL (NESB) students and those who
have limited experience of the world beyond their immediate lives. Students have regular
opportunities to listen to and use correct models of targeted language structures before being
expected to write. Activities are repeated with the introduction of each new animal so students
can focus on engaging with new content.
Knowledge, understandings, skills, values
Students recognise and describe common farm animals.
Students learn and practise descriptive language that enables the listener or reader to build
a picture in their mind.
Students construct sentences using increasingly complex structures, grammar and
punctuation.
Focus questions
What animals are commonly found on farms in Australia?
What do they look like?
Why do we have farms?
How do farms meet my everyday needs?
How can I make my writing more interesting?


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 2
Resources
Digital curriculum resources

L10403 Storytime: Muddled up!
L9493 Story map: Muddled up!
L4872 Sugoi! Going places: animals you see and hear [J apanese]
L5157 Ottimo! Going places: animals you see and hear [Italian]
L5169 Chouette! Going places: animals you see and hear [French]
L5181 Yia hara! Going places: animals you see and hear [Greek]
L5193 Super! Going places: animals you see and hear [German]
L3770 Hebat! Going places: animals you see and hear [Indonesian]
L3430 Tai hao le! Going places: animals you see and hear [Chinese]
L8740 Wonderful words, creative stories: pets
L10404 Storytime: Rooster to the rescue
L9494 Story map: Rooster to the rescue
Internet sites
Printable farm animal colouring-in sheets available from www.printactivities.com under farm
animals link
'Farm to table' (For the juniors television series, ABC) at
For the juniors worksheets at
http://www.abc.net.au (enter farm
to table in the search engine)
Software
http://www.abc.net.au (enter for the juniors worksheets in
search engine
Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net
Photo Story 3:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/PhotoStory/default.mspx
Movie Maker: http://download.cnet.com/Windows-Movie-Maker-Windows-XP/3000-
13631_4-10165075.html
Print
Books and stories
The little red hen traditional
Rosies walk, Pat Hutchins, Red Fox, 2009
Hattie and the fox, Mem Fox, Ashton Scholastic, 1986
Who sank the boat? Pamela Allen, Puffin, 2009
Mr Gumpys outing, J ohn Burningham, Holt, 1995
A Year on our farm, Penny Matthews, Scholastic Australia, 2002
My farm, Alison Lester, Allen & Unwin, 2005


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 3
Cock-a-doodle-doo! Farmyard hullabaloo, Giles Andreae, Orchard, 2000
Farmyard animals, Paul Ness, Zero to Ten, 2009
Muddled-up farm, Mike Dumbleton, Random House, 2002
I went walking, Sue Machin, Omnibus, 2007
Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cecily Matthews, Little Hare, 2008
Whose family? J eannette Rowe, ABC Books, 2007
What a goose! Leone Peguero, Era, 1997
Click, clack, moo: Cows that type, Doreen Cronin, Simon & Schuster, 2002
Nighty night! Margaret Wild and Kerry Argent, ABC Books, 2000
Let's go visiting, Sue Williams, Working Title, 2000
The very busy spider, Eric Carle, Hamilton, 1996
Poems and songs
Old MacDonald had a farm traditional
Other resources
Large pictorial labels of farm animals on Old MacDonalds farm that students can wear
Collection of small plastic models of domestic, farm and wild animals (including cows) as
well as farm buildings
Collection of pictures of domestic, farm and wild animals, including cows
Three large hoops
Sets of cards featuring farm animals (these could be made using clip art and laminated)
Collection of foodstuffs and other products that originate on a farm
Digital cameras and recorders
Bingo cards, each with pictures of five farm creatures
Counters
Animal pictures cut into jigsaw pieces and a jigsaw board
Paper plates and icy-pole (iceblock) sticks
Attached printable resources
The following teacher-created learning resources referred to in this unit of work are
available for you to modify, print and use in your own teaching and learning context:
Farm animals worksheet
Who lives where? Venn diagram worksheet
Farm animals book template
Cow X-chart
Cow diagram
Writing worksheet


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 4
Teaching the unit
Setting the scene
Resources
Old MacDonald had a farm traditional
Large pictorial labels of farm animals on Old MacDonalds farm that students can wear
Rosies walk by Pat Hutchins
Selection of picture books about farms and farm animals (see Resources list on pages 23)
Farm animals worksheet (page 14)
L10403 Storytime: Muddled up!
L9493 Story map: Muddled up!
L4872 Sugoi! Going places: animals you see and hear [J apanese]
L5157 Ottimo! Going places: animals you see and hear [Italian]
L5169 Chouette! Going places: animals you see and hear [French]
L5181 Yia hara! Going places: animals you see and hear [Greek]
L5193 Super! Going places: animals you see and hear [German]
L3770 Hebat! Going places: animals you see and hear [Indonesian]
L3430 Tai hao le! Going places: animals you see and hear [Chinese]
Plastic models and pictures of cows
Teaching and learning activities
On the farm
Teach the students the traditional rhyme Old MacDonald had a farm. Make pictorial labels of
the animals on Old MacDonalds farm for the children to wear as they act out the rhyme and
make the appropriate animal noises. Ask:
What other creatures might Old MacDonald have on his farm that we could sing about?
If you really were a cow, what would you look like?
If you really were a pig, how big would you be?
If you really were a donkey, what noise would you make?
Use the labels or other appropriate pictures as headings to start a database for each animal,
adding words and phrases as the students suggest them. Use these suggestions to judge the
students existing knowledge about animals that live on farms.
~
Have students share their experiences of farms, acknowledging that some students
experiences of farm animals may be different from the Australian experience, including the sorts
of animals that might be found there.
~


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 5
Share the story Rosies walk by Pat Hutchins and have the students identify the animals in the
story. Ask:
What other animals might Rosie have seen on her journey around this Australian farm?
~
Throughout the unit, read a selection of picture books about farms to consolidate students
knowledge. As you read, focus on the pictures and ask students to suggest adjectives that
might be used to describe the various animals. Add these to the database. (Although many titles
will attribute human characteristics to the animals, it is important that students understand that
they do not talk, think or act as we do. If it is appropriate for the class, compare a storybook
featuring farm animal characters with a relevant non-fiction book to show the difference.)
Use the Farm animals worksheet (page 14) to develop either an interactive whiteboard or
a cut-and-paste activity in which students match the name of the animal with its
illustration.
Muddled up!
Students consolidate their knowledge of farm animals by listening to and following the text of
L10403 Storytime: Muddled up!
They explore and consolidate their early reading skills using L9493 Story map: Muddled up!
Both of these learning objects are designed for use on an interactive whiteboard.
Extension activities
If you have ESL (NESB) students in your class you might like to use this learning object:
L6782 Garden detective: Australian garden [ESL]
Assessment
Present students with models and pictures of cows and have them orally describe a cow. Scribe
the students responses and then analyse them. Keep this list for comparison purposes at the
end of the unit.
Monitor individual progress and needs throughout the unit.
Investigating
Resources
Collection of small plastic models of domestic, farm and wild animals
Collection of pictures of domestic, farm and wild animals
Three large hoops
Who lives where? Venn diagram worksheet (page 15)
Farm animals book template (page 16)
Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 6
Photo Story 3:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/PhotoStory/default.mspx
Movie Maker: http://download.cnet.com/Windows-Movie-Maker-Windows-XP/3000-
13631_4-10165075.html
Sets of cards featuring farm animals (these could be made using clip art and laminated)
Printable farm animal colouring-in sheets available from www.printactivities.com under farm
animals link
L8740 Wonderful words, creative stories: pets
Cow X-chart (page 13)
Cow diagram (page 17)
Teaching and learning activities
Who lives where?
Have students sort the collections of plastic animals into groups according to whether they are
pet, farm or wild animals. Place three hoops on the ground to simulate a Venn diagram.
Discuss the students choices. Differentiate between animals that live on farms as part of food
production and those that might be found there because farmlands are part of their natural
habitat. Ask:
Are there any animals that fit into more than one hoop?
Use the Who lives where? Venn diagram worksheet (page 15) to develop either an
interactive whiteboard activity or a cut-and-paste activity. The students sort the animals
into those that are pets, those that live in the wild and those that live on farms, to
demonstrate their individual knowledge.
Use the Farm animals book template (page 16) to create a class book titled Old
MacDonald had a farm. Model the text A _________ lives on Old MacDonalds farm.
Have the students fill in the gap and draw their selected animal. Encourage them to use
the plastic animal figures or pictures as guides so their drawings are as accurate as
possible. Collate the pages to create a book for the classroom shelves.
Have students record their sentences using Audacity and combine these and their pictures in a
digital storybook using Photo Story or Movie Maker.
Who am I?
Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of cards featuring pictures of farm
animals. Place the cards face downwards and ask students to take turns to pick one up and
describe the animal to others in their group without showing them the picture. Focus on words
that describe the animal, and demonstrate the difference between saying It has a tail and It
has a short, curly tail.
To encourage listening, allow the students who correctly identify the animal first to keep the
card for that round. The student with the most cards at the end is the winner.


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 7
Alternatively, students could record their descriptions using Audacity and these could be
replayed to the others in the group to identify the creature described.
Reinforcing descriptions
Share a variety of sentences about farm animals, including both factual sentences (Cows have
four legs) and opinions (Cows are my favourite animal). Ask:
Which sentences tell you about what the animal is like?
If I say Cows are my favourite animal, does that help build a picture in your head about cows?
~
Have students contribute their own sentence about a particular farm animal and have their
peers judge whether it is fact or opinion.
~
Give each student a picture of a particular farm animal and help them write a descriptive
sentence about it. Remind them that their sentence has to help someone make a picture in their
heads about the animal. Encourage them to be as independent in their writing as they can.
Investigating adjecti ves
Use L8740 Wonderful words, creative stories: pets to introduce the students to the power of
adjectives. Students select particular adjectives to change the pictures accompanying the
sentences. (For this level, use the beginning of the learning object only.)
Discuss with the students how adjectives helped them build a picture in their head.
Give each student a colouring-in sheet of a farm animal (available from www.printactivities.com)
and have them complete it. To demonstrate the power of adjectives, have them provide two
descriptions of their finished picture, firstly one without adjectives and then one that includes
adjectives. Highlight how their sentences have changed from being boring to being interesting.
Organising adjectives
Build a word wall of adjectives using headings such as Colour, Number, Size, Shape and Feel.
Ask the students to contribute descriptive words and, as they do, add them to the wall. Students
could also develop personal dictionaries of adjectives that they use.
What is a cow?
Display a variety of pictures of cows as a stimulus for students to brainstorm what they already
know about the animal. As well as stating facts, encourage them to use their senses as a basis
for description. Ask:
What can we learn about cows by looking at these pictures?
What words can we use to tell us what cows look like?
What words can we use to tell us about what cows sound, smell and feel like?
What words can we use to tell us what they are doing in the pictures?
Where do they live?


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 8
What do they eat?
Do they have shelter?
List students responses, introducing new vocabulary and modelling correct grammar and
punctuation. For the questions regarding what cows look, sound, smell and feel like, sort
students responses using the Cow X-chart (page 13). Use a different colour to write down
the adjectives that students suggest.
Use the Cow diagram (page 17) to explicitly name and label the parts of a cow. Have
students count the number of legs, ears, eyes and tails a cow has and have them record
their conclusions in sentences. Use the diagram to create either an interactive whiteboard
or a cut-and-paste activity for students to complete.
Brainstorm ways to describe a cows body parts that include adjectives, such as four long legs
or long, swishy tail. Focus on the descriptive words students use and make labels featuring the
descriptive phrases. Attach the labels to a large picture of a cow.
Describe a particular body part of a cow without naming it and have students identify what it is.
Alternatively, construct a die with a body part on each face. Have students describe the body
part that is displayed after the die is rolled.
~
Model sentence construction to create descriptive sentences about cows.
Prepare a series of sentence beginnings and endings about a cow and have students match
them up. This could be made into a group memory game, with students trying to match the
appropriate ending with their sentence starter. As a sequel to the memory game, you could cut
the sentences into individual words and have the students re-order them.
~
Have students make a model of a cow, and photograph the model. Record students
descriptions of the cow using Audacity. Insert the photo and the recording into software such as
Photo Story or Movie Maker to make a digital book.
More farm animals
Use the following activities to investigate other animals found on farms, including sheep, pigs,
horses, goats, hens, roosters, turkeys, dogs, cats and donkeys. As students become more
practised, extend their writing to include:
tracing and copying sentence models
attempting their own writing using early spelling strategies and word banks
using basic punctuation such as capital letters and full stops
writing an introductory sentence such as A ... is a farm animal and then starting the next
sentence with a pronoun
using a generalisation, such as Cows have tails, with nounverb agreement
stating facts using all, most or some, with nounverb agreement
circling adjectives in their writing


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 9
using conjunctions to make compound sentences such as Most roosters have brown
feathers but some have white feathers.
Extension activities
Introduce students to the terms used for baby animals on farms. Create mix-and-match
activities to consolidate this learning.
Bringing it all together
Resources
A range of food and other products whose origins can be traced to the farm
Farm to table (For the juniors television series, ABC) at:
For the juniors worksheets at
http://www.abc.net.au (enter farm
to table in the search engine)
: http://www.abc.net.au (enter for the juniors worksheets in
search engine
L10404 Storytime: Rooster to the rescue
Digital cameras and recorders
L9494 Story map: Rooster to the rescue
Teaching and learning activities
Farm facts
Show the students a range of food and other products whose origins can be traced to the farm.
Ask:
Where do these foods come from?
Why do we need farms?
Explore what the students know about how their food is produced and how it arrives at their
table.
Use the Farm to table episodes from the For the juniors television series and the
accompanying worksheets to develop childrens understanding of the importance of farms and
their products.
The real thing
Arrange an excursion to a farm, preferably one that gives the children the opportunity to get
close to the animals. Before the excursion, discuss the things they are likely to see and some of
the questions they would like answered. At the farm, collect appropriate souvenirs to create a
classroom display.
Have students talk, write about and draw their experiences.
Capture students experiences using digital cameras and recorders and use the results to
create:
oral and written retellings
sequencing activities


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 10
role plays
print and digital storybooks
Create a display of farm products and link them with the animals they come from. Add labels to
the products that include explanations.
More words
Make lists of the buildings and vehicles often seen on a farm and, as a class, explore the
adjectives that could be used to describe them. Invite students to bring to school any toys or
models they have of these, and to share them and talk about their features.
Assessment
Use L10404 Storytime: Rooster to the rescue and L9494 Story map: Rooster to the rescue to
assess students early reading strategies, including their ability to identify various farm animals.
Drawing conclusions
Resources
Bingo cards with pictures of five farm creatures on each
Counters
Animal pictures cut into jigsaw pieces and a jigsaw board
Models or pictures of farm animals suitable for sorting
Teaching and learning activities
Animal bingo
Give students a bingo card each and five counters. Read out descriptions of the farm animals
depicted on the cards. When an animal on the bingo card matches the description, have
students place a counter on the animal.
Jigsaws
Hand out jigsaw pieces of a particular farm animal. Have each student take turns to describe
what they see on their card and to place it on the board. When all the cards are placed, have
students assemble them to construct the picture.
True or false?
Read out a variety of descriptions of particular animals, such as A cow has a soft pink udder. If
they think the statement is true, have students put their hands on their heads. If they think it is
untrue, have them stand up.
As a class, check a completed diagram of the animal to determine the truth.
Multiple choice
Create a series of statements about a variety of farm animals in the form of multiple-choice
questions. Ask students to select the correct response.


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 11
Sorting
Provide the students with models or pictures of farm animals. Ask them to sort these into groups
and explain the reasons for their choices. Ask:
Is there another way that you could sort these?
Communicating
Resources
Old MacDonald had a farm traditional
Plastic models of farm animals and buildings
Writing worksheet (page 18)
Paper plates and icy-pole (iceblock) sticks
Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Teaching and learning activities
Old MacDonald had a farm
Revisit this traditional rhyme and reflect on how much the children have learned. Ask:
What other animals can we sing about now?
Have the children perform their own version of the song at assembly.
A model farm
Have students construct a model farm using the plastic figures of farm animals and buildings.
Create labels for the items using sentences and individual words to demonstrate students
learning.
I am a
Have the students complete the Writing worksheet (page 18). Ask them to imagine they
are a farm animal that appeals to them, and to draw on what they have learned.
Paper plate puppets
Have the students construct a model of a farm-animals face using a paper plate as the base.
Have them attach their model to an icy-pole (iceblock) stick to make a puppet. Have each
student tell the class what they know about their animal.
Assessment
Conduct a written test at the conclusion of the unit. Students write a description of a farm animal
they have studied during the program. Compare their writing with their efforts at the beginning.
Because their writing is quite restricted at this stage, students may alternatively use Audacity to
record an oral description. Listen for their use of correct sentence structure, including
descriptive terms.


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 12
Writer: Kimberley Boyd
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On the farm by Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 13

Cow X-chart

Name Class Date
Looks like
Smells like
Sounds like Feels like
A cow ...


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise On the farmby Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 14
Farm animals
Match up

Match the name of the animal with its picture.
Cow Cat



Rooster Sheep



Dog Pig



Goat Horse




Name Class Date


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise On the farmby Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 15
Who li ves where?

Venn diagram













Name Class Date
Pets
Wild
Farm


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise On the farmby Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 16
Farm animals book template



















A lives on Old MacDonalds farm.
Name Class Date


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise On the farmby Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 17
Cow diagram

Name and label the parts of the cow.

eyes
ears
horns
mouth
legs
tail
udder
hooves
stomach
head

Name Class Date


Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise On the farmby Kimberley Boyd, St Francis Xavier Primary School, NSW 18
Writing worksheet
Farm animals

Imagine that you are a farm animal

Name Class Date
I like
I give
I have
I can
I am a