Machines in Agriculture
Students make connections between the six types of simple machines and the complex machinery used to produce food and fiber.
Background
Animal and plant by-products play an important role in technology. For example, many plastic parts of machinery contain fats and fatty acids from cattle. Rubber tires may contain fats, fatty acids, and stearic acid from animals. Walnut shells are used as an abrasive in sandpaper and put into snow tires to increase friction. Animal manure and corn and rice by-products are used as energy sources to run agricultural equipment. As your students complete these activities, encourage them to think about the interconnectedness of science, agriculture, the environment, and quality of life.Lesson Activities
Read Big Book of Big Tractors by Lisa Jane Gillespie.
Each student needs the following materials to make a tractor:
Recommended Companion Resources
Credits
Author
Tonja Cargill and Pamela Emery | California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom
Acknowledgements
This lesson was funded in 1996 by the California Beef Council and the California Farm Bureau Federation. To meet the needs of California educators, Simple and Complex Machines Used in Agriculture was revised to support the Curriculum Content Standards for California Public Schools and updated to include recent agricultural innovations. Funding from the Wells Fargo Foundation made this revision possible.
Illustrators: Karin Bakotich, Pat Houk, Sherri Hughes, Regina Johnson
Layout and Design: Nina Danner
Standards
Texas Content Area Standards
-
ELA: 3.110.5.b.6
Comprehension skills: listening speaking, reading, writing and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.
- ELA: 3.6.G: The student is expected to evaluate details read to determine key ideas.
-
ELA: 3.110.5.b.9
Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts- genres. The student recognizes and analyzed literary elements within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse literary texts.
- ELA: 3.9.B: The student is expected to rhyme scheme, sound devices, and structural elements such as stanzas in a variety of poems.
-
ELA: 3.110.5.b.11
Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts- writing process. The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and uses appropriate conventions.
- ELA: 3.11.D.i: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: The student is expected to complete simple and compound sentences with subject-verb agreement.
- ELA: 3.11.D.ii: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: past, present, and future verb tense.
- ELA: 3.11.D.iii: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: singular, plural, common, and proper nouns.
- ELA: 3.11.D.iv: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: adjectives, including their comparative and superlative forms.
- ELA: 3.11.D.ix: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: capitalization of official titles of people, hoidays, and geographical names and places.
- ELA: 3.11.D.v: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: adverbs that convey time and adverbs that convey manner.
- ELA: 3.11.D.vi: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: prepositions and prepositional phrases.
- ELA: 3.11.D.vii: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: pronouns, including subjective, objective, and possessive cases.
- ELA: 3.11.D.vii: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: coordinating conjunctions to form compound subject, predicates, and sentences.
- ELA: 3.11.D.x: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: punctuation marks, including apostrophes in contractions and possessives and commas in compound sentences and items in a series.
- ELA: 3.11.D.xi: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: correct spelling of words with grade appropriate orthographic patterns and rules and high frequency words.
-
ELA: 4.110.6.b.1
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, discussion, and thinking- oral language. The students develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.
- ELA: 4.1.D: The student is expected to work collaboratively with other to develop a plan of shared responsibilities.
-
ELA: 4.110.6.b.6
Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.
- ELA: 4.6.G: The student is expected to evaluate details read to determine key ideas.
-
ELA: 4.110.6.b.11
Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts- writing process. The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and uses appropriate conventions.
- ELA: 4.11.D: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions
- ELA: 4.11.D.i: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: complete simple and compound sentences with subject-verb agreement and avoidance of splices, run-ons, and fragments.
- ELA: 4.11.D.ii: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: past tense or irregular verbs.
- ELA: 4.11.D.iii: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: singular, plural, common, and proper nouns.
- ELA: 4.11.D.iv: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: adjective, including their comparative and superlative forms.
- ELA: 4.11.D.ix: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: capitalization of historical periods, events, and documents; titles of books; stories and essays; and languages, races, and nationalities.
- ELA: 4.11.D.v: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: adverbs that convey frequency and adverbs that convey degree.
- ELA: 4.11.D.vi: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: prepositions and prepositional phrases.
- ELA: 4.11.D.vii: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: pronouns, including reflexive.
- ELA: 4.11.D.viii: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: coordinating conjunctions to form compound subjects, predicates, and sentences.
- ELA: 4.11.D.x: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: punctuation marks, including apostrophes in possessives, commas in compound sentences, and quotation marks in dialogue.
- ELA: 4.11.D.xi: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: correct spelling of words with grade-appropriate orthographic patterns and rules and high-frequency words.
-
ELA: 4.110.6.b.12
Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts- genres. The student uses genre characteristics and craft to compose multiple texts that are meaningful.
- ELA: 4.12.A: The student is expected to compose literary texts such as personal narratives and poetry using genre characteristics and craft.
-
ELA: 5.110.7.b.1
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, discussion, and thinking- oral language. The students develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.
- ELA: 5.1.C: The student is expected to give an organized presentation employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, natural gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively.
- ELA: 5.1.D: The student is expected to work collaboratively with others to develop a plan of shared responsibilities.
-
ELA: 5.110.7.b.6
Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.
- ELA: 5.6.G: The student is expected to evaluate details read to determine key ideas.
-
ELA: 5.110.7.b.11
Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts- writing process. The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and uses appropriate conventions.
- ELA: 5.11.D: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions.
- ELA: 5.11.D.i: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: complete simple and compound sentences with subject-verb agreement and avoidance of splices, run-ons, and fragments.
- ELA: 5.11.D.ii: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: past tense of irregular verbs.
- ELA: 5.11.D.iii: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: collective nouns.
- ELA: 5.11.D.iv: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: adjectives, including their comparative and superlative forms.
- ELA: 5.11.D.ix: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: capitalization of abbreviations, initials, acronyms, and organizations.
- ELA: 5.11.D.v: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: conjunctive adverbs.
- ELA: 5.11.D.vi: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: prepositions and prepositional phrases and their influence on subject-verb agreement.
- ELA: 5.11.D.vii: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: pronouns, including indefinite.
- ELA: 5.11.D.viii: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: subordinating conjunctions to form complex sentences.
- ELA: 5.11.D.x: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: italics and underlining for titles and emphasis and punctuation marks, including quotation marks in dialogue and commas in compound and complex sentences.
- ELA: 5.11.D.xi: The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions including: correct selling of words with grade-appropriate orthographic patterns and rules and high frequency words.
-
ELA: 5.110.7.b.12
Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts -- genres. The student uses genre characteristics and craft to compose multiple texts that are meaningful.
- ELA: 5.12.A: The student is expected to compose literary text such as personal narratives, fiction, and poetry using genre characteristics and craft.
-
Social Studies: 3.113.14.c.4
Geography. The student understands the concepts of location, distance, and direction on maps and globes. The student is expected to:
- Social Studies: 3.113.14.c.14.D: interpret and create visuals, including graphs, charts, tables, timelines, illustrations, and maps
-
Social Studies: 3.113.14.c.15
Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:
- Social Studies: 3.113.14.c.15.D: express ideas orally based on knowledge and experiences
- Social Studies: 3.113.14.c.15.F: apply foundational language skills to engage in civil discourse about social studies topics, including those with multiple perspectives
-
Social Studies: 4.113.15.c.19
Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including technology. The student is expected to:
- Social Studies: 4.113.15.c.19.D: organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps
-
Social Studies: 4.113.15.c.21
Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:
- Social Studies: 4.113.15.c.21.C: express ideas orally based on research and experiences
- Social Studies: 4.113.15.c.21.E: apply foundational language skills to engage in civil discourse about social studies topics, including those with multiple perspectives
-
Social Studies: 5.113.16.c.23
Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including technology. The student is expected to:
- Social Studies: 5.113.16.c.23.D: organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps
-
Social Studies: 5.113.16.c.25
Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:
- Social Studies: 5.113.16.c.25.C: express ideas orally based on research and experiences
- Social Studies: 5.113.16.c.25.E: apply foundational language skills to engage in civil discourse about social studies topics, including those with multiple perspectives