Making Cents of
Agriculture
2
Table of Contents
Money as You Grow ................................................................................. 4
An Introduction ......................................................................................... 5
FoodKeeper ............................................................................................. 6
Tassle to Table ......................................................................................... 7
Paper Money ........................................................................................... 9
Take-a-Penny, Clean-a-Penny ................................................................. 11
Grocery Games ....................................................................................... 13
Price Makers, Price Takers ...................................................................... 16
Futures Farming ...................................................................................... 19
Pyggy Banks ............................................................................................ 24
Check It Out ............................................................................................. 25
Blank Checks ........................................................................................... 30
Play Money .............................................................................................. 31
Tassel to Table Game Cards .................................................................... 32
3
4
An introduction
Around the world, money is the currency used to pay for most services and goods. Some
of the most common goods paid for with money are foods and fibers grown on farms and
sold in a grocery store, restaurant, or at a farmers market.
Like any industry, the agriculture industry must pay close attention to how money moves
from hand to hand. The following lessons teach important financial concepts through agricultural connections.
But first, here are some fun facts about money you may not know:

The highest denomination of bill the United States ever printed was the
$100,000 bill. It featured President Woodrow Wilson and was used only for
banks to pay other banks.

A penny actually costs 2.41 cents ($0.0241) to produce.

Burying pennies in the ground will repel slugs.

If you add up all of the U.S. paper and coin money in circulation today it will
equal about $1,200,000,000,000. ($1.2 Trillion)

Money has looked different throughout history. Seashells, whale teeth, tea,
and feathers have all been used as currency in different parts of the world.

Cattle were used as the oldest form of money.

When paper bills are worn out they are pulled from circulation, often to be recycled into new materials like roof shingles.

47% of Americans say they cannot cover a $400 emergency expense without
borrowing money or selling something.

A dollar bill can carry a live flu virus for up to two weeks.

A quarter has 119 grooves around the edge, and a dime has 118.

Tom Cavanaugh held the world record for the most active credit cards with
1,196.
5
FoodKeeper
Background: The USDA estimates that 21% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten at the consumer level. Two reasons for this are consumers often allow food to spoil before using it, or the
consumer throws away food long before it spoils without an understanding of storage life.
Common Core: ELA-Literacy.RI.4.4; W.4.1; W.4.7; SL.4.1;
SL.4.4; SL.4.5
NGSS: 3-LS1-1; 5-LS2-1; 5-ESS3; 3-5-ETS1
Suggested Reading:
Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel (ISBN-13: 978-1600102240)
Compost Stew by Mary McKenna Siddals
(ISBN-13: 978-1582463162 )
Materials:
- “FoodKeeper” app from USDA (available for Apple and Android)
Directions:
1) Prior to the activity, have the students look through their home for expiration dates on food
packaging. These can be “expiration dates,” “sell by,” dates, or “good thru” dates.
2) Have the students either bring in the food packaging, pictures of the package, or just written
out with the name of the product. They should also know when the product was purchased,
and how it is being stored at home.
3) Make a chart with the phrases “Expiration,” “Sell By,” and “Good Thru / Best Before” across
the top.
4) Discuss with the students what each phrase means and record responses in the chart. Has
anyone ever eaten anything past the date (and lived!)? Are there better uses for excess food?
5) Inform the students there is no official system for designating expiration dates. How does this
change the conversation?
6) Use the FoodKeeper app to compare some of the dates the students brought in to the dates
recommended by FoodKeeper. You’ll find that often, the dates listed on the food occur long
before the USDA suggested time for the food’s consumption is up. What does this mean?
7) Break the students into groups and have them brainstorm ideas to solve the problem of excess food waste on an individual, school, national, and global level.
8) In your groups, perform research to investigate solutions to this problem.
9) Have the groups present their solutions to the class.
Lesson Extender: Have your students create a digital visual display, like a PowerPoint or
Prezi (Prezi.com) to help communicate their ideas to the class.
6
Tassel to Table
Common Core: ELA-Literacy.RI.4.7; RI.4.10; SL.4.5
NGSS: 4-LS1-1
Suggested Reading:
IAITC’s Corn Ag Mag
Anna’s Corn by Barbara Santucci (ISBN 0-8028-5119-3)
Corn (An A to Z Book) by Susan Anderson & JoAnne Buggey (ISBN 978-1-926781-02-0)
Tassel to Table Game:
1. Begin by discussing different products made from corn and the processes involved in taking corn
from the field and turning it into food and other products we use on a daily basis.
2. Have students list careers involved in each of those processes.
3. Cut out the cards on pages 32-38 and give one to each student.
4. Challenge the students to put themselves in order to show the sequence of steps corn must go
through to make it from tassel to table including the transportation in between stops.
5. The correct order should be: Chemical/Implement/Seed Dealer, Farmer’s corn, Truck or Wagon,
Elevator, Truck or Train or Barge, Processing Plant, Truck or Train, Manufacturer, Truck, Warehouse, Truck, Store.
6. As you discuss each card, talk about careers involved in each process, factors that may affect each
step (ex: weather, weeds, insects, equipment failure, price of fuel, etc.), and what happens between
the time the seed is planted to the time the product is delivered to the grocery store.
7. The last stop in the tassel to table flow chart is the consumer. Give the consumer the play money.
Ask the students in the line to show how money would be transferred through the chain. Did the
farmer receive the most money?
8. Ask the students to reorder themselves to represent a farmer’s market. Then pass the money
again. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each scenario? (Consider jobs, variety of
food, etc)
7
Tassel to Table Chain:
Materials:
- One individual-sized cereal box
- Scissors
- Hole Punch - Corn Kernels
- Corn Ag Mag
- Yarn (8 pieces, 6-8 inches each)
- Construction Paper (Yellow, Green, Pink, Brown, Blue, Red, Orange)
Directions:
1. Learn about corn by reading the Corn Ag Mag.
2. Have students make one of each item out of construction paper: kernel, corn, combine,
cob, elevator, manufacturer, truck and grocery cart. Templates are available at:
www.agintheclassroom.org under "Interest Approaches”.
3. Instruct students to punch a hole on each side of the construction paper items, except the
corn kernel, which only needs the top punched.
4. Have students create a chain by tying the items together with yarn. Connect them in the
order listed below. The students will have created a guide to show how food moves from
the farm to the consumer.
Note to Educator: It may be helpful to discuss each step of the chain prior to doing this
activity. Use this activity for an interest approach or to culminate a corn or food lesson.
- Kernel: The corn plant starts with a kernel. Farmers plant kernels in the spring time.
The kernel needs moisture and warm temperatures to grow.
- Corn plant: During the spring and summer months, the corn plant grows. It develops
leaves and a strong root system. Wind pollination fertilizes the silk. This fertilization is what
creates an ear of corn. The corn plant continues to mature until mid-October.
- Combine: When the kernels are at the right moisture level, farmers harvest the corn
using a combine.
- Cob: The kernels are shelled, which means they are taken off the cob.
- Elevator: These kernels can be stored on the farm or taken to a grain elevator. At the
elevator, farmers receive money in exchange for the corn.
- Manufacturer: Corn is processed to make products you use everyday, such as cereal.
Check the ingredient label on your cereal box. You might see ingredients such as corn meal
and corn syrup. A manufacturer makes and packages cereal.
- Truck: Once the cereal has been made, it is transported to your grocery store by using trucks.
- Grocery Store: A grocery store displays and sells a variety of products, so you, the
consumer, can pick out and purchase your cereal.
- Cereal Box: Check the Nutrition Label. You’ll find corn. Now, you know how it got
there!
8
Paper Money
Bills are often called paper money. However, while most paper is made from wood, U.S. bills are actually made from cotton and linen. Cotton is a fibrous plant that is grown in 17 different States in the
South, but most of the cotton used in our currency comes from the Carolinas.
Try the activity below to find out why cotton is used in our “paper money.”
Common Core: ELA-Literacy: RI.2.7; RI.2.10; W.4.1
NGSS: 3-5-ETS1; 2-PS1-1; 2-PS1-2
Materials:
- Scissors
- Copy Paper
- Waxed Paper
- Tissue Paper
- Construction Paper
- Wrapping Paper
- Cotton Fabric
- Polyester Fabric
- Pen
- Pencil
- Marker
- Liquid Soap
- Bowl of Water
- Dry Towel
- The chart on the next page
- A $1 bill
- Cotton Terra Nova Reader
Directions:
1. Cut a 3 inch by 6 inch rectangle out of each type of paper or fabric.
2. Make sure every student has or makes a copy of the test chart to record results of the experiment.
3. Pass around the dollar bill for students to feel, then have them feel each of the other materials and
make observations and comparisons.
4. Fold each piece of material in half, and open it back up. Repeat this process 100 times with each
material. Look for tearing or weakness at the seams. Record observations.
5. Make a mark on each rectangle with the pencil, the pen, and the marker. Use your finger to try to
rub the marks away. Record observations.
6. Add a few drops of soap to the bowl of water. One by one, place the dollar bill, and each other material in the water. Swish the rectangles around and rub them between your fingers. Then place the
rectangles on the towel to dry. Again, record observations.
7. Which material would be the best to use as currency?
Write a paragraph explaining your conclusions. Can you think of a better material?
8. Read the Cotton Terra Nova to learn more about the science and history of cotton.
*Adapted from Explore Money! By Cindy Blobaum
9
Money Materials Test Chart
For use with the activity “Paper Money”
Materials
Folding Test
Writing Test
Washing Test
Dollar Bill
Sturdy
Easy to write on
Does not fade or fall apart
Copy Paper
Wax Paper
Construction Paper
Tissue Paper
Wrapping Paper
Cotton Fabric
Polyester Fabric
10
Take-a-Penny, clean-a-Penny
Common Core: ELA: W.4.4; W.4.7; W.4.8
NGSS: 5-PS1-3; 5-ESS3; 3-5-ETS1
Suggested Reading:
Specialty Crops Ag Mag
The Story of Money by Betsy and Giulio Maestro (ISBN-13: 978-0688133047)
Materials:
- 6-12 dirty pennies per student
- Paper Towels
- Dixie Cups
- Soap
- Water
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Lemon Juice
- Salt
- Paper towels
Directions:
1. Have the students sort out each of their pennies and identify each as Penny “A” through “F”. Use the
chart on the next page to identify the pennies and record information.
2. In the “Before” sections of the chart, describe the characteristics of each penny and make observations about the look of their pennies. They are looking for any build up of green-brown crud (copper
oxide). These observations should be recorded.
3. Give each student 6 Dixie cups and fill each one half way with one of the following cleaning solutions:
Water, soap and water, salt and water, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, ketchup.
4. Each student should make a hypothesis predicting which solution will clean the copper oxide off most
effectively.
5. Have the students place one penny A-F into each solution filled Dixie cup. Make sure that the penny is
entirely submerged.
11
Take-a-penny, Clean-a-penny
6. Wait 5 minutes, then remove the pennies. Lightly wipe the excess solution from each penny without
scrubbing too hard.
7. Observe and record the appearance of each penny after the experiment. Which solution cleaned the
penny most effectively?
8. Research the different solutions. Find out which solutions have similar properties and ingredients.
9. Set up the experiment again, this time add a tsp. of salt to both the lemon juice and the apple cider
vinegar.
10. Perform the experiment again and record the results.
11. Write a conclusion to explain which solution works best and why?
A
B
C
D
E
F
Before
Before
Before
Before
Before
Before
After
After
After
After
After
After
Lesson Extender:
The tomatoes, vinegar and salt in the ketchup combined make a useful solution. We normally see agricultural products simply as food. Go online and research unique ways in which crops are being used in science and technology to solve other problems.
12
Grocery Games
Common Core: Math.Content.K.CC.4;1.OA; 1.MD.4.
ELA-Literacy.RI.1.4; RI.1.7
NGSS: K-ESS3-1
Suggested Reading:
Just Enough Carrots by Stuart Murphy (ISBN-13: 978-0064467117)
Chicken Butt’s Back! By Erica S. S Perl and Henry Cole (ISBN-13: 978-0810997295)
Materials:
- Paper plates
- Grocery store shopping ads
- Scissors
- Glue
K-3 Directions:
1. Review the nutritional requirements of a healthy meal laid out by ChooseMyPlate.gov
2. Give each student a paper plate, and on it have them draw the nutritional sections of MyPlate. Draw
“dairy” as a circle on the back.
3. Let the students search through the grocery ads and cut out foods they really enjoy.
4. Have them glue the foods onto their MyPlate in the appropriate section.
5. Discuss which sections were more or less covered by the students favorite foods. Have the students
write a few sentences explaining which foods they need
to eat more or less often.
13
Grocery Games
Common Core State Standards: Math.Content.4.OA.5; 4.NBT.
ELA-Literacy.RI.4.6; RI.4.7; RI.4.9
NGSS: 4-LS1
Suggested Reading:
Hungry Planet by Peter Menzel (ISBN–13: 978-0984074426)
Materials:
- Restaurant ads
- Grocery shopping ads
- ChooseMyPlate.gov handouts (next page)
- Scissors
- Glue or Tape
- Calculators
Directions:
1. Discuss with your students the types of foods that they buy at the grocery store and make predictions
about how much it costs to feed a an individual, or a family for a week.
2. Place your students in groups, and give them seven MyPlate handouts per group. Label the plates
“Sunday” - “Saturday”
3. Assign each group a family size of 1-7 people.
4. Let the students dig through the grocery and restaurant ads and cut out pictures of food and their prices in an effort to plan a meal for each day of the week. Glue or tape the pictures for each day’s meal
on the front of the MyPlate worksheet. For each meal, identify which food groups are represented and
how. Write each part of the meal in the corresponding food group section (i.e. write cereal in the
grains and milk in the dairy section.)
5. If a food group is not represented, the students should find more food ads to meet the requirement
and add the price into their total.
6. Calculate the total spent on each meal. Don’t forget to multiply by the number of family members.
Then calculate the total for each week.
7. Compare the total spent by each group and an average.
8. Have the students write a short reflection about the cost of food.
Lesson Extender:
1. Give the students a budget within which to design their grocery list. After the project, have the students
write a reflection about what the challenges were in designing a healthy, well-balanceed, affordable food
plan.
2. Read selected chapters of Hungry Planet. Compare the grocery lists the students created to the grocery lists of families in different countries.
14
15
Price makers, Price Takers
Common Core: Math.Content.5.MD.2; 6.SP
Selling commodities, like corn, can be tricky. The price of commodities is determined on it’s own market
and changes every day. There are many factors that go into the change in the price of corn. This activity
will help students understand basic economic principles using the sale of corn as an example. Furthermore, students will learn farmers, as the producers of the commodities being sold, are still considered
‘price-takers’ because they make essentially the same corn, despite the change in demand for it.
Materials:
- The following activity requires some time and the space for your students to move around.
- Notecards (to secretly show max/min prices)
- Marker
- Whiteboard or poster board
- Calculator
- Yellow beads to represent corn
Directions
1. Have two student volunteers go to the front of the room. Designate one student as the buyer, and one
as the seller of corn. Give the seller the bead to represent who is in possession of the corn. Show the
buyer and the rest of the class (hidden from the seller), a value which represents the maximum
amount the buyer is willing to spend on a bushel of corn, $10.25. Show the seller, and the rest of the
class (hidden from the buyer), the minimum amount for which the seller is willing to sell his or her
bushel, $2.
2. Have the two students negotiate the price of the bushel of corn. When they agree to a price, the bead
is passed from seller to buyer.
3. Calculate and explain the Consumer’s surplus: Buyer’s maximum - price.
Calculate and explain the Producer’s surplus: Price - seller’s minimum.
4. Explain through this ideal type of situation, the buyer and seller are both winners.
*Keep in mind this, and the scenarios that follow, are economic models that do not account for every
variable.
5. Practice this concept by splitting the class in half, one half are corn buyers and the other are corn producers. Move each group to opposite sides of the room.
6. Follow the instructions to complete rounds 1-4 of the game, found on the next two pages.
16
Price makers, Price Takers
Round 1: Negotiation
- Show the corn buyers the new buyer maximum, $10.75.
- Show the corn producers the new seller minimum, $3.
- Neither group is allowed to tell the other what the minimum/maximum prices are.
- The goal is to gain as much surplus as possible and to be the best negotiator, by negotiating the
seller down or the buyer up.
- Have the two groups come together. Each person should find someone from the opposite side that
is willing to give them the price they like.
- Each student can buy or sell only once.
After everyone has found someone to exchange with, bring the class together. Share the prices and
write them down. Congratulate the best negotiators (highest AND lowest price) and also calculate the
average price.
Round 2: Prices find equilibrium
- Leave the prices and average from round 1 displayed.
- Switch the roles so the students who were buyers are now sellers and vice versa.
- Keep the minimum and maximum the same and have the students negotiate prices again.
- No one can buy or sell to the same person from round one.
- Share the prices and calculate the average price of round 2.
Note the prices should begin to normalize to an equilibrium, or price where the influence of the buyer
and seller are balanced. Point out that if you continued in this way through more rounds (growing seasons), all the prices would end up being roughly the same.
Round 3: A drought occurred, ruining some of this year’s crop.
- Have the students individually predict what will happen to the price.
- Choose a handful of students from the corn producers side who had their crop wiped out. These
farmers would earn nothing.
- Have these students move to join the consumers side. Show the buyer’s maximum, $10.75, and the
seller’s minimum, $3, to the respective sides. Do so secretly as if the values changed.
- Sellers can only sell to one person, so there will be buyers left empty handed.
- Have the students negotiate. Share the prices and average.
You should find the farmers were able to sell their bushel at a higher price. Note that though some
farmers made more money, they would prefer not to risk losing any crops. The farmers had no control
over the price.
17
Price makers, Price Takers
Round 4: A new diet craze claims eating corn is bad for you.
- Move some of the buyers over to the sellers side. This represents there are less buyers of corn.
- Have the students predict what will happen.
- Show the buyers the new buyer maximum, $10.75, and the sellers the new minimum, $3.
- Negotiate, and share the results.
The price of corn should have decreased.
Again, note this change occurred because of the buyer behavior.
Discussion:
Corn is considered a commodity, like gold and soybeans, because corn grown in Nebraska is roughly the
same as corn grown in Illinois. Because of this, people who want to buy and use corn expect it to be the
same price no matter where they purchase it from. Instead of the price of corn commodities changing
from place to place, it changes over time based on variables like the ones above. Though farmers can
choose when they sell there corn, they cannot do anything to change the price at any given time. This
makes farmers Price-takers and consumers Price-makers.
What other commodities can you think of?
What other scenarios might change the price of corn or other commodities?
What is the effect on the farmers when the price of corn stays low for a long time?
Extra Round: Consumers want organic corn, but organic corn costs more to grow. Organic farmers have
entered the market.
- Have the students predict what will happen.
- Select three of your farmers to be organic farmers. Show these farmers their minimum is $10 because it
costs more to grow.
- The rest of your farmers have the same minimum of $3.
- The buyers have two options. They can pay up to $20 for a bushel of organic corn (because they heard
it is better for you). But, if they cannot get organic corn, their buyer’s maximum has gone down to $8 for a
bushel of traditional corn.
Record and average the prices for organic and for traditional corn.
You should see the price for traditional corn dropped.
Discuss:
Why can’t everyone be an organic farmer?
What effect would it have on the consumer if only organic corn was available?
18
Futures Farming
Common Core: ELA-Literacy.RI.4.2; RI.4.6; W.5.1; SL.4.1;
Math.Content.4.OA.A.3; 7.SP.A.1
Objective: Students will demonstrate an understanding of marketing farm commodities by selling
them (represented by M&M’s candy) for a profit, demonstrate the ability to equate simple math functions,
observe the challenges a farmer faces when marketing commodities by completing a hands-on activity,
and define terms: commodity, acre, bushel, futures, expenses, profit and crop.
Suggested Reading:
What is Scarcity of Resources? by Jessica Cohn (ISBN: 077874261X)
What is Trade? by Carolyn Andrews (ISBN: 0778742636)
What is Supply and Demand? by Paul Challen (ISBN: 0778744574)
Introduction:
A lot of planning goes into the sale of a farmer’s crop. In order to make the most money, a farmer must
predict when he will receive the best price for his or her crop, even before the crop is harvested. This is
called “futures” because the prediction the farmer makes is based on the future. The futures market can
be both complicated and risky. In this activity, students will see if they are good predictors with their “crop”
in hopes of making the most money. Share these definitions with your students before starting the activity:

Futures: Commodities or stocks bought or sold upon agreement of delivery at a later time. A farmer
only gets paid when he or she sells a crop. That payment may only be once a year (after harvest in
November) or if he or she sells the crop before it is harvested -“future.”

Crop: The total yield of agricultural produce in a given season or place.

Commodity: A commercial article, especially an agriculture or mining product, that can be transported.

Acre: Portion of land about the size of a football field.

Bushel: How the crop is measured; can be measured by weight or amount.

Expenses: Items the farmer must pay for in order to stay in business;

Profit: Amount of money made after expenses are paid
19
Futures Farming
Materials:
 “Futures Farming” Worksheet

1.4 oz Bag of M&M’s (per student)

Calculator
Directions:

Introduce the “Farmer’s Dilemma” activity by reading the introduction at the beginning of this lesson.

Then, place the terms given in the introduction on the board or overhead. Define the terms as a class
or have the students do this individually.

Pass out the bags of M&M’s and the worksheets. Do not open the M&M’s! Using their worksheet and
candy, students need to estimate how many M&M’s of each color they think might be in their single
bag before opening it.

Discuss the term “futures,” which the students defined earlier. A farmer has the opportunity to sell his/
her crop before they harvest it. For example, if the farmer thinks he might have 150 bushels of corn to
sell in the fall, he might sell 100 bushels ahead of time at a higher price. Why wouldn’t the farmer
want to sell all 150 bushels at a better price?

Answer: There might be a drought, flood or wind damage that could hurt the farmer’s yield, he
or she might not harvest 150 bushels of corn. In order to make money, that farmer must have
the number of bushels he or she sold ahead of time, otherwise he or she loses money. It is like
borrowing money; someday you have to pay it back. Remember, the farmer is taking a risk like
the students are doing with their candy. Imagine taking a risk with thousands of dollars, not just
candy.

Complete Step 3 on the worksheet. Have students open their M&M’s, no snacking yet.

Complete Step 4 on the worksheet. Students may eat their candy when the directions on the sheet
indicate to do so.

Complete Step 5 and finish the activity.
Discussion Questions:
How many of you realized a farmer only makes money at certain times of the year?
How is the method of payment different than when some of your parents receive their paychecks?
What are some school subjects a farmer must be familiar with or understand well?
How would budgeting funds come into play in a farmer’s family life?
20
Futures Farming
WORKSHEET
STEP 1: Do not open your bag of M&M’s yet. Predict how many of each color of M&M’s candy you will
get in your bag. You will have approximately 55-60 M&M’s in the bag.
Blue________Brown________Red________Orange________Yellow________Green________
STEP 2: This is the pre-harvest phase. Would you like to sell your crop (or M&Ms) before you harvest it
and get a premium price for your commodity? Let’s say your teacher (or grain elevator) will pay
$4.50 now or $4.00 once you open your bag. Your teacher will also pay $4.75 for green M&M’s
or $4.25 after the bag is opened.
Pre-sold corn: Place the number you wish to sell in the first blank.
Blue
_______
x $4.50 = ________
Brown
_______
x $4.50 = ________
Red
_______
x $4.50 = ________
Orange
_______
x $4.50 = ________
Yellow
_______
x $4.50 = ________
Green
_______
x $4.75 = ________
Total Sold:
________
Total Made: $________
STEP 3: This is the harvest phase. Open your bag, but don’t eat the candy yet. Count how many actual
M&M’s you have of each color. Set aside the pre-sold M&M’s. Record the remaining number of
M&M’s (not pre-sold) below.
Blue________Brown________Red________Orange________Yellow________Green________
Take the information obtained above and use it below to find out how much money you made on the
M&M’s that were not pre-sold. If you oversold any color, place a zero in the space below.
Blue
________
x $4.00 = ________
Brown
________
x $4.00 = ________
Red
________
x $4.00 = ________
Orange
________
x $4.00 = ________
Yellow
________
x $4.00 = ________
Green
________
x $4.25 = ________
Total Made: $________
21
Futures Farming
Worksheet pt. 2
Add together the totals you made either from selling your crops at $4.50 or $4.00 (or green candies at
4.75 or $4.25).
You may eat the rest of the candy you have left.
Overall total: $__________
STEP 4: Did you oversell any corn?
Yes
No
If yes (any color other than green), how many?
________ x $4.50 = ________
If yes (green only), how many?
________ x $4.75 = ________
Total Oversold
Overall Total: $__________
-
$________
Total Oversold $__________ = Profit: $__________
Final Questions:
1. How many of each color did you oversell?
2. Did you make good choices when it came to the predictions?
3. Which commodity had the highest amount sold?
4. What can you do differently if you were to do it again?
5. What did you learn about farming while doing this lesson?
6. What was one thing that surprised you about farming?
7. As a class, discuss your answers at the end of the worksheet. Figure out who made the most profit
and who owed the most. Explain why these students made the most or lost the most. Compare and
contrast each student’s outcome. Focus on the details and describe the differences and similarities.
8. What is one thing that surprised you about your predictions and actual calculations?
9. What did you learn about risk-taking? In your opinion, is it always better to take a risk? Was your
opinion the same before the activity?
10. What was your favorite thing about this mini-unit?
22
Futures Farming
Extension Activities
Averages
Group students in teams. Have the students calculate the following:





Average total M&M’s
Average M&M’s of each color
Average $ made from pre-sold
Average $ made not pre-sold
Average overall $ made
Use the averages to answer the following two questions:
 What trends do you notice as a group? As a class?
 In general, did the group take more risks, or were they less risky?
 Why is it important to calculate averages? Would this help in determining the risk?
Graph It Out
Have each student create several graphs to display their colors from the bag of M&M’s.


Bar Graph—Create one to show a side by side representation of each color in your bag. Then create
a second bar graph to show how many of each color were pre-sold and sold.
Pie Chart—Create this to show a percentage of the overall total for each color.
Compare your graphs and charts with other students in the class. What similarities and differences do
you see among the charts?
As a class, create the same graphs and charts for the overall averages.
Discuss with the students what they liked and did not like about the mini-unit. Have them give new ideas
about what could be added and what should be changed about it. If possible, have a speaker come in to
talk about farming. The students would most likely get a lot more information about the topic, and it will
clarify any other questions the teacher cannot answer.
Each student should write two paragraphs explaining the main idea of the unit. Explain using details from
the text and lesson.
Statistics
Using the information gained from the unit. Have students chart statistics from their population of M&M’s.
Explain the odds of drawing each color from the bag at random. Use this data to draw inferences. What
are the odds of randomly selecting each color?
Which is most likely?
23
PyGGy Banks
Common Core: RI.4.10; L.4.5
NGSS: 4-ESS1-1
Suggested Reading
Pork Ag Mag
Soil Ag Mag
Charlotte’s Piggy Bank by David McKee (ISBN-13: 978-1842703311)
One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent: All About Money) by Bonnie Worth and Aristides Ruiz
(ISBN-13: 978-0375828812)
Materials:
- Colored pencils
- Markers
- Construction Paper
- Scissors
Discussion Question: Think about a piggy bank? Why do you think pigs and banks have found a
connection?
Background:
Everyone has seen the now traditional, ceramic, pig-shaped bank we have all come to know and love.
Often collectibles or souvenirs, piggy banks have made their way into homes around the world collecting
countless dollars and cents. Perhaps more valuably, they are frequently the first tools used to teach the
importance and value of saving money. Where did this fascinating tradition of keeping coins in a pig come
from?
Evidence shows piggy banks have been used as far back as the 15th century. However, those banks had
nothing to do with pigs. Families that wished to save their money would often deposit coins and other valuables into a pot, jar, or other vessel made of a particular orange clay called Pygg (pronounced just like
pig). Clay is a type of soil that does not allow water or other materials to move through it easily. Wet clay
can be shaped and molded, and when it dries, it will hold its shape. It is this quality that helped pygg clay
become the most popular material for making banks. To use metal would have been much more expensive.
No one person has been credited for creating the first piggy bank. Though pottery remained a valued
craft, the word “pygg” for clay became less and less popular. It is believed over time many potters made
the mistake of sculpting banks in the shape of pigs, when instead their customers were requesting banks
made of pygg clay. Thus, the piggy bank was born, and pig shaped banks took off in popularity. Later, the
pig became a symbol for saving money in Western culture.
It is thought by somethe word pig, referring to swine, had similar origins in the English language. The
word ‘pig’ used to be ‘pigge’ and may have been related to the fact pigs would roll around in pygg mud.
Pigs on most farms today no longer roll in mud, as it could be unsafe for the animal and spread disease.
Just like the English language and the banking system, agriculture too has changed in important ways
over centuries.
Activity:
1) Think about the purpose of a bank. Which animal would make the best bank? Which material?
2) Using colored pencils, markers, construction paper and other materials, design a bank you would trust
with your money.
24
PYGGy Banks
Follow the instructions to make your very own Piggy Bank and start saving money today!
Materials:
- 8 oz plastic water bottle
- Construction paper
- Box cutter knife
- Scissors
- Glue
- Push Pins
- Hole Punch
- Pipe Cleaner
Directions:
1. Peel the label off of the 8 oz. plastic water bottle.
2. Use the box cutter knife (may want adult to do this part) to cut a 1.5 inch x 1/8 inch, vertical slit into the
side of the water bottle.
3. Cut a strip of the construction paper to wrap around the widest section of the bottle. Mark on the paper
where the coin slot on the bottle will be. Unwrap the paper and cut out the coin slot. Wrap the paper
around the bottle once more, matching up the coin slots, and glue the paper to the bottle.
4. On the remaining construction paper design ears, leaving the bottom centimeter of each ear as an extra tab, that will later be hidden.
5. Cut out the ears and fold the excess tab under. Position the ears on the pig towards the cap, sliding
the tab under the construction paper wrap of your pig. Glue.
6. Trace the cap of your water bottle on the construction paper. Cut out the circle and punch two holes in
it, near the center. Glue the circle to the top of your cap, which is now the pig’s nose.
7. Next, use the punched-out dots of paper as eyes. Glue them on the beveled part of your water bottle,
between the ears.
8. Twist the pipe cleaner into a spiral and attach to the back of the pig as the tail.
9. Finally, insert the push pins, or glue beads to the bottom of your pig as legs.
Lesson Extender:
Have your students write a sentence and draw a picture
describing what they want to save their money for.
*adapted from allyou.com
25
Check it out
Common Core: Math.Content.4.MD.2; 5.NTB
Materials:
- Worksheet on page 27
- Copies of the checks on page 29
- Calculators
Objective:
The student will gain an understanding for how money moves in the agricultural industry, and will be
able to fill out a personal check and balance a checkbook register.
Directions:
1. Use the graphic on the next page to review the parts of a check.
2. Pass out 2 copies of the blank checks on page 30 to each student.
3. Have the students read Larry Farmington’s scenarios on the worksheet and write checks to complete the transactions for Larry.
4. Guide the students to make sure they also complete the checkbook register.
5. Go over answers as a class. Were there any differences in the students’ answers? How does this
show the importance of balancing a checkbook?
26
Check it out
Check out all the different parts of a check.
(1) Name and address of the account holder
(2) Date the check is written
(3) Check number—helps keep track of checks that have been written
(4) Payee line—who is receiving the money
(5) Numeric amount box—the amount the check is for, written as a
number
(6) Written amount line—the amount the check is for, written out in
words
(7) Memo line—a space for extra notes, reminders, or instructions
(8) Signature line—the account holder’s signature gives permission to
the bank to let the money change hands
(9) Routing number—identifies which bank the account is with
(10)Account number—a unique number which tells the bank where
to get the money from
27
Check it out
Larry is a corn farmer preparing for planting season. He has 100 acres to plant.
Below is a list of transactions Larry will have to make. Help Larry pay for his expenses by using the
blank checks provided to you. At the same time, make sure you are keeping track of all Larry’s transactions in the check register below so Larry can make sure he doesn’t spend more money than he has.
At the end of last season, Larry had a $45,000 remaining balance to use towards this season.
1) On March 11, Larry purchased corn seed at $135 per acre from Seed’s ‘R’ Us.
2) March 20th, Larry bought fertilizer at $150 per acre from Stinky’s Fertilizer Co.
3) On March 20th, Larry hired an extra employee to help plant and has to move $3,500 to “Farmer Larry’s Labor Account” to pay his salary.
4) On March 24th, Larry wrote one check for herbicide at $30 per acre and insecticide at $25 per acre
from Protect-a-Plant Inc.
5) To protect from natural disasters and other problems, Larry purchased crop insurance from Better
Safe Than Sorry Insurance Co. at $14 per acre. This took place on March 30th.
6) On April 1st, Larry sold some old equipment and made $1,500.
7) Larry withdrew the cash to buy new planting equipment on April 3rd, which cost $4,000.
Larry’s Check Book
Date
March 1
Check Transaction
#
Remaining balance
Deposit
(+ $)
Withdrawal
(-$)
Balance
45,000
28
Check it out—Answers
Larry is a corn farmer preparing for planting season. He has 100 acres to plant.
Below is a list of transactions Larry will have to make. Help Larry pay for his expenses by using the
blank checks provided to you. At the same time, make sure you are keeping track of all Larry’s transactions in the check register below so Larry can make sure he doesn’t spend more money than he has.
At the end of last season, Larry had a $45,000 remaining balance to use towards this season.
1) On March 11, Larry purchased corn seed at $135 per acre from Seed’s ‘R’ Us.
2) March 20th, Larry bought fertilizer at $150 per acre from Stinky’s Fertilizer Co.
3) On March 20th, Larry hired an extra employee to help plant and has to move $3,500 to “Farmer Larry’s Labor Account” to pay his salary.
4) On March 24th, Larry wrote one check for herbicide at $30 per acre and insecticide at $25 per acre
from Protect-a-Plant Inc.
5) To protect from natural disasters and other problems, Larry purchased crop insurance from Better
Safe Than Sorry Insurance Co. at $14 per acre. This took place on March 30th.
6) On April 1st, Larry sold some old equipment and made $1,500.
7) Larry withdrew the cash to buy new planting equipment on April 3rd, which cost $4,000.
Larry’s Check Book
Date
Check Transaction
#
March 1
Deposit
(+ $)
Withdrawal
(-$)
Remaining balance
Balance
45,000
Mar. 11
354
Seed– Seed’s ‘R’ Us
13,500
31,500
Mar. 20
355
Fert.– Stinky’s
15,000
16,500
To labor accnt.
3,500
13,000
Mar. 20
Mar. 24
356
Herb/insect– PaP Inc.
5,500
7,500
Mar. 30
357
Insurance– Safe Than
Sorry
1,400
6,100
Apr. 1
Sold equip.
April. 3
Cash withdrawal for
equip.
1,500
7,600
4,000
3,600
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
Sponsored by:
1701 Towanda Ave.
Bloomington, IL 61701
Phone: 309-557-3334
www.agintheclassroom.org
40