Busy Barns Adventure Farm LLC
“Bringing Agriculture to Education”
SWINE ARE DIVINE
Curriculum Resource
for Grades K-4
Fall 2011
Busy Barns Farm provides an agricultural based
education program each season in order to broaden the
knowledge base of elementary aged students.
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Table of Contents:
Notes to the Teacher
Lesson #1: The Amazing Pig (video)
Trivial Pigsuit - worksheet & key
It’s a Pigs Life - reading
It’s a Pigs Life - worksheet and key
Parts of the Pig - worksheet
Weather on the Farm - worksheet
Raising Pigs - worksheet
About Pigs - booklet
Popular Commercial Swine Breeds - reading
What Kinds of Pig Am I? - worksheet and key
Math Decoder - worksheets
Pig House Math - worksheet
Lesson #2: This Little Pig (vocabulary)
This Little Pig - worksheets
Talk Like a Pork Producer - worksheets and key
Vocabulary Pig Pattern Practice - worksheet
New Pig Words - worksheet
Talk Like a Pork Producer Crossword
Lesson #3: Busy Barns “Acres of Adventures”
Lesson #4: Trip Review Truth or Hogwash!? Corn Maze
Swine Summary - reading
Truth or Hogwash - worksheets
Truth or Hogwash – corn maze questions and answers
Truth or Hogwash – game board
Lesson #5: Everything But the Oink!
Pork Products - reading
What Comes from Pigs? - worksheet
Pork By-Products - word search and key
Pork By-Products - graphic
Lesson #6: Hogs on a Diet
Hogs on a Diet – reading
Hogs on a Diet – worksheet and key
Art Projects
Ag Mag – magazine
Vocabulary
Books on Swine
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3
4-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14
15
16
17-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26
27-29
30-31
32-34
35-36
37
38-39
40
41-24
43
44-47
48-49
50
51-53
54
55
56-57
58
59-60
61
62-63
64-67
68-71
72
73-74
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Notes to the Teacher:
•
The Common Core State Standards for Wisconsin and are correlated with the lesson plans.
Many other standards will be covered dependent on the extensions you choose to do with
your class. The goal of this curriculum is to familiarize students with agriculture emphasizing
on the swine industry.
•
Helpful websites:
- www.agintheclassroom.org
- www.theotherwhitemeat.com
- www.pork4kids.com
- www.pork.org
-
www.uspork.org
www.nppc.org
www.porkenvironment.org
www.busybarnsfarm.com
•
Helpful resources:
- “Take a Farm Tour” and “Meet a Farm Kid” electronic books online at
www.pork4kids.com
- “Tour a Wisconsin Hog Farm” video (1:25 minutes) on YouTube at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=umTE3HYhqgMand
- “Truth about Modern Pork Production” video (5:07 minues) on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOpVYj2bKIE
•
The materials contained in this curriculum resource guide were drawn and adapted from the
following sources:
- American Farm Bureau
- Texas AITC
Foundation for Agriculture
- California AITC
- The National Pork Board,
- Minnesota AITC
America’ s Pork Check-off Program
- Oklahoma AITC
- Wisconsin Pork Association
- Alabama AITC
- Animal Agriculture Alliance
- Illinois AITC
- Wisconsin Agriculture in the
- Original materials from Mariah
Classroom (AITC)
Telfer-Hadler
•
This curriculum was compiled and written by Mariah Telfer-Hadler of Busy Barns Farm.
Mariah is a certified teacher in New York State. She holds a bachelors degree from the
University of WI-River Falls in Animal Science, Dairy Business and a master’s in education
from Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, NY.
•
This curriculum was reviewed and correlated to Wisconsin state teaching standards by Megan
Krauth. Megan is a certified teacher in Wisconsin and is currently teaching second grade at
Cambridge Elementary School in Cambridge, Wisconsin. She graduated from University of
Wisconsin Whitewater in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education grades 1-9.
•
Please contact us at www.busybarnsfarm.com if you have any feedback regarding this
curriculum. Thank you for helping us bring agriculture to education.
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Lesson #1: The Amazing Pig (video)
Grades K-4: Pre-trip
WI State Learning Standards:
Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally
or through other media.
A.4.1 Understand how products made from plants and animals are made available for
use by people
Objectives:
The student will learn how pigs are raised. The student will learn some of the by-products from
hogs, how they are raised and the different breeds.
Materials:
• ‘The Amazing Pig’ Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McT8_AtMTBY or visit
www.wppa.org and click on ‘The Amazing Pig’ Video (4:40 minutes). You can order the
video on CD for free from the Wisconsin Pork Association for your school or classroom
library.
Background:
Pork chops, ham, and bacon are just a few of the products people enjoy that come from hogs.
“They market everything but the squeal” is an old but true saying about the many things we get
from hogs. Gloves, shoes, ingredients for medicines, and even medical substitutes for human
heart valves are by-products of the hog industry.
Hogs are also known as pigs or swine. There are eight major purebred breeds of swine raised in
the United States. They are Yorkshire, Chester White, Landrace, Duroc, Hampshire, Poland China,
Berkshire and Spot. Each breed has characteristics that it is known for, including color, mothering
ability, size, and more. Pork producers often breed two or more different breeds so they can get
the desirable characteristics of each. This is called crossbreeding and the offspring are called
crossbreeds.
From the time the piglets are born, or farrowed, to the time the hogs are ready for market, the
farmer makes sure they have plenty of feed and water. The pork producer also makes sure the
growing animals have a comfortable, safe place to stay and are vaccinated to keep them from
getting sick.
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Pig Pen
The pigs live in pens with metal fences and slatted floors. Pigs must have strong legs because they
spend a lot of time standing on the floor of the pig pen. The floor is made of narrow strips
spaced about one inch apart. The strips are made of wood, plastic, or concrete. These narrow
strips are called slats.
Below the floor of some pig pens is a pit, called a lagoon. The lagoon catches and stores manure
and other wastes from the floor of the pen. The manure is pumped from the lagoon into a tank
wagon and then sprayed on the farmers’ fields for fertilizer.
Each pen has a large container, or feeder, that holds feed for the pigs. It has several openings so
that more than one pig can eat at a time. The farmer makes sure the feeder is never empty. The
pigs can eat any time they are hungry. The pens also have a spout that supplies water to the pigs.
When they are thirsty all they have to do is push a button with their snout or tongue and they
can get a drink.
Baby Pigs
One structure on the hog farm is the farrowing house. This is where the baby pigs, called piglets,
are born. They stay here while they are young. The mother pig is called a sow, and the male pig
is a boar. When the sow has her litter of babies, she will spend about four weeks in the farrowing
house. The house has rows of metal stalls. This is where the sows nurse the baby pigs. Lights
provide warmth for the babies.
The hog farmer needs a few tools for specialized jobs. Very soon after birth, the baby pigs are
given antibiotics to prevent infections. This medicine is given by squirting liquid in the mouth of
the baby pig. The farmer uses a special bottle with a long tube to give the antibiotic.
The hog farmer must snip off the long pig tail of the baby pigs. If the tail remains long, the other
pigs will try to bite it. This would cause a wound and possible infection. The hog farmer uses dog
toenail clippers to clip the tail of the baby pigs.
Pigs are born with eight sharp upper and lower incisor teeth. Very soon after birth these teeth are
snipped off with metal clippers. This must be done to keep the pigs from biting their own mouth
or other pigs. This also prevents the baby pigs from biting the mother when they nurse.
Male pigs, called boars, are neutered to make them gain weight faster and to keep them from
being aggressive. A neutered male pig is called a barrow.
The Pigs Grow
The baby pigs stay with the sow until they are 4-6 weeks old, then they are weaned and taken
from their mother. The farmer then moves the pigs to another pen called a nursery, where they
learn to eat solid food.
The pigs are fed mostly ground up grain, corn, or grain sorghum, mixed with protein
supplements, vitamins, and minerals to keep them healthy and gaining weight.
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Pigs are fed several kinds of feed formulas at different times in their growing period. They are fed
until they are about 220-240 pounds, market weight. Then they are taken to market to be sold.
The farmer may keep a few of the female pigs, called gilts, to have more baby pigs.
Adapted From People on the Farm: Corn and Hog Farming, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
Procedures:
1. Watch ‘The Amazing Pig’ video, then play Trivial Pigsuit.
a. Handout copies of the Trivial Pigsuit worksheet (page 8).
b. Have each student follow along and watch the video to complete the
worksheet.
c. Show “The Amazing Pig” video (4:40 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McT8_AtMTBY
d. Review answers and give prizes.
Language Arts (select one or more)
1. Read information from ‘It’s a Pig’s Life’ to younger students or cut story into sections
and have selected students read parts pretending to be “pork experts.” Have older
students read information silently, then discuss. Have the students complete ‘It’s a Pigs
Life’ worksheet (pages 10 and 11).
2. Have younger students complete ‘Parts of the Pig’ worksheet (page 14) and ‘Weather
on the Farm’ (page 15). Have older students complete the worksheet ‘Raising Pigs’
(page 16).
3. Ask students to create a journal of pig facts. Create the journals using construction
paper for the cover and several sheets of writing paper inside. Have students write the
title ‘Go Hog Wild About Learning’ on the cover and decorate with pig pictures,
stickers, etc. Then, during each day of your pig unit, ask students to write what they
have learned about pigs. Or, give them a topic such as ‘What do pigs eat?’
4. Have students read and complete the ‘About Pigs’ pages (pages 17 thru 19). Have
them design their own page five of the mini-book with information they’ve learned.
5. Have younger students play a Concentration/Memory Game using the pictures of the
Eight major breeds of pigs featured in ‘What Kind of Pig Am I?’ exercise (page 22).
6. Have older students complete the ‘What Kind of Pig Am I’ worksheet on page 22.
7. Have students make posters of different swine breeds using pictures cut from magazines
or off the internet. Tell students to pretend that a pork producer is making a poster
listing all the breeds of swine and the producer needs the students to help him or her
by putting the eight breeds in alphabetical order.
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8. Discuss the descriptions of four of the eight swine breeds described on the ‘Popular
Commercial Swine Breeds’ document on pages 20 and 21.
• Write the names of the four breeds on the chalkboard, along with the
descriptions.
• Students will draw simple pictures of the four breeds and label them.
• Each student will select one of the four breeds and make a model of it using
plastic bottles and markers.
• After completing their models, students will sort them according to breed.
• Students will count the models from each breed and create simple graphs to
show the distribution.
Math:
1.
Have younger students complete the ‘Math Decoder’ pig addition and subtraction
worksheets on pages 24 and 25. Have older students complete the ‘Pig House Math’
story problem worksheet on page 26.
Extensions:
1. Have students take turns closing their eyes and drawing a pig on the chalkboard.
2. Bring pigskins or pigs’ feet for the students to taste.
3. Teach the students “pig Latin.” Have someone say a sentence and let others interpret.
5. Have students write a story or legend about “How the Pig Got His Curly Tail.”
6. Students will create their own hog calls, and have a hog calling contest. Invite a panel
of judges to determine the best call, or let students vote.
Extra Reading
• Fakih, Kimberly Olson, High on the Hog, Farrar, Strauss, Giroux, 1994.
• Greenwood, Barbara, and Heather Collins, A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a
Pioneer Family in 1840, Ticknor Fields, 1999.
• Numeroff, Laura Joffe, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Harpercollins Juvenile Books,
1998.
Assessment: Were students able to complete the worksheets selected?
Vocabulary: See complete vocabulary list on page 72.
Lesson Plan adapted from Texas Department of Agriculture and Oklahoma Agriculture in the Classroom
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Trivial Pigsuit
If the statement from the “The Amazing Pig” u-tube/DVD is True, circle T. If it is False, circle F
and tell what you would change to make the statement true.
1. 950,000 hogs are produced in Wisconsin every year.
T
F
____________________________________________
2. 1 million pounds of grain are needed to feed hogs in Wisconsin.
T
F
____________________________________________
3. The corn and soybeans used to feed pigs in Wisconsin come all the way from Asia.
T
F
____________________________________________
4. Hogs live outside year-round.
T
F
____________________________________________
5. A pork producers’ most important job is to provide pigs a comfortable environment, provide
access to feed and water, and keeping the pigs healthy.
T
F
____________________________________________
6. Pigs can run a 15-minute mile.
T
F
____________________________________________
7. Pigs don’t sweat so they need fans and misters to keep cool on a warm day.
T
F
____________________________________________
8. Pork production creates a number of jobs, including veterinarians, truck drivers, and meat
processors.
T
F
____________________________________________
9. After piglets are born, they are kept in the same stall as their mother.
T
F
____________________________________________
10. Piglets can double their weight in one week.
T
F
____________________________________________
11. Pig products are used in heart valves, glue and crayons as well as other products.
T
F
____________________________________________
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Trivial Pigsuit
(KEY)
If the statement from the “The Amazing Pig” u-tube/DVD is True, circle T. If it is False, circle F
and tell what you would change to make the statement true.
12. 950,000 hogs are produced in Wisconsin every year.
True
T
F
13. 1 million pounds of grain are needed to feed hogs in Wisconsin.
T
F
False – 760 million pounds of grain
14. The corn and soybeans used to feed pigs in Wisconsin come all the way from Asia.
T
F
False – United States of America
15. Hogs live outside year-round.
T
F
False – they live inside
16. A pork producers’ most important job is to provide pigs a comfortable environment, provide
access to feed and water, and keeping the pigs healthy.
True
T
F
17. Pigs can run a 15-minute mile.
T
F
False – they can run a 7-minute mile
18. Pigs don’t sweat so they need fans and misters to keep cool on a warm day.
T
F
True
19. Pork production creates a number of jobs, including veterinarians, truck drivers, and meat
processors.
T
F
True
20. After piglets are born, they are kept in the same stall as their mother.
T
F
False – they are separated so the mother doesn’t step on the piglets
21. Piglets can double their weight in one week.
T
F
True
22. Pig products are used in heart valves, glue and crayons as well as other products.
T
F
True
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
It’s a Pigs Life
(Reading)
Hogs and pigs are often called swine. Pork chops and bacon and other
foods come from pigs. Hogs also give us many other products such as
gloves, shoes, medicines, and even medical substitutes for human heart
valves. These non-food products are called byproducts. Hog farmers,
also called pork producers, must raise pigs in a good home. That means
special machines and structures made just for the pigs.
The Pig Pen
The pigs live in pens with metal fences and special
floors. Pigs must have strong legs because they
stand much of the time. The floor is made of
narrow strips about one inch apart. The strips are
made of wood, plastic, or concrete. These narrow
strips are called slats.
Some pig pens have a pit below the floor. This pit is called a lagoon. The
lagoon catches the manure. It is drained to a vacuum tank wagon and
stored. It is used as fertilizer in the field.
Baby Pigs
One structure on the hog farm is the farrowing
house. This is where the baby pigs, called piglets,
are born. They stay here while they are young. The
mother pig is called a sow, and the male pig is a
boar. When the sow has her litter of babies, she
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Page 10
will spend about four weeks in the farrowing house. The house has rows
of metal stalls. This is where the sows nurse the baby pigs. Light s
provide warmth for the babies.
The hog farmer uses tools for special jobs. The baby
pigs are given antibiotics so they do not get sick.
Baby pigs are born with long tails. The other pigs will
try to bite the long tails. The hog farmer uses dog
toenail clippers to clip the tails.
Pigs are born with eight sharp teeth. These teeth are snipped off
with metal clippers. This is done to keep the pigs from biting each
other and from biting the mother.
The Pigs Grow
The baby pigs stay with the sow until they are 4-6
weeks old, then they are weaned, or taken from their
mother. The farmer then moves the pigs to another
pen called a nursery, where they learn to eat solid
food.
The pigs grow and gain weight. The hog farmer keeps the groups in pens
called finishing units. Here the pigs are fed several kinds of feed. Hogs
are fed until they weigh about 240 pounds. This is called market weight.
Then they are sold at the market. The farmer keeps a few of the female
pigs to have more baby pigs.
Adapted from People on the Farm: Corn and Hog Farming, U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Page 11
Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
It’s a Pigs Life
1. Another name for pigs or hogs is ___________________.
sweet
swine
sow
2. Which is not a meat that comes from pigs?
pork chops
bacon
hamburger
3. A baby pig is also called a __________________.
sow
piglet
litter
4. The mother pig is a _________________.
sow
boar
piglet
5. The baby pigs are weaned at _________________.
4 to 6 weeks old
4 to 6 days old
6. The piglets are born in the __________________.
nursery
field
farrowing house
7. A hog farmer uses special tools to clip the piglets ________________.
teeth
tail
tail and teeth
8. A farmer cuts the piglet’s tail to keep other pigs from biting it.
ture
false
9. A piglet is born without any teeth.
true
false
10. A hog is sold when it weighs ________________.
46 pounds
240 pounds
2345 pounds
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
It’s a Pigs Life
(KEY
=correct answer)
1. Another name for pigs or hogs is ___________________.
sweet
swine
sow
2. Which is not a meat that comes from pigs?
pork chops
bacon
hamburger
3. A baby pig is also called a __________________.
sow
piglet
litter
4. The mother pig is a _________________.
sow
boar
piglet
5. The baby pigs are weaned at _________________.
4 to 6 weeks old
4 to 6 days old
6. The piglets are born in the __________________.
nursery
field
farrowing house
7. A hog farmer uses special tools to clip the piglets ________________.
teeth
tail
tail and teeth
8. A farmer cuts the piglet’s tail to keep other pigs from biting it.
true
false
9. A piglet is born without any teeth.
true
false
10. A hog is sold when it weighs ________________.
46 pounds
240 pounds
2345 pounds
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Parts of the Pig
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Weather on the Farm
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Raising Pigs
Read the below paragraph. Then match the barn technology on the left with the correct season
on the right.
Heaters
Fans to keep fresh air to the pigs
Sprinklers
Year-round
Summer
Winter
Did you know that barns keep pigs comfortable and protect them from the weather? During the
summer, when it gets hot, the pigs are kept cool by large fans and water sprinklers. In the
wintertime, most barns have heaters to keep the pigs warm and comfortable. The barns keep
pigs safe from predators too.
Put these events in order, from first to last.
At 6 months, pigs weigh approximately 250 pounds.
At 4 weeks, pigs weigh 15-20 pounds.
When they are born, piglets weigh 2-3 pounds
At 8 weeks, pigs weigh 40-60 pounds.
Pigs grow fast because they eat a good diet. For a pig to reach 250 pounds, it will eat 600
pounds of corn and 100 pounds of soybean meal. That’s a lot of grain!
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Popular Commercial
Swine Breeds
There are eight major breeds of hogs commonly used for breeding in the United States. Most of
the pigs raised in the U.S. are purebred – one of the eight breeds, or crossbred – a mixture of two
or more of the major breeds.
In general, the five dark breeds – Berkshire, Duroc, Hampshire, Poland China, and Spot are
known and used for their siring ability and potential to pass along their durability, leanness, and
meatiness to offspring. The three white breeds – Chester White, Landrace, and Yorkshire are
sought after for their reproductive and mothering abilities.
The skin on pigs is pink, but their rough and bristly hair can be a variety of colors and patterns
such as white, red-brown, black or spotted breeds. There are many combinations of breeds and
genetic lines used to influence the characteristics each producer looks for with regard to meat
quality, farming method and the hog market.
Berkshire
Originating in Britain in the mid-1500’s, the Berkshire is a black pig that
can have white on the legs, ears, tail and face. Today, increased interest
in heritage breeds has renewed demand for the Berkshire. Also known as
Kurobuta or “black pig” in Japan, the Berkshire is prized for its juiciness,
flavor and tenderness. It yields a pink-hued, heavily marbled meat
whose high fat content is suitable for long cooking times and hightemperature cooking.
Chester White
The Chester White originated in Chester County, Pennsylvania in the
early 1800’s when strains of large, white pigs common to the
Northeast United States were bred with a white boar imported from
Bedfordshire, England. Today, the Chester White is actively used in
commercial crossbreeding operations. They have ears that droop
forward and are known for their mothering ability.
Duroc
Duroc is the second most recorded breed in the United States. With
red or black coloring and droopy ears, the Duroc is known for quick
growth and maturity, deep body, broad ham and shoulder, and a
quiet disposition. Shown in 1893 at the Chicago World's Fair, Durocs
subsequently gained wide popularity – becoming a main terminal sire
choice of American farmers and forming the basis for many mixedbreed commercial hogs. Durocs are known for sweet meat, marbling,
amazing shoulders and spareribs.
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Hampshire
The Hampshire is possibly the oldest, early-American hog breed in
existence today. Derived from the "Old English Breed,” the original
breeding stock was imported from Wessex, England in 1832.
Throughout the years, the Hampshire has become one of the most
popular pigs in America. Black with a white belt across the shoulders
that covers the front legs and around the body, they have erect ears and
a curly tail. The Hampshire, a heavily muscled, lean meat breed, is the
fourth most recorded breed of pig in the United States.
Landrace
Landrace are white with ears that droop and slant forward with the top
edges nearly parallel to the bridge of a straight nose. The fifth most
recorded breed in the United States, they are known for large litters of
piglets. Descended from the Danish Landrace, the American Landrace is
known for its ability to cross well with other breeds. They produce a
large and flavorful ham and loin.
Poland China
The Poland China is one of America’s oldest breeds. First bred in the
Miami Valley, Ohio in 1816, they derive from many breeds including the
Berkshire and the Hampshire. Poland China hogs are typically black with
white faces and feet, and a white tip on the tail. Known for their large
size, the Poland China is one of the most common breeds produced in
the United States.
Spotted Pig
The Spotted Pig is the ancestor of the Poland China and Gloucester Old
Spot breeds. It has become extremely popular in the United States
because of its high meat quality and ability to gain weight quickly. The
floppy eared Spotted Pig has black and white spots with no red or brown
tints.
Yorkshire
Developed in England in the county of York, the Yorkshire is also known
as the “English Large White” and was first brought to Ohio around 1830.
The most recorded breed of swine in the United States, the Yorkshire is
white in color with erect ears. They are very durable and muscular with a
high proportion of lean meat and low back fat.
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
What Kind of Pig Am I?
Read the Popular Commercial Breeds worksheet carefully. As you read, underline or highlight
the words that describe the physical characteristics of the breed. Then decide which pig in the
pictures has those characteristics and write the name of the breed under the correct pictures.
Read the descriptions carefully, some of them can be tricky!
1.______________________
2.____________________ 3.____________________
4.____________________
5.____________________ 6._____________________
7._____________________
8.____________________
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
What Kind of Pig Am I? (KEY)
Read the Popular Commercial Breeds worksheet carefully. As you read, underline or highlight
the words that describe the physical characteristics of the breed. Then decide which pig in the
pictures has those characteristics and write the name of the breed under the correct pictures.
Read the descriptions carefully, some of them can be tricky!
1._____Berkshire_________
2.____Spotted Breed____ 3.____Hampshire_______
4.____Duroc____________
5.____Yorkshire_______ 6.____Chester White_____
7.___Landrace____________ 8.____Poland China______
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Math Decoder
(subtraction)
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Math Decoder
(addition)
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Pig House Math
The three little pigs, as you know, built houses – one of straw, one of sticks and one of bricks. By
reading the six clues, figure out which pig built each house, the size of each house, and the town
in which each house was located. Use the chart to keep track of your information and your
logic.
Town
Size
Material
Patricia Pig
Penny Pig
Peter Pig
1. Penny Pig did not build a brick house.
2. The straw house was not medium sized.
3. Peter’s house was made of sticks, and it was neither medium nor small.
4. Patricia Pig built her house in Pleasantville.
5. The house in Hillsdale was large.
6. One house was in a town called Riverview.
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Lesson #2: This Little Pig (vocabulary)
Grades K-4: Pre-trip
WI State Learning Standards:
C.4.1 Use the vocabulary of the unifying themes to ask questions about objects, organisms, and
events being studied.
Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Objectives:
The student will hear basic information about swine, then write and identify vocabulary words
relating to the subject.
Background:
Pigs and hogs are part of the swine family. Male swine are called “boars.” Female swine are
called “sows.” Baby bigs are called “pigs” until they reach a weight of about 240 pounds. Then
they are called “hogs.” A sow gives birth to a litter of pigs about twice a year. A litter usually has
eight to 12 baby pigs. Some people think pigs are greedy because that is how baby pigs look
when they are competing for food from their mothers. But pigs never overeat. Once a pig is full,
it stops eating. Swine eat corn, wheat and other grains. Bacon, pork sausage, pork chops
and ham all come from swine. There are 377 breeds of pigs around the world. In Oklahoma the
most common breeds are Duroc, Hampshire, Yorkshire, Poland and Spot. Duroc pigs are mostly
red but can be yellow or golden yellow. They are medium in length with droopy ears. Yorkshire
hogs are white. Hampshire hogs are black with a white belt. Poland hogs are black and have
droopy ears. Spots are white with black spots.
Language Arts: (select one or more)
1. Write the word “pig” on the chalkboard.
• Ask students what words they think of when you say the word “pig.”
• Write the words on the chalkboard.
2. Students will list words that rhyme with “pig.”
3. Read and discuss background.
• Students will raise their hands when they hear words that are unfamiliar.
• Write those words on the chalkboard and discuss their meaning.
• Discuss the swine-related vocabulary words on ‘This Little Pig’ worksheet A.
4. Hand-out ‘This Little Pig’ worksheet A (page 30).
• Students will place swine-related words under the appropriate pictures.
5. Hand-out ‘This Little Pig’ worksheet B (page 31).
• Read the sentences to students.
• Students will underline the vocabulary words in the sentences.
• Students will draw pictures to illustrate vocabulary words.
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6. Students will write a cooperative class poem.
• Students will write adjectives on index cards.
• On the chalk board write the following, and fill in the blanks with adjectives from the
cards:
I like ______ _______ pigs.
Don’t forget ______ ______ pigs
________ _______ too.
Those are just a few.
Last of all, best of all ______ _____ _____ pigs.
• Students will copy and illustrate the poem.
7. Divide students into groups of four or five.
• Each group will write a recipe for “Pigs in a Blanket,” using canned crescent rolls and
small sausages.
• The groups will trade recipes and follow the instructions provided by the other group.
8. Students will illustrate and make a pig flip book, using vocabulary words use the pig
pattern on page 53.
9. Use the vocabulary words to develop word families.
10. Have students complete one of the vocabulary matching exercises ‘Talk Like a Pork
Producer’ appropriate for grade level. (pages 32 or 33)
11. Have students cut out the pigs on the ‘Vocabulary Pig Pattern Practice’ on pages 35 and
36. Then have them play a Concentration/Memory Game.
12. Write the vocabulary words you would like to feature on the board at the front of the
room. Explain to the students that you are going to hold-up pictures and ask them to
guess which vocabulary word the pictures represent. Some words may need a few verbal
hints, in addition to the pictures.
13. Write each vocabulary word on an outline of a pig or use the ‘Pig Pattern Vocabulary
Practice’ on pages 35 and 36. Distribute to individual students or small groups of students.
As you read the definitions of the words, ask the student(s) with the corresponding pattern
with the word on it to raise their hand(s)/pig pattern. Continue until you’ve matched all
vocabulary words with their definitions. An alternative activity – read vocabulary words
out loud, then post matching definitions randomly on board. Have students get into two
teams and play a definition matching game.
14. Have younger students complete the ‘New Pig Words’ (page 37) activity sheet. Provide
your students with crayons/markers to finish the worksheet.
15. Have students complete the ‘Talk Like a Pork Producer’ crossword on page 38.
16. Reinforce the vocabulary words by doing a swine bulletin board using the words.
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Extra Reading:
• Ehlert, Lois, Color Farm, Harpercollins, 1997.
• Grave, Marc, and Grace Goldberg, Farm Animals, McClanahan, 1997.
• Sill, Cathryn, and John Sill, About Mammals: A Guide for Children, Peachtree, 1998.
• Walsh, Melanie, Do Pigs Have Stripes? Houghton Mifflin, 1996.
• Wolfman, Judy, and David Lorenz Winston, Life on a Pig Farm, Lerner, 2002
Vocabulary: See complete vocabulary list on page 72.
Lesson Plan adapted from Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom and Wisconsin Pork Association
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
This Little Pig
(worksheet A)
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
This Little Pig (worksheet B)
Underline the agriculture words in the sentences below.
Draw a picture of one of the swine words.
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Talk Like a Pork Producer (vocabulary)
Match these pork vocabulary words with their meaning.
1. A mother pig
a. Piglet
2. A pigs nose
b. Sow
3. A baby pig
c. Litter
4. A male pig
d. Snout
5. A set of pigs who
have the same mother.
e. Boar
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Talk Like a Pork Producer (vocabulary)
Match these pork vocabulary words with their meaning.
1. ______Gilt
A. male market hog
2. ______Piglet
B. family of baby pigs
3. ______Weaning
C. non-food products made from hogs
4. ______Barrow
D. flesh of pig used for food
5. ______Farrow
E. a mother pig giving birth
6. ______Pork Producer
F. another name for hogs and pigs
7. ______Litter
G. farmers grind these to make feed
8. ______Snout
H. young female hog
9. ______Swine
I.
10. ______Boar
J. mother pig
11. ______Sow
K. male hog
12. ______Grains
L.
13. ______Pork
M. baby pig
14.______By-product
N. when pigs are taken from their
mothers to eat solid food
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nose of a pig
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Talk Like a Pork Producer (KEY)
Match these pork vocabulary words with their meaning.
1. ___H___Gilt
A. male market hog
2. ___M___Piglet
B. family of baby pigs
3. ___N___Weaning
C. non-food products made from hogs
4. ___K___Barrow
D. flesh of pig used for food
5. ___E___Farrow
E. a mother pig giving birth
6. ___I___Pork Producer
F. another name for hogs and pigs
7. ___B___Litter
G. farmers grind these to make feed
8. ___L___Snout
H. young female hog
9. ___F___Swine
I.
10. ___A___Boar
J. mother pig
11. ___J___Sow
K. male hog
12. ___G___Grains
L.
13. ___D___Pork
M. baby pig
14.____C__By-product
N. when pigs are taken from their
mothers to eat solid food
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Pig Pattern Vocabulary Practice (Page 1)
GILT
PIGLET
WEANING
LITTER
FARROW
SNOUT
PORK
SOW
BOAR
SWINE
BYPRODUCT
PORK
PRODUCER
HOOF
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BARROW
GRAINS
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Pig Pattern Vocabulary Practice (Page 2)
HOG
MISTERS
NURSERY
STALLS
COMMERCIAL
HOGWASH
PANCREAS
DOMESTICATED
INSULIN
MINERALS
LARD
GREEDY
LEAN
DIABETES
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
New Pig Words
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
KEY
Across
2.piglet
3.farrowing
4.sow
6.swine
7.byproducts
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Down
1.weaning
2.farmer
5.litter
6.snout
7.board
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Lesson #3: Busy Barns “Acres of Adventures”
Grades K-4: On-farm Field Trip
WI State Learning Standards:
F.4.3 Illustrate* the different ways that organisms grow through life stages and survive to produce
new members of their type.
With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information
from provided sources to answer a question.
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or
through other media.
Objectives:
Students will experience agriculture first-hand through unique interactive farm activities. Student
will work together to accomplish the corn maze as groups.
Approximate Time: 2 to 4 hours (with a 30-minute lesson)
This lesson takes place in the hands-on outdoor classroom at Busy Barns Farm. It consists of four
parts that will be experienced in any order.
1. Hands-on Exploration: Students will discover and learn about agriculture through
unique interactive farm experiences including milking the simulated cow “Holly the
Holstein,” determining by-products of swine in the “Discovery Nesting Box,” playing in
tubs of wheat seeds and many more fun, yet educational activities.
2. Swine Time: A 30-minute educational session on swine.
• Students will view and learn the difference between a production and pet pig.
• Students will learn about the many food products and by-products from swine.
• Students will view and learn about sow’s, piglets and farrowing (birthing).
• Students will hear the different pig sounds (oink/squeal) and learn what they mean.
• Students will what pigs eat and how fast they grow.
3. Trivia Corn Maze: Explore the 4-acre corn maze where navigational decisions are
determined by the answers chosen at various points. There are true and false and
multiple choice questions throughout the corn maze. The questions in the maze reflect
information that parallels educational material taught in “Swine are Divine” curriculum
resource guide.
4. Pumpkin Patch: Walk to the pumpkin field and learn about this popular fruit.
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Lesson #4: Busy Barns Field Trip Review
Truth or Hogwash!? Corn Maze
Grades K-4: Post-trip Lesson
WI State Learning Standards:
C.4.2 Use the science content being learned to ask questions, plan investigations, make observations,
make predictions, and offer explanations.
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or
through other media.
Objectives:
Students will review and reflect on the information that was provided on their field trip. Students
will work in teams to play a game in which they answer true/false questions about swine and then
research and develop questions of their own.
Background:
Material presented on swine by the on-farm educators and the corn maze trivia questions seen
during the field trip to Busy Barns Farm.
Materials:
• Poster board
• Pocket folders
• Blank index cards
• Glue
•
•
•
•
Reference books
Computer and internet
Multiple Choice Corn Maze ?’s
True/False Corn Maze Questions
Procedures:
1. Read ‘Swine Summary’ to review and build on material that was taught and
experienced at Busy Barns Farm.
2. Play the ‘Truth or Hogwash’ and/or ‘Jeopardy’ game(s) to review and reinforce the
material learned.
Truth or Hogwash Game:
1. Create a game board by gluing pocket folders on the poster board in even numbered
rows and columns.
2. Ask students to brainstorm what they know about pigs. Write adjectives students use
on the chalkboard.
3. Copy the ‘Truth or Hogwash?’ worksheets A and B front to back (pages 44 thru 47).
Cut on dotted lines to make game cards. The blank cards will be used later by the
students to make their own questions and answers.
4. Explain the meaning of the word “hogwash” (nonsense; speech that is worthless, like
the table scraps formerly fed to hogs.) Place the cards in a bowl. Students will take
turns drawing a card from the bowl to read to the class. After each question is read,
students will call out “truth” or “hogwash.” As an alternative, let students take turns
answering the questions.
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5. After students have given their answers, the student who drew the card will read what
is on the back. Discuss answers after each one is read.
6. Read and discuss ‘Swine Summary’. Divide students into groups of four or five.
Provide books, internet and other resource information about swine.
7. Have students will work in groups to create questions about swine in four or five
different categories (nutritional value, waste management, history, byproducts, WI
pork industry, pork production, wild card questions, etc.) Have students write the
questions on index cards and/or use the blank ‘Truth or Hogwash?’ cards on worksheet
B (pages 46 and 47).with the correct answers written on the back. Each statement
should be assigned a value of 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 points.
8. Write values on pocket folders, and place the cards in the appropriate folders.
9. Divide students into teams of four. Give the teams a name –oinkers, squealers, etc.
Draw cards from the folders, and have teams take turns answering them. Allow teams
to continue answering questions and accumulating points until they respond incorrectly
to a question. As an alternative, let teams take turns so each team gets a chance to
answer questions.
Jeopardy Game:
1. Use the Truth or Hogwash cards from the farm corn maze and/or after the students
have come up with their own swine questions and have placed them into the pocket
folder, label each one with the appropriate category (nutritional value, waste
management, history, byproducts, WI pork industry, pork production, wild card
questions, etc.)
2. Divide the students into two teams. Give the teams a name – oinkers, squealers, etc.
3. Have the students draw a category out of a bowl or hat, or have teams select the
category they want each time.
4. Read a question from the selected category.
5. The teams are to huddle and decide on an answer to the question.
6. If their answer is correct, they receive 1 point.
7. If they cannot answer the question or if they give an incorrect answer, then the other
team has a chance to answer the question and earn a point.
8. Keep score and award prizes.
Evaluation:
Were the students able to answer and develop questions about swine?
Vocabulary: hog, pig, swine, pork, sow, boar, gilt, manure, lard, lean, snout, hogwash,
commercial, pancreas, insulin, diabetes, by-products
Lesson Plan adapted from Oklahoma Agriculture in the Classroom and Wisconsin Pork Association
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Swine Summary
Pigs were among the first animals to be domesticated, probably as early as 7000 BC. Forty
million years ago, hoglike animals roamed forests and swamps in what are now Europe and Asia.
By 4900 BC hogs were domesticated in China. By 1500 BC they were being raised in Europe.
In 1539 Hernando de Soto landed at Tampa Bay, Florida, with 13 pigs, the first in North
America. By the time of deSoto’s death, three years later, his hog herd had grown to 700.
Colonists in Pennsylvania developed the practice of “finishing” the hogs on corn (feeding
them nothing but corn in the few weeks before butchering them). This practice improved the
quality of the pork and laid the foundation for the modern pork industry. In the colonial US,
hogs were driven to market in large droves over trails that later became routes used by the
railroads. Hog raising became an important commercial enterprise during the 1800s when the
Midwest farm regions were settled. The new Erie Canal system gave farmers a way to get their
hogs to the cities back east. Farmers started calling their hogs “Mortgage Lifters” because the
profits from their sales helped pay for the new homesteads.
The hogs would eat corn, grass, clover or even table scraps that would have otherwise
have become garbage. The word “hogwash,” meaning something that is worthless, came from
this practice. In some areas hogs would be turned out to find their own food. Hogs would roam
freely, eating what they could find— acorns from the ground or roots, which they dug from the
ground with their snouts. On Manhattan Island, New York, the hogs rampaged through grain
fields until farmers were forced to build a wall to keep them out. The street running along this
wall became Wall Street.
Most people had pig pens near their homes and fed the hogs just enough to keep them
returning home from their daily forage for food. Everybody had a different hog call so that only
their pigs responded to their call. These calls might be a high pitched "sooie," a low pitched
"wark," or a simple "here pig here."
Lard was in high demand for baking, so pork producers grew pigs that were very fat.
People could eat foods that were higher in fat then because most were involved in vigorous
physical labor that caused their bodies to burn large amounts of fat and calories.
Today most people are not as active as they were back then, and health conscious
consumers want leaner meat. To meet this demand pork producers have changed the way they
feed and raise their swine. Most cuts of pork today are as lean or leaner than similar cuts of beef
and chicken. Pork has a high nutrient density (a high level of nutrients for the level of calories). It
provides protein, iron, zinc and B Vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B12).
Many people picture a hog farm as a smelly, muddy place where pigs wallow in muddy
pens. Years ago, pigs would lie in the mud to protect themselves from overheating and biting
insects. Today most hogs are kept indoors in buildings where producers can control temperature,
humidity and other environmental factors. These buildings are well-lit and clean, so the producer
can better monitor and promote the health of the hogs. Some operations use indoor and
outdoor facilities. Healthy, unstressed animals are more profitable, so producers try to keep their
hogs comfortable and happy.
Byproducts made from swine include adhesives, plastics, shoes, paint, glue, crayons, chalk,
and chewing gum. Pig heart valves are used to replace diseased or damaged human heart valves.
Hog skin is used as a dressing in treating serious burns, and hog pancreas glands provide insulin to
treat diabetes.
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Truth or Hogwash?
(worksheet A –questions/front)
Pigs are not stupid,
They are as smart as dogs.
Most pigs are raised indoors,
in pens that are in big buildings.
Pigs never grow to weigh
more than 1,000 pounds.
Pigs have small eyes and
poor eyesight.
Pigs are dirty animals that
love to wallow in the mud.
Pigs have rings in their noses
to keep them from smelling.
Pigs enjoy listening to music.
All pigs have curly tails.
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Truth or Hogwash?
(worksheet A –answers/back)
Truth: In the summer the barns keep the
Pigs cook with sprinklers and fans. In
the winter, heaters keep them warm.
The barns also allow farmers to closely
monitor the pigs health and protect
them from predators.
Truth: They can be taught to do
tricks such as fetching. They have
even been taught to do important
jobs. In war they have served as
mine sniffers in battlefields.
Truth: But they have a strong sense
of smell.
Hogwash: The heaviest hog in
history, Big Bill, weighted 2,552
pounds.
Hogwash: The rings are used to keep
Them from rooting, or digging up the
Earth with their snouts. This is a natural
behavior of hogs in the wild, which dig
for roots to eat. It can cause a lot of
damage on a farm.
Hogwash: They are cleaner than
most farm animals. They roll in the
mud to cool off because they have
no sweat glands. They love to take
showers!
Hogwash: Pot-belly pigs have straight
tails and production pigs have curly
tails.
Truth: Pigs are curious and like to
keep busy. Some farmers entertain
their pigs with beach balls and
old tires.
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Truth or Hogwash? (worksheet B –questions/front)
All pigs have pink skin and they get
their different colors from the color
of their hair.
Pigs are found on every
continent.
Pigs never grow to weigh
more than 1,000 pounds.
Pigs have small eyes and
poor eyesight.
Pigs are dirty animals that
love to wallow in the mud.
Pigs have rings in their noses
to keep them from smelling.
Pigs enjoy listening to music.
All pigs have curly tails.
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Truth or Hogwash?
(worksheet B –answers/back)
Hogwash: They are found on every
continent, but Antarctica.
Truth: Pigs skin is always pink. Their
hair is what gives their bodies
various colors and patterns seen in
the 180 different breeds in the
world. Pig’s hair can be black, white
or red. There are 8 major breeds of
swine raised in the U.S.
Pigs never grow to weigh
more than 1,000 pounds.
Pigs have small eyes and
poor eyesight.
Pigs are dirty animals that
love to wallow in the mud.
Pigs have rings in their noses
to keep them from smelling.
Pigs enjoy listening to music.
All pigs have curly tails.
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Truth or Hogwash? Corn Maze (True/False KEY)
1. Most pigs are raised indoors, in pens that are in big buildings.
Truth: Farmers raise their pigs in barns to keep them comfortable. In the summer the
barns keep the pigs cool with sprinklers and fans. In the winter, heaters keep them
warm. The barns also allow farmers to closely monitor the pigs health and protect
them from predators.
2. Pigs are not stupid, they are as smart as dogs.
Truth: They can be taught to do tricks such as fetching. They have even been taught
to do important jobs. In war they have served as mine sniffers in battlefields.
3. Pigs never grow to weigh more than 1,000 pounds.
Hogwash: The heaviest hog in history, Big Bill, weighed 2,552 pounds.
4. Pigs have small eyes and poor eyesight.
Truth: But they have a strong sense of smell.
5. Pigs are dirty animals that love to wallow in the mud.
Hogwash: They are cleaner than most farm animals. They roll in the mud to cool off
because they have no sweat glands. They love to take showers!
6. Pigs have rings in their noses to keep them from smelling.
Hogwash: The rings are used to keep them from rooting, or digging up the earth with
their snouts. This is a natural behavior of hogs in the wild, which dig for roots to eat.
It can cause a lot of damage on a farm.
7. Pigs enjoy listening to music.
Truth: Pigs are curious and like to keep busy. Some farmers entertain their pigs with
beach balls and old tires.
8. All pigs have curly tails.
Hogwash: Pot-belly pigs have straight tails and production pigs have curly tails.
9. All pigs have pink skin and they get their different body colors from the color of their hair.
Truth: Pigs skin is always pink. Their hair is what gives their bodies various colors and
patterns seen in the 180 different breeds in the world. Pig’s hair can be black, white or
red. There are 8 major purebred breeds of swine raised in the U.S.
10. Pigs are found on every continent.
Hogwash: They are found on every continent, but Antarctica.
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Truth or Hogwash? Corn Maze (Multiple Choice KEY)
1. “They market everything but the squeal” is a term used with pigs because there are over 400 byproducts made from hogs. What items are NOT made from pigs?
a. Insulin, Estrogen, Cortisone (medicine)
b. Crayons, Chalk, Glue
c. Staples, Paper, Pens
2. Which food items are not forms of pork?
a. Sausage and Pepperoni
b. Ham and Bacon
c. Hamburger
3. What is the term for a mother sow giving birth to her piglets?
a. Farrowing
b. Birthing
c. Kidding
4. What age and market weight is a pig taken to the processor to be made into pork products and
pig by-products?
a. 5 months and 250 pounds
b. 10 months and 45 pounds
c. 1 year and 1230 pounds
5. A sow (mother pig) gives birth to a litter of pigs twice a year. How many piglets can a sow have
at one time?
a. 6 to 18 piglets
b. 1 to 2 piglets
c. 30 to 35 piglets
6. A pig’s squeal can range from 110-115 decibels. What sound does a pig’s squeal compare to?
a. School bell
b. Concord Supersonic Jet
c. Fire Alarm
7. Piglets appear very greedy when they are competing for food from their mothers, however they
always go to the same teat and will never overeat. What term is NOT associated with this greedy
behavior?
a. Pig
b. Hog
c. Cat
8. What products do farmers NOT feed to production pigs?
a. Corn, wheat, soybeans and other grains
b. Table scraps
c. Vitamins and minerals
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Lesson #5: Everything But the Oink!
Grades K-4: Post-trip
WI State Learning Standards:
A.4.1 Understand how products made from plants and animals are made available for
use by people.
C.4.2 Use the science content being learned to ask questions, plan investigations, make
observations, make predictions, and offer explanations.
Objective:
Students will be able to identify food products and by-products of swine.
Background:
What happens to pigs when they go to market? Pigs, like other animals, are sometimes used for
food. The meat we get from pigs is called “pork.” Pork is the world’s most widely eaten meat.
You might see pork in the grocery store as pork chops, ham, roast, ribs or bacon. Believe it or
not, pig products (like pig hooves) are also used for many things you find in your school
classroom like chalk and artist brushes.
Materials:
• Shoebox
• Swine by-products
• Crayons
• Paint
• Glue
•
•
•
•
Paint brushes
Construction paper
Scissors
Masking tape or stickers
Procedures:
1. Create a mystery box to introduce your lesson about swine by-products. Place a byproduct of pigs in a shoebox (see ‘Pork Products’ worksheet on page 54). Invite the
children to guess what’s in the box. Shake the box - is there any sound? Open the box and
allow the children to feel what’s inside the box without seeing it. Once the students have
guessed the contents of the box, explain what a by-product is and that the items you’ll be
placing in the mystery box are all from swine.
2. Make pig art using by-products of pigs; crayons, paint brushes and glue. The materials you
need include white construction paper, crayons, paint and brushes, scissors and glue.
• Provide each student with a sheet of white paper, crayons, paint and a paint brush.
• Have each child draw or paint a picture of a pig and cut it out, or use the pig
cutout on page 53.
• Have them place the picture of the pig on sheet of construction paper or a big
poster board(s) and secure it down to the paper with glue.
• Discuss with them how the products they used; crayons, paint brushes and glue, all
come from by-products of pigs.
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3. Classroom Product Hunt: As a class, the students will discover that many common things
they use on a daily basis are by-products of pork.
• Before the activity, mark various classroom items with masking tape x’s or some
other form of identification (stickers). The following items are pork by-products:
glue, buttons, glass, paint brushes, rubber, cosmetics, plastics, cellophane, floor
waxes, crayons, chalk, and linoleum. See ‘Pork Products’ worksheet on page 54.
• Give students a few minutes to go around the room and write down each item
they find that is marked.
• After returning to their seats, solicit responses as to why those items were marked.
• Direct them to the answer that they are all by-products of pigs.
4. Have students take an inventory of their kitchen cupboard and bathroom cabinets at
home to find pork by-products.
5. Have younger students complete the ‘What Comes from Pigs’ worksheet on page 55.
Have older students complete the ‘Pork By-Products Word Search’ on page 56.
Assessment: Students will be able to list at least 3 food products and 6 by-products of swine.
Vocabulary: by-product, insulin, pancreases, diabetes
Lesson Plan adapted from Texas Department of Agriculture and Oklahoma Agriculture in the Classroom
Swine are Divine
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Page 52
Swine are Divine
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www.busybarnsfarm.com
Page 53
Pork Products
Since the time of the early settlers, farmers have tried not to waste anything that comes from
pigs. Listed below are some of the products that come from pigs, including food and many nonfood items you see at home, in school and in hospitals.
Food Products
The meat that comes from pigs is called pork. Pork
includes everything from pork chops, pork roast, pork
ribs, hot dogs, sausage, pepperoni, brats, bacon and
ham (see picture).
Medical Uses
Rapidly advancing science is continually adding to the
list of important and life-saving products from pigs.
Here are a few examples:
• Heart Valves: Specially treated pig heart valves
are surgically placed in humans to replace heart valves weakened by disease or injury.
Since the first operation in 1971, tens of thousands of pig heart valves have been
successfully placed in people of all ages.
• Skin: Because it is similar to human skin, specially treated pig skin is attached to people
with massive burns and serious skin sores. Gelatin made from skin is used for making
capsules and pills.
• Insulin: Insulin is a substance in our bodies that is too low in people with a disease called
diabetes. Some people with this disease have to take shots of insulin to make them better.
Pig insulin almost matches the insulin of humans. Although man-made insulin is now
available, years ago, pigs were an important source of insulin for people with diabetes.
Home and School Uses
As you look around your home and school, consider how many things are products from parts of
the pig. Here are some examples:
• paint brushes (hair)
• water filters
• buttons (bones)
• floor wax
• cement (fat)
• China (bones)
• chalk (fat)
• fertilizer
• makeup (fat)
• antifreeze
• crayons (fat)
• glue (bones and skin)
• fabric dye
• insulation
• glass (bones)
• matches (fat)
• gloves (skin)
• pet food (meat scraps)
• suede clothing (skin)
• fish bait (meat scraps)
• adhesives
• plastics (fat)
• gelatin (skin)
• putty (fat)
• upholstery (skin and hair)
• rubber (fat)
• linoleum (fat)
• shoes (skin)
• cellophane (fat)
• film
• weed killers
• gum
Swine are Divine
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Page 54
Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
What Comes from Pigs?
Swine are Divine
Compiled by Busy Barns Adventure Farm LLC
www.busybarnsfarm.com
Page 55
Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Pork By-Products Word Search
Pigs are raised for meat to help feed people all over the world. In order to use the entire pig, byproducts are made or extracted from the remaining almost 25% of the pig. No other animal
produces a wider range of by-products than pigs do.
Look for 28 hog by-products in the word search. Some of them are real stinkers and may be found
across, down, diagonal, and backwards!
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BUTTONS
COSMETICS
FOOTBALLS
INSULATION
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Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Pork By-Products Word Search (KEY)
Pigs are raised for meat to help feed people all over the world. In order to use the entire pig, byproducts are made or extracted from the remaining almost 25% of the pig. No other animal
produces a wider range of by-products than pigs do.
Look for 28 hog by-products in the word search. Some of them are real stinkers and may be found
across, down, diagonal, and backwards!
S
D
R
O
C
E
R
K
W
X
F
Y
O
X
P
J
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ANTIFREEZE
CELLOPHANE
CRAYONS
GLASS
INSULIN
ORNAMENTS
PUTTY
Swine are Divine
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LINOLEUM
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Page 58
Lesson #6: Hogs on a Diet
Grades K-4: Post-trip
WI State Learning Standards:
F.4.4 Using the science themes*, develop explanations* for the connections among living and nonliving things in various environments.
Objectives:
Students will identify an assortment of feed grains and learn the importance of eating a variety of
foods, both for themselves and for farm animals.
Materials:
• Shoebox
• An assortment of animal feed grains available from feed stores —wheat, corn, soybeans,
grain sorghum (Ask for samples from broken bags.)
Background:
Swine were among the first of all animals to be domesticated —around 6,000 years ago. A
domesticated animal is one that is trained to live in a human environment and be of use to humans.
The Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto brought the first swine to the New World in 1539.
Female swine are called sows. Sows give birth to litters of pigs twice a year. Each litter usually
has eight to 12 baby pigs. Giving birth to baby pigs is called farrowing. Baby pigs appear very
greedy when they are competing for food from their mothers. For this reason the words “pig” and
“hog” have come to be associated with greedy behavior. Despite their reputation, pigs will never
overeat. Once a pig is full, it stops eating.
Pigs are weaned when they are two to four weeks old. They are called “nursery pigs” until
they reach 50 pounds and “growing/finishing pigs” from
then until they reach about 240 pounds. After that they are called hogs. Hogs are usually taken to
market when they weigh 240-280 pounds.
In the past, hogs were fed table scraps and had a reputation for eating just about anything.
The meat from hogs fed that way was very high in fat. Today’s swine producers are more careful
about what they feed their animals. Some of the food fed to swine is corn, wheat and soybean
meal. Vitamins and minerals are added to increase growth and improve health. Today’s hogs weigh
more, but because producers plan their diets carefully, they grow more efficiently and yield more
lean meat than ever before. Bacon, pork sausage, pork chops and ham all come from hogs. In
addition, swine are used in the production of non-food products like fertilizer, glass, china, floor
wax, chalk, crayons, and heart valves. (see pages 54 and 58 for swine by-products)
Pork provides protein, B-vitamins and thiamin to our diets. Pork has three times as much
thiamin as any other food. Thiamin changes carbohydrates into energy and promotes a healthy
appetite.
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Page 59
Language Arts:
1. Read and discuss background and vocabulary.
2. Hand out copies of the ‘Hogs on a Diet’ reading page and worksheet (pages 61 and 62).
Have students read independently and use the reading page to answer questions on the
worksheet.
Science/Math:
1. Before class time, place a few grains of each type of feed in the shoe box. Place the shoe
box on a table in the front of the room so students can see it, but don’t let them move it
or look inside.
• Students will guess what is in the box.
• Shake the box. Is there any sound? What does it sound like?
• Open the box, and allow students to feel what is inside without seeing it. What does it
feel like?
• Show students the feed grains, and ask them to identify each one. Explain that hogs
and other kinds of animals eat these kinds of grains and that, just like us, hogs need a
variety of foods to help meet their nutritional needs.
2. Students will sort the grains, organize them in groups, count the grains in each group by
1s, 2s, 5s and 10s, and then create graphs to represent the data.
3. Students will use the grains to construct addition and subtraction facts or multiplication
and division facts.
Extensions:
1. Discuss the nutritional value of pork, and ask students where pork belongs on the USDA
Food Guide Pyramid.
2. Have students make a list of common phrases associated with swine (living high on the
hog, acting like a pig in a poke, being in hog heaven). Have students research the
meaning of the phrases and their origins.
Extra
•
•
•
•
reading:
Geisert, Arthur, Oink, Houghton Mifflin, 1995.
King-Smith, and Anita Jerame, All Pigs Are Beautiful, Candlewick, 1995.
Scieszka, Jon, and Lane Smith, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs,Viking, 1999.
Tym, Kate, and John Blackman, Pig Tales, Element, 1999.
Assessment: Were students able to describe the sound and feel of the feed grain? Do they
understand why we feed pigs special diets? Did they understand why the words “hog” and “pig”
are associated with greedy behavior?
Vocabulary: domesticated, swine, sow, litter, farrowing, greedy, wean, vitamin, mineral, efficient
Lesson Plan adapted from Oklahoma Agriculture in the Classroom
Swine are Divine
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Page 60
Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Hogs on a Diet
(Reading)
Swine were among the first of all animals to be domesticated - around 6,000
years ago. A domesticated animal is one that is trained to live in a human
environment and be of use to humans. The Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto
brought the first swine to the New World in 1539.
Female swine are called sows. Sows give birth to litters of pigs twice a year.
Each litter usually has eight to 12 baby pigs. Giving birth to baby pigs is called
farrowing. Baby pigs appear very greedy when they are competing for food from
their mothers. For this reason the words “pig” and “hog” have come to be associated
with greedy behavior. Despite their reputation, pigs will never overeat. Once a pig is
full, it stops eating.
Pigs are weaned when they are two to four weeks old. They are called “nursery
pigs” until they reach 50 pounds and “growing/finishing pigs” from then until they
reach about 240 pounds. After that they are called hogs. Hogs are usually taken to
market when they weigh 240-280 pounds.
In the past hogs were fed table scraps and had a reputation for eating just about
anything. The meat from hogs fed that way was very high in fat. Today’s swine
producers are more careful about what they feed their animals. Some of the food fed
to swine is corn, wheat and soybean meal.
Vitamins and minerals are added to increase
growth and improve health. Today’s hogs weigh
more, but because producers plan their diets
carefully, they grow more efficiently and yield
more lean meat than ever before. Bacon, pork
sausage, pork chops and ham all come from hogs.
In addition, swine are used in the production of
non-food products like fertilizer, glass, china,
floor wax, chalk, crayons, and heart valves.
Pork provides protein, B-vitamins and
thiamin to our diets. Pork has three times as
much thiamin as any other food. Thiamin
changes carbohydrates into energy and promotes
a healthy appetite.
Swine are Divine
Compiled by Busy Barns Adventure Farm LLC
www.busybarnsfarm.com
Page 61
Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Hogs on a Diet
(Context Clue & Vocabulary Words)
1. What word from paragraph 1 means “trained to live in a human environment?”
a. trained
b. domesticated
c. farrowing d. swine
2. What word from paragraph 3 means “no longer drinking milk from the mother?”
a. nursery
b. finishing
c. market
d. weaned
3. What does “litter” mean as it is used in this story?
a. The young born to an animal at a single time.
b. A messy collection of things scattered about.
c. A device used to carry an injured person.
4. What word from the story could be included in this list of synonyms? Look in paragraph two.
grasping, coveting, desirous, unquenchable, piggish ____________
5. What word from paragraph 4 means “to make better?” ____________
6. Re-read this sentence from the story. “In the past, hogs were fed table scraps and had a
reputation for eating just about anything.” What is another way to say that hogs had a
reputation for eating just about anything?
a. Hogs were able to eat anything.
b. Hogs were known for eating anything.
c. Hogs refused to eat anything.
7. Which definition for “appetite” is closest to the way it is used in the last paragraph?
a. The need for food.
b. A strong wish for something.
c. Positive regard for something.
Swine are Divine
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Page 62
Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Hogs on a Diet
(Context Clue & Vocabulary Words - KEY)
1. What word from paragraph 1 means “trained to live in a human environment?”
a. trained
b. domesticated
c. farrowing
d. swine
2. What word from paragraph 3 means “no longer drinking milk from the mother?”
a. nursery
b. finishing
c. market
d. weaned
3. What does “litter” mean as it is used in this story?
a. The young born to an animal at a single time.
b. A messy collection of things scattered about.
c. A device used to carry an injured person.
4. What word from the story could be included in this list of synonyms? Look in paragraph two.
grasping, coveting, desirous, unquenchable, piggish, greedy
5. What word from paragraph 4 means “to make better?” improve
6. Re-read this sentence from the story. “In the past, hogs were fed table scraps and had a
reputation for eating just about anything.” What is another way to say that hogs had a
reputation for eating just about anything?
a. Hogs were able to eat anything.
b. Hogs were known for eating anything.
c. Hogs refused to eat anything.
7. Which definition for “appetite” is closest to the way it is used in the last paragraph?
a. The need for food.
b. A strong wish for something.
c. Positive regard for something.
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Paper Plate Pig
Art Project
You’ll need:
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•
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One extra large dinner size paper plate (pink or paint it pink)
One dessert size paper plate (pink or paint it pink)
Pink construction paper
Markers
Pink paint
Wiggly eyes
Pink pipe cleaner
Stapler and staples
Hole punch
One small paper drinking cup
Directions:
1. Have the students turn the dessert plate inside out. This is the pig’s head.
2. Have the students color or paint the outside of the small paper drink cup pink.
3. Have the students turn the cup upside down and staple it to the pig’s head by folding the
flaps out and stapling on the flaps
4. Have the students staple the pig’s head to the lower middle of the extra large paper plate.
The extra large paper plate will be the pig’s body.
5. Have the students cut a tail, two ears and two feet out of pink construction paper and
staple them to the pig. The feet should be staples to the bottom of the pig’s body. The
ears should be stapled to the pig’s head. The tail can be curled by sliding it along a scissor
blade. Then the tail should be stapled to the back of the pig’s body. You could also use a
curled pink pipe cleaner for a tail. Punch a hole with circle hole punch and attach it
through the hole at the top of the pigs body.
6. Have the students use markers to draw eyes, mouth and nostrils in the snout.
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A Practically Perfect Piglet
Art Project
You’ll need:
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•
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Old CD’s
Flet or construction paper (pink)
Paper towel roll
Craft paint (pink)
Wiggle eyes
Pipe cleaners (black)
Glue (craft and hot glue)
Black fine-point markers
Directions:
1. Paint a paper towel or wrapping paper roll (pink). Allow to dry.
2. Cut roll into 1 ½ inch pieces.
3. Use the end of the roll to race circles on pink construction paper. Cut out the circles and
glue one to the end of each 1 ½ inch cylinder.
4. Trace around the CD on felt or construction paper twice. Cut out the circles and glue to
the front and back of the CD.
5. Glue the painted piece of towel roll in the center of one side of the covered CD. This is
your pig’s snout.
6. Attach wiggle eyes to the front of the CD above the snout.
7. Use a black, fine-point marker to add additional features to yoru piglet.
8. Curl a 3-inch piece of pipe cleaner around a pencil. Attach to the back of the CD with
hot glue.
Visit http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/pigscraftsideasactivitieskids.html for more pig craft ideas.
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Proud Pig Mask
Pig Snouts:
Paper pig snouts are easy to make and fun for kids to wear while listening to a storybook. Take a
small paper cup and trim the rim of the cup down to the size of a pig snout. Draw nostrils on the
bottom of the cup. To attach the nose to the child’s face, punch 2 holes on either side of the cup
about 1/4 inch down from the top. Thread string or ribbon through the holes and tie around the
child’s head.
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Pig Headband
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Vocabulary List
barrow – A castrated male hog.
boar - A mature male swine.
by-product – A product in addition to.
commercial - Of, relating to, or being goods, often unrefined, produced and distributed in large
quantities for use by industry.
diabetes – Any of various abnormal conditions characterized by the excretion of excessive amounts
of urine.
domesticated - Adapted to living with human beings and to serving their purposes
efficient - Capable of producing desired results especially without waste
farrow - Giving birth to pigs
gilt - A young female swine that has not had a litter.
grains – A single small hard seed, like corn, soybeans, oats, wheat.
greedy - Having a keen appetite
hog - A large swine, weighing over 250 pounds.
hogwash - Garbage fed to hogs; swill; Worthless, false, or ridiculous speech or writing; nonsense.
hoof – A curved covering that protects the end of the digits of a mammal, like a claw or nail.
insulin – A protein pancreatic hormone, used to control diabetes.
lard - The white solid or semi-solid rendered fat of a hog.
lean - Containing little or no fat.
litter - The young born to an animal at a single time
manure - Animal dung, compost or other material used to fertilize soil.
mineral - A solid chemical element or compound that occurs naturally in the form of crystals and
results from processes not involving living or once-living matter
misters – Sprinklers used in barns to cool animals.
nursery – A place where young animals grow or are cared for.
pancreas – A large gland that secretes enzymes and hormones like insulin.
piglet - A small swine, weighing less than 250 pounds.
pork - The flesh of a pig or hog used as food.
pork producer – A farmer who raises pigs for income.
snout - The projecting nose, jaws, or anterior facial part of an animal's head.
sow - A mature female swine.
stalls – A compartment for a domestic animal in a stable or barn.
swine - Any of the family of mammals having short legs, cloven hooves, bristly hair and a hard
snout used for digging.
vitamin - Any of various substances that are necessary in very small amounts to the nutrition of
most animals.
wean - To get a child or young animal used to food other than its mother's milk
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Books on Swine
Life on a Pig Farm by Judy Wolfman
Best for ages 3-7
ISBN: 1-57505-236-9
Focused on the 4-H projects of two girls, this book tells their story and that of their farm.
Unfortunately, in that process it reinforces many stereotypes about hogs. This is a farm that has
their sows on pasture and is using boars for breeding rather than artificial insemination The hogs
wallow in mud and one photo shows a hog half submerged in water. It would appear as though
the hog is in a pond and the wallow is the muddy embankment. The text explains that hogs have
no sweat glands and that this is how they keep cool. Other photographs show the two girls riding
their sows and wheeling in a wheel barrow. However, these shortcomings are balanced by the
depiction and description of their preparation, training for the show and fair day. That portion of
the book is exceptional. So too are pictures of newborn piglets, clipping needle teeth, iron shots, ear
notching and other day-to-day chores. The book concludes with excellent fun facts, references, Web
sites, and a glossary.
Pig by Jules Older
Best for ages 4-8
ISBN: 0-88106-109-3
Using the humor that readers have come to expect, Jules Older’s text explores the life of a pig.
While it does depict hogs splashing about in mud, it accurately explains why they do so. Packed
with facts, figures, geography and science, this resource would provide answers to most basic
questions about swine.
Piglets (Watch Animals Grow!) By Colleen Sexton
Best for ages 4-8
ISBN: 978-1-60014-169-0
Spend a day on the farm watching piglets grow. Straightforward text accompanies vivid photos
of developing piglets.
Pigs by Emily K Green
Best for Ages 4-8
ISBN 978-1-60014-068-6
A basic introduction to pigs and how they live on the farm. Simple text and full color
photographs. Developed by literacy experts for students in kindergarten through third grade.
Pigs an A-Z Book by Susan Anerson & JoAnne Buggey
Best for ages 5-8
ISBN: 978-1-926781-00-6
This colorful easy to read book is best for PreK or Kindergarten. The book introduces students to
pigs and pork while they learn their ABCs. Each letter has a word about pigs beginning with that
letter. The book also includes pictures and information to help students understand each
agriculturally related word.
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Pigs Have Piglets by Lynn M. Stone
Best for Ages 4-7
ISBN: 0-7565-0003-6
This book opens with a heart-tugging photo of two piglets asleep. The photo is so vivid one can
almost feel how soft the piglets are. The book’s major shortcoming is that pigs are only depicted
in a pasture setting (free-range). It is the weakest book in the series. The text explains many
things the photos avoid and is mostly accurate. Considering the lack of accurate books about
swine, this one meets the minimum standard for recommendation. If a better book were
available, this book would not be included in the list. The book ends with a short glossary and a
few trivia questions.
Pigs on the Farm by Mari C. Schuh
Best for Ages 4-7
ISBN: 0-7368-9144-7
Part of the “on the farm” series this book continues to accurately portray animals on the farm.
The book introduces the different parts of the pig as well as the difference between a boar and a
sow. The book shows where pigs live on the farm as well as what they eat and explains how they
are grown for their meat. The book also includes a glossary and a companion internet site listed
in the back.
Pigs & Pork in the story of agriculture
Best for ages 8-11
by Susan Anderson & JoAnne Buggey
ISBN: 978-1-926781-01-3
This fun and colorful book introduces elementary students to the five stages of pigs and pork as they
make their way from farm to table. Each stage is explained in a separate chapter and each chapter is
color coded. This series of books presents easy-to-read text blocks, illustrated with photos and
captions. Important facts about pigs and pork are highlighted in tinted boxes to reinforce their
importance. The book includes extra pig and pork activities.
Recommended by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture
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