MEASUREMENT 3


Reference Skills


TAKING INVENTORY: PRETEST Assess students’ prior knowledge of Part 3 vocabulary words by using the Part 3 Pretest on page T242. Answers: 1.H 2.A 3.C 4.J 5.F 6.E 7.I 8.B 9.D 10.G.


OBJECTIVES Students will C read and discuss an essay related to this unit’s theme— Measurement.


C activate their prior knowledge about the theme to learn the meanings of ten words.


GUIDE STUDENTS Activating Prior Knowledge Discuss the following questions before students read “A Balancing Act: Crop Farming.” C Have you ever been to a farm? Or, do you live on a farm? What was/is it like?


C What crops do farmers grow? Why is farming important?


C What are some things that farmers have to measure?


Have students share any prior knowl- edge they have about the essay’s ten boldfaced words. Have them take turns reading the essay aloud or assign it as silent reading, depending on the needs and abilities of your students. Compare and contrast stu- dents’ prior knowledge and their new understanding of these ten words.


128 Measurement Part 3


MEASUREMENT 3 Reference Skills


Crop Farming A Balancing Act:


Farms have a variety of functions. There are dairy farms, livestock farms, poultry farms, crop farms, and even fish farms. Crop farms are the farms that grow products like vegetables, fruits, and grains.


W


e know that farms are essential because they provide the foods that keep us nourished and


healthy. Farming is not as simple as plant- ing some seeds in the ground. It is a business. Farmers must grow a certain amount of goods in order to be successful. If they fail to reach this quota, they can experience financial difficulties. To top things off, there are many challenges to running a successful farm. The weather has a substantial effect on the success or failure of a farm in any given growing season. The earth’s soil has a great capacity to hold moisture, which is needed to make plants grow. But during years with little rain, the soil has a dearth of moisture. In order for their crops to survive, farmers must irrigate them. When farmers have to pay for water, their profits decrease. Converse- ly, when there is ample rain, farmers pay less for water, and their profits increase. Of course, there is also such a thing as too much water. It is a real balancing act. If a profusion of pests, such as insects or molds, attacks a crop, a farmer might lose the entire harvest. Many farmers turn


to pesticides, or chemicals that kill insects or diseases. But if the pest population is small and controllable, pesticides might be unnecessary. Farmers that grow crops without the use of pesticides are called organic farmers.


Many farmers practice a technique called crop rotation. When a certain crop is repeatedly grown on a portion of land, the crop uses up valuable nutrients. If the soil is deficient in the nutrients that crop needs, the crop will be sparse and unhealthy. Therefore, farmers rotate their crops. For example, they might plant corn where soybeans were previously planted. These two crops might thrive on different nutrients. Also, certain crops can return valuable nutrients to the soil. Sometimes a portion of farmland must rest for an extended period of time. In other words, no crops are planted, so that nutrients can return to the soil. This is called letting a field lie fallow. This process is difficult on farmers because they have no superfluous land. When an entire field is left unplanted, this field cannot make money for the farm. Farmers have learned their trade from years of experience. With careful plan- ning, they run successful farms that feed our nation and others around the world. A successful farming industry means stability for America’s consumers, like you and me, and an abundant supply of crops for the world.


for Wisdom Word


Part 3 Daily Planner Day 1


Pretest, p. T242


Unlock Through Context Reading Selection, p. 128


Practice the Context Clues Strategy, p. 129


Day 2


Day 3 Day 4 Day 5


Unlock the Meanings, p. 130


Unlock the Meanings, p. 131 Process the Meanings, p. 132


Apply What You’ve Learned, p. 133


Write It!, p. 133 Posttest, p. T242


Page(s) to Use


Strategy/Skills Assess prior knowledge.


Read words in context. Practice the strategy.


Reference Skill: Practice the strategy.


Define the words.


Use the words correctly in writing.


Find examples. Answer the question. Apply skills to writing. Assess students’


WORD LIST quota


substantial capacity dearth ample


profusion portion deficient sparse


superfluous


T128 Unit 6 Measurement Part 3


T


T


P


P


R


R A


A


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