FREE SAMPLE LESSON Why do farmers produce new breeds of animals?

Why Farmers produce new breeds? - Introduction

Lesson from QCA Scheme of Work Unit 9a Inheritance and Selection

Teachers Guide / Ideas.

These are my suggestions or ideas based on how I would teach this lesson and is based around the provided videos, of course feel free just to use the video and your own lesson plan.... see further Teaching Notes

See National Curriculum Reference + Curriculum Opportunities

WALT / Today's learning / Pupils should learn

That domestic farm animals have been bred to possess ‘desirable’ characteristics.

WILF / Student Outcomes.

Describe and explain ‘desirable’ characteristics in a breed of animal, making clear links between the description and the reasons it is desirable

Teachers Notes for this lesson

This lesson shows some food and how we as consumers expect it to be and then links this to how farmers have breed animals to meet these desirable traits. Then it looks at how farmers have used selective breed to achieve this.

Why and how Farmers produce new breeds.

Suggested Activities.

AFL(Assessment for learning) Show intro (at top of page) video which establishes that consumers have dictated what desirable characteristics farmers have selected for e.g. meat with less fat i.e. lean bacon. Learners sometimes 'struggle' to identify what desirable characteristics are?
Discuss video and assess learners prior knowledge by questioning.
Play second video which states how bacon pigs have been breed to produce lean bacon and dairy cows have been selected to produce healthy milk. Video ends by asking how farmers have breed farm animals to produce these desirable characteristics.
Discuss the answer to this and then show the third video which explains. - See teachers notes below for more details.
Insert your own activities here from textbooks etc. - aim to reinforce idea of choosing desirable traits and then how farmer would use this to improve traits. For groups which grasp this could perhaps discuss what would / should be desirable traits. PLTS link here and Citizenship
EXTENSION: Ask class how you would select a suitable Bull to use to improve the milk yield of dairy cows?
Plenary - play introduction video again and use questioning to assess what has been learnt.

National Curriculum Reference

Teachers Notes:

The focus of this lesson looks at the desirable traits farmers have selected for in the past and how this has been partly dictated by what the consumer wants. However it must be remembered that in reality farmers would also select for other traits such as animal health etc. Many farmers now don't breed their won replacements - instead they buy in replacement breeding stock from breeding companies which have the benefit of having a larger population from which to select from.

Knowledge, skills and understanding:

Sc2 Life processes and living things.

Source: QCA Statutory content

Variation, classification and inheritance

About environmental and inherited causes of variation within a species.
That selective breeding can lead to new varieties.

KS 3 Curriculum Opportunities

This provides the following Curriculum Opportunities in the new programme of study:

The lesson should provide the following curriculum opportunities for learners:

Research, experiment, discuss and develop arguments.
- Look at Cloning perhaps?
Pursue an independent enquiry into an aspect of science of personal interest.
- Should we use Agrochemicals?
Use real-life examples as a basis for finding out about science.
- Use of selective breeding.
Study science in local, national and global contexts, and appreciate the connections between these.
- How can modern technology help us beat famine?
Experience science outside the school environment, including in the workplace, where possible.
- The videos of animal breeding do this.
Recognise the importance of sustainability in scientific and technological developments.
- Can the technology we use in UK Agriculture help African Farmers?
Consider how knowledge and understanding of science informs personal and collective decisions, including those on substance abuse and sexual health.
- Should Agrochemicals be used or not - learners can use their knowledge after this unit to have an informed debate on this.
Make links between science and other subjects and areas of the curriculum
- Obvious links here to Geography and Technology

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