Agriculture Around the World

This activity was designed so that you can simply print out and photocopy the activity and primary sources for your students. They can work on these in groups or individually as homework. You can give each group all five sources, or a different source per group. Have students elect a scribe (to record the group’s answers to the discussion questions on the activity worksheet) and a spokesperson (to share findings with the class as a whole). Once all five groups have presented their answers, discuss them with the entire class. How do their answers change from country to country? How is farming different today?

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Applying
Extension suggestions: 
  • Mark on a wall map of the world all the places that are represented in the primary source images.
  • Compare these photographs to photographs of Tennessee farming depicted in the November 2010 Teaching with Primary Sources—MTSU newsletter.
  • Tie into physical science lesson by examining how animals and machines make ploughs more effective. Which photograph demonstrates the most effective farming?