LESSON 2: Meaty Numbers

SUBJECT: Math

OBJECTIVE: Students will learn many number facts about the conversion of corn into meat!

MEASUREMENT: Students will know that the number one use of corn in the world is to feed livestock, and they will have an understanding of corn use and feed efficiency by animal.

BACKGROUND FOR TEACHERS:

Worldwide, the number one use for corn is providing feed for livestock! When domestic and overseas livestock industries are added together, they consume approximately 80 percent of all corn grown in the United States.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES:

1. Ask students to read the story, Ann Learns a Secret Family Recipe. See how many number facts they can find. (For example: A pig should gain one pound per day, so if they're 80 pounds the day the story takes place and are sold at 220 pounds, they will be on the farm another 140 days...The family recipe calls for 6 bags of concentrate in a wagon _ full of ground corn.The screen on the grinder has holes that are ¬ inch for small pigs.)

2. Ask students to complete the following worksheet. (Worksheet 1) A bushel is a volume measurement, but is generally defined in terms of weight, a bushel of corn weighing 56 pounds. This worksheet illustrates how many pounds of corn are required to produce one pound of four kinds of meat. Younger students can match the pounds of corn to the fish or animal. Older students can answer the math questions.

3. Worksheet 2 shows how much corn is used for each of four kinds of animals in the U.S. Younger students can match the picture with the correct percentages. Older students can answer the true and false math questions. (Worksheet 3)

Last reviewed May 7, 2004