6th+Grade+-+Agriculture

Food and Farms - Controversial Issues

You will be doing a 3-day research project fast-forwarding from the time of Cesar Chavez to today. You will learn about one current topic in farming (GMOs, fertilizers or pesticides) by doing your own research. You will weigh the evidence on both sides of an issue and make a recommendation based on the scenario below.

Scenario:
You own a small family farm with your sisters. You must decide what to recommend to them for next year’s crop. You have been using one of the following for years: __GMOs__, __chemical fertilizers__, or __pesticides__. Lately, you have been hearing that there are potential dangers to using these. Your sisters have asked you to do some research and make a recommendation to them. Should you change your farming methods for next year?

Research Questions:
Fill your research topic into the blank (GMOs, chemical fertilizers, or pesticides)


 * What are the benefits of ?
 * What are the dangers of ?

Requirements:
Each of the following requirements will be handed in and will count towards your final grade in this project.
 * paraphrase information from 3 or more sources
 * construct a list of pros and cons with evidence for each reason
 * give a recommendation to your sisters, written in a paragraph, or written and illustrated in Google Slides.

Sources:
Locate your topic below. Use the resources listed under your topic to conduct your research. You must use at least 3.

=GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms)=

1. Source: [|Britannica School] Search term: genetic engineering Browse to the "genetic engineering in agriculture" section

2. Website: WebMd Article: Are Biotech Foods Safe to Eat?

3. Website: Why Files Article: Genetically Modified Crops : Looking Back

4. Database:[| NBCLearn] Search Term: GMO

5. Databse: Kids Info Bits

=Chemical Pesticides=

1. Source: [|Britannica School] Search term: pesticides Browse to the "pesticides, herbicides, growth regulator" section

2. Website: Newsela Article: Stink bugs causing trouble in orchards If you are prompted to login, open the PDF below and follow the instructions or ask Ms. Julie



3. Website: Why Files Article: Bald is Beautiful

4. Database: [|NBCLearn]

Search Term: pesticide

5. Databse: Kids Info Bits

=Chemical Fertilizers=

1. Source: [|Britannica School] Search term: fertilizer Browse to the "chemical fertilizer" section

2. Website: New York Times Article: Shortages Threaten Farmer's Key Tool: Fertilizer

3. Website: Ocean Today Article: Dead Zone in the Gulf 2014

4. Database: [|NBCLearn]

Search Term: fertilizer

5. Databse: Kids Info Bits