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Agriculture – The Grocery Store Project: Part II

Remember how agriculture is another word for farming? Today we are going to talk a little more about agriculture.

We are going to have a list of vocabulary words this week that you need to learn. We will have a test next Monday, December 14, 2009 to see if you know – and can use – all of the words.

Vocabulary

1. What do you need in order to grow crops? You need land. Another word for land that you can farm is, you guessed it: farmland.

2. A product is something made to be sold. A product can be anything from a car, to bars of chocolate, to corn. A product can also be work that is finished. For example, when you finish Assignment #3, you will have a finished product.

3. The word produce has a few meanings. Produce can be a verb. To produce something means to make something. When you complete Assignment #3 and post it to your blog, you will have produced some work.

Produce is also a noun that also means crops, such as fruits and vegetables. In the grocery store, when you buy grapes, you are buying one kind of produce that is also a fruit. If you buy corn, you are buying another kind of produce that is a vegetable. When you go to the grocery store, there is a section where the vegetables and fruits are. It’s usually called fresh produce.

4. Value is how much something is worth. For example, a pencil may be valued at 5 cents and a slice of pizza may be valued at $1. Is $1 for a slice of pizza a good value? A person’s apartment in Manhattan, New York City could be valued at more than $1,000,000. What do you think a person is worth? Can you put a value on a person’s life? Look at the supermarket flyer below. What are some good values?

5. Local means close by, in the same state, or the same neighborhood. When you eat grapes from New York State, you are eating fruits that were grown locally.

Picture: Apples locally grown in New York State.

6. An import is a product people buy that comes from far away. When people buy a Lexus, a brand of car, they are buying a product imported from Japan. Also, you can say, China imports a lot of products to the United States. Do you use any products imported from other countries?

7. A market is a place where you can buy fresh fruits, vegetables, produce, meats, bread, and drinks, among other things. A market is also a place where goods are bought and sold.

Assignment #3 has two parts. You must write in complete sentence, and use six out of eight vocabulary words.

First, today, you are going to write two paragraphs about a market in your home country. What was the name of the market and where was it located? Talk about the kinds of things that were sold at that market. Where did the food come from? Do you know where the food came from? Was the food local? Were there a lot of imported foods? Was shopping at the market in your country a better value than in the United States? Give five examples of prices for different vegetables, fruits and meats, if you can remember them. If not, just talk about the experience of being in the market. Were there a lot of people? Was it very crowded? How did it smell? How did the food taste? Was the produce fresh?

Second, you are going to go to the supermarket on your own. Describe the produce section. What produce looks fresh? What doesn’t look so fresh? Take down some notes. Write down the names and prices of twenty different items. What state or country did those vegetables and fruits come from? Are any of the fruits and vegetables local? Which vegetables would you buy? What are some good values this week? What vegetables are too expensive? At the end of the trip, please bring back a sales flyer.

Assignment #2: Agriculture in New York Part I

Good morning ESL Students!

Today's vocabulary word is farming. Farming is a job where people grow crops (both vegetables and fruits) or raise animals, such as cows and pigs. Farming is a way to make money.

Farming is an industry. Another word for farming is agriculture.

A farm is a place where vegetables and fruits are grown, and where animals are raised as livestock.

A farmer is a person who works on a farm.

Check out these two farms. Where are these farms located? What are the farmers growing?

New York State also has its own farms. New York State has a multi-million dollar ($$) agriculture industry. New York State is known for its dairy products, especially milk. In New York State, many crops are grown, such as apples and grapes.



Read the handout "A Look at New York Agriculture." Then, using the handout and other Internet resources, please answer the following questions:

Click Here to download the Word file for "New York Farming and Agriculture: Part I"
New York Farming and Agriculture Part I

Directions for Assignment #2:
1. Please write your answers in complete sentences using Word, an Alphasmart3000, or in writing.
2. Then write down, or "cut and paste" [use Command-C] the Internet link where you got the information. At the very least, write the title of the book or website.
3. If you do not finish, please finish this assignment for homework.
4. Publish the questions and answers in your blog as "Assignment #2: New York Agriculture Part I."

Here is a list of Internet resources below. Feel free to add your own:
Google
Dictionary: MSN Encarta
Wikipedia
Dictionary.com
50states.com

This assignment is due by Monday, December 7, 2009.