TALLGRASS VEGETATION

Kathie Kleckner

Preview of Main Ideas

Before the European settlers began moving west, much of the Midwest was covered with tallgrass prairie. Today the Midwest is an important farming region. This activity will help students identify the characteristics of prairies. They will learn how people have changed the original prairie to meet their needs.

Connection with the Curriculum

This activity can be used with geography, social studies, and math.

Teaching Level: Grades K-4 (This lesson is best suited to grades 3-4, but can be adapted to all grade levels.)

Objectives Classification Outline (Also see objectives classification matrix below.)

Objective #1: The student will be able to identify characteristics of the different kinds of vegetation found in a tallgrass prairie.

Essential Element: Places and regions

Standard #4: The Physical and Human Characteristics of Places.

Knowledge Statement #1: The physical characteristics of places.

Skill Set #2: Acquiring Geographic Information.

Skill #1: Locate, gather, and process information from a variety of primary and secondary sources including maps.

Theme: Places.

Objective #2: The student will explain why grasses are an important part of the prairie.

Essential Element: Physical Systems.

Standard #7: The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface.

Knowledge Statement #2: How patterns (location, distribution, and association) of features on Earth's surface are shaped by physical processes.

Skill Set #5: Answering Geographic Questions.

Skill #2: use methods of geographic inquiry to acquire geographic information, draw conclusions, and make generalizations.

Themes: Places.

Objective #3: The student will compare prairie vegetation of the past with the farmland vegetation of today to identify similarities and to explain why domesticated plants, such as corn, grow well on the prairies.

Essential Element: Environment and Society.

Standard #14: How human actions modify the physical environment.

Knowledge Statement #2: Identify ways in which humans alter the physical environment.

Skill Set #4: Analyzing Geographic Information.

Skill #3: Use texts, photographs, and documents to observe and interpret geographic trends and relationships.

Themes: Place, Regions.

Materials

1.      Drawing paper

2.      Grocery ads from newspapers

3.      Glue and scissors

4.      Yardsticks or tape measures

5.      Worksheet "Prairie Grasses"

6.      Reference books on prairie

Suggestions for Teaching the Lesson

Opening the Lesson

1.      Ask the students to describe grass. Where do they find grass? What do most people do to grass in the summer? (Cut it) Why?

2.      What animals eat grass? Do people eat grass? Talk about corn, oats, wheat, rye, and rice being types of grass. Discuss the meaning of the word domesticate.

3.      Have students draw or cut out pictures of the different grains and foods that are made from them.

Developing the Lesson

1.      Tell the students that as the pioneers left he Atlantic seacoast and crossed the Appalachian Mountains the land began to change. The forests thinned and the land became flatter. By the time settlers reached central Illinois, there was not much to be seen but grass, tall, tall grass--grass that was "taller than a man on horseback." Often there was not a tree to be seen for mills and miles in the prairie grass section of Illinois.

2.      Why were there no trees? The soil was rich. The climate was good: plenty of sunshine and rain. The main reason was fire. Fore burns away everything above ground. Trees grow from the tips of their branches. Grasses grow from their roots, buried beneath the soil.

3.      Use reference books to find pictures of native prairie plants. Pass out worksheets "Prairie Grasses." Do the worksheet together as a class.

4.      Measure out, on the floor or wall, how tall some of the grasses were. Have the students compare their own heights to that of the grasses.

Concluding the Lesson

1.      Compare the tallgrass prairie plants with the kinds of grasses grown today. What are their uses? (Food for people and farm animals.) How has the prairie changed? (From open range to farms.) Why are there so many trees in the Midwest today? (People plant them, fires are controlled.) Why do domesticated plants, such as corn, oats, and wheat, grow well on the tall grass prairies? (They are grasses and need the same kind of soil, moisture and temperatures as the tall prairie grasses.)

2.      Point out that people are working to save areas of original prairie and to restore areas that were once prairie. Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not?

Extending the Lesson

1.      Visit a restored prairie or a native prairie

2.      Visit different types of local farms

3.      Do a bulletin board (or entire classroom) of prairie grasses. Use yarn for stems. Use string and sunflower seeds for heads. Use paper for leaves and flowers. Glue on roll of paper. Hang from walls and ceiling. Use overhead, or draw freehand, animals and the birds of the prairie.

Assessing Student Learning

Have the students do a before and after report. They will draw a picture and write a short paragraph about the original prairie and draw a picture and write a short paragraph about the Midwest today.

Additional Reading

Bouchard, David. If You're Not From the Prairie…, Antheneum Books.

Dvorak, Jr., David. A Sea of Grass: The Tallgrass Prairie, MacMillan

Madson, John. Tallgrass Prairie, A nature Conservancy Book.

Siebert, Diane. Heartland, Thomas Y. Crowell

Voigt, John W. and Robert H. Mohlenbrock. Prairie Plants of Illinois, Illinois Department of Conservation.

Acknowledgement

The worksheet "Prairie Grasses" is from the Illinois Department of Conservation

GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS CLASSIFICATION MATRIX – GRADES           K-4   

Title:          Tallgrass Vegetation            Author:          Kathie Kleckner

Note:  See also Objectives Classification Outline in the lesson.

Handouts

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