Target Grade Level / Age Range:

3-5

Estimated Time:

For all activities: (6-7) 20 - 30-minute class periods

  • Activity 1: Turkey Life Cycle 20 minutes
  • Activity 2: How Turkeys are Raised (Turkey Turmoil) 30 minutes
  • Activity 3: Turkey Supply Chain 20 minutes
  • Activity 4: Turkey Nutrition and Food Safety 30 minutes
  • Activity 5: Turkey Products and Marketing 90 minutes

Purpose:

Students will understand turkey production, nutrition, and marketing through interactive activities, projects, and resources. 

Materials:

  • Activity 1: Turkey Life Cycle
    • No materials
  • Activity 2: How Turkeys are Raised (Turkey Turmoil)
    • Create 4 boxes/totes filled with different supplies listed (PowerPoint with images available in "Essential Files" if not all materials are accessible):
      • Habitat:
        • Boot Covers
        • Neck Pillow
        • Hand-Held Fan
        • Pictures of Wooded/Grassland Areas
        • Cutouts of Grass and a Tree
      • Diet:
        • Domestic Turkey Food: Whole Corn, Whole Soybeans
        • Wild Turkey Food: Nuts, Seeds, Berries *be mindful of allergies
        • Magnifying Glass
        • Containers for Feed Samples
      • Instinct:
        • Megaphone
        • Deck of Cards
        • Camouflage Apron
        • Binoculars
      • Characteristics:
        • Long Legs Made from Felt
        • Weight Card (in supporting documents)
        • Visors, Feathers, and Foam (to make beak/snood combos)
  • Activity 3: Turkey Supply Chain
    • No materials
  • Activity 4: Turkey Nutrition and Food Safety
    • No materials
  • Activity 5: Turkey Products and Marketing
    • Poster Paper (for student projects)
    • Art Supplies (crayons, markers, etc. for poster design)
    • Student Computers (recipe and poster research)

Essential Files:

Vocabulary:

  • Wild Turkey - Native to the United States and Central America. Typically shades of darker brown.
  • Domestic Turkey - Used primarily for meat production on farms. Typically, white in color.
  • Tom - A male turkey.
  • Hen - A female turkey.
  • Wattle - The appendage below a turkey’s chin.
  • Snood - The appendage that lays across a turkey’s beak.
  • Nutrition - The science related to healthy and balanced diets.
  • Goods - Merchandise or possessions bought and sold at markets.
  • Producers - Someone who makes, grows, or supplies goods for sale.
  • Biosecurity - Measures aimed at preventing the introduction, or spread, of harmful organisms in order to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious disease. 
  • Supply Chain - The sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a good.
  • Marketing - Promoting and selling goods, which includes market research and advertising.
  • Advertising - Producing advertisements meant to encourage the sale of a good.
  • Gregarious - Fond of company or sociable.

Background – Agricultural Connections:

This unit is written to provide the basics of turkey production for students in grades 3-5. This unit is part of a scaffolding series aimed at different ages groups. For more advanced lessons for grades 6-8 or 9-12, visit IowaAgLiteracy.org. 

This unit includes five activities that can be broken up into six to seven 20-to-30-minute sections. While these activities can be used all year, November is a popular month for implementation with Thanksgiving right around the corner. 

  • Activity One introduces students to turkeys and their turkey life cycle.
  • Activity Two details how domestic (farm) turkeys are raised and how they differ from wild turkeys. 
  • Activity Three illustrates how turkey goes from “tom to table,” immersing students in the turkey supply chain. 
  • Activity Four covers food safety and nutrition, introducing students to turkey food products and proper preparation. 
  • Activity Five allows students to engage in the marketing process and create their Gobble Up!  Turkey Marketing Projects. This activity is 90 minutes in length and is designed to be broken up over a few workdays or used as a take-home project. Please refer to the Elementary Division Pacing Guide to view participation options for 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-day timeframes. Each timeframe details activities and their order to be completed, as well as essential questions, materials, and artifacts for those activities.    

Farm raised turkeys are referred to as domestic turkeys. Domestic turkeys differ greatly from wild turkeys, most notably by their color. A wild turkey’s feathers are shades of brown to help blend in with their forest habitat. Domestic turkeys are bred to have white feathers. This is due to consumer preference, as white feathers do not leave dark spots of pigmentation on the skin when plucked. This is solely a visual preference, as the pigmentation does not alter the bird’s nutritional value or flavor1. In addition, domestic turkeys have been selectively bred to grow quickly and are usually larger and more mildly flavored than their wild counterparts. Though wild and domestic turkeys have their differences, instinctually they are rather similar. Turkeys are gregarious animals, meaning they like to stick together. In the wild, this instinct helps to protect them from predators, as they move and live in large groups. On the farm, however, this instinct means that they are usually right at the barn door when the farmer walks in or sticking together in groups even though barns have wide, open space. 

Domestic turkeys are primarily raised in large, open barns where they have 24/7 access to feed and water. The barns are temperature controlled to protect the birds during extreme weather conditions in Iowa. In addition to protection from the weather, the barns protect turkeys from threats like predators and disease. Barns coupled with biosecurity measures minimize disease threats on turkey farms. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, is one of the most common and detrimental diseases for all poultry farmers. Unlike visiting a cattle farm, special measures must be taken to visit turkey farms. Washing vehicles before arrival, wearing boot covers, showering, and changing clothes are just some of the biosecurity measures in place on most farms to protect flocks. Learn more about biosecurity to protect poultry from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service USDA APHIS | Defend the Flock - Biosecurity 101.  

Domestic turkeys are raised for different products based on if they are male (toms) or female (hens). Toms are traditionally larger with a market weight of around 38 pounds. Due to their large size, toms are primarily used for further processed turkey products such as cutlets, sausage, and deli meats. Hens are the traditional turkey we think of eating at Thanksgiving. Hens have an average market weight of 15.5 pounds. Being much smaller than toms, a whole hen is quicker and easier to cook thoroughly to the appropriate consumption temperature (165° for white meat, 170°-175° for dark). Check out this resource from the National Turkey Federation to learn more about proper methods for cooking turkey NTF_CookingTips.pdf (eatturkey.org)!

The United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS)2 reports that Iowa farmers raised 11.7 million turkeys in 2022, placing Iowa 6th in the nation for turkeys raised. 2022 production in Iowa was valued at $543 million. Turkey production in Iowa consists primarily of toms, as Iowa is home to two turkey processing facilities, Tyson Foods in Storm Lake and West Liberty Foods in West Liberty. 

In addition to Thanksgiving dinner, turkey can make for a great choice of protein any time of the year. Turkey is a complete protein, meaning it delivers all nine essential amino acids. In fact, one serving of turkey is equal to 50% of your daily protein requirement. In addition to its protein content, turkey is rich in many vitamins and minerals including B3, B6, B12, and iron. What truly sets turkey apart from other protein options is its fat content. While many other proteins deliver similar nutrient contents, turkey does so with only 10g of fat per serving (for ground turkey). Take a more in depth look at turkey nutrition and other common proteins with resources from the National Turkey Federation Turkey Industry Resources - National Turkey Federation (eatturkey.org)! 

The turkey industry also provides an abundance of agricultural careers. The Iowa Turkey Federation reports that, “the turkey industry in Iowa employs or supports over 38,000 total jobs and is responsible for as much as $10.64 billion in total economic activity throughout the state.”3 From farmers to truck drivers to marketing managers, the turkey industry has it all! Activity 3 in this unit allows students to explore and engage in the turkey production steps, then work to identify various careers within the industry.   

To wrap up the unit, students will model what it is like to work as a marketing professional in the turkey industry in Activity 5. Marketers learn about a product, determine a demographic to purchase the product, and create a plan to sell the product. Students will create a poster to advertise their product and its nutritional value. An effective project contains the product nutritional information for the product and enticing marketing. To make this an interclass marketing contest, use the provided rubric.


Interest Approach – Engagement:

  1. Have students watch Talking Turkey with Josephine: A Visit to the Farm (5:56).
  2. Ask students what they noticed about turkeys on the farm.
    • Potential Prompts:
      • How are turkeys on the farm (domestic) different from wild turkeys?
      • What were the turkeys eating?
      • Where did the turkeys live?

Procedures:

Explore/Explain

Activity 1: Turkey Lifecycle (20 minutes)

  1. Place students into four groups.
    • Note: these will be the groups students are in for the remainder of the lessons/project.
  2. Hand out the Frog Lifecycle Cards to each group. Have groups begin placing the cards in the correct order. 
  3. Once groups have begun wrapping up, discuss why students chose the order they did. Give students time to compare with other groups and make adjustments. As a class, collaborate to put cards in the proper order of the frog lifecycle.
    • Keep frog lifecycle cards in order to refer back to later.
  4. Hand out the Turkey Lifecycle Cards to each group and have groups begin placing the cards in the correct order.
    • Remind students of the farm visit video they watched to help them order the cards. 
  5. Once groups have begun wrapping up, discuss why students chose the order they did. Give students time to compare with other groups and make adjustments. As a class, collaborate to put cards in the proper order of the turkey lifecycle. 
    • Keep the turkey lifecycle cards in order to refer back to later.
  6. Have students observe both lifecycles. Discuss what similarities and differences they observe.

    • Keep track of observations where all students can see. 

    • Potential responses: both are born from eggs, tadpoles live in water, turkey eggs are hard while frog eggs are soft. 

    1. Wrap up the discussion by connecting student observations to the idea that all organisms have their own unique lifestyles but are all similar in the idea that they are born, grow, reproduce, and die.  

Activity 2: How are Turkeys Raised (Turkey Turmoil) (30 minutes)

  1. Have students recall the farm visit video they watched. Discuss what they remember about how the domestic (farm) turkeys were raised. How is this different from wild turkeys?
    • Let students know that they will be investigating these differences with the next activity.
    • This gives students an idea of the crime committed and their job in solving the mystery.
  2. Have students get back into their original four groups.
    • The Instinct and Habitat cards are well suited for groups with advanced students.
    • The Characteristics and Diet cards are well suited for groups with struggling students.
  3. Let students know that each group will receive a different box of evidence that has clues and information to help the turkeys remember who they are.
    • Farm and Wild Turkey Habitat (slides 3-5)
      • If using printed images add slides 15-18
    • Farm and Wild Turkey Diet (slides 6-8)
      • If using printed images add slides 19-20
    • Farm and Wild Turkey Characteristics (slides 9-11)
      • If using printed images add slides 21-17
    • Farm and Wild Turkey Instincts (slides 12-14)
      • If using printed images add slides 28-31
  4. Provide the following instructions to students before handing out evidence boxes:
    1. Examine the case file (Note: Case file must be read before looking at other items):
      • Turkey (Habitat, Diet, Characteristics, and Instincts)
      • Questions to Consider
      • Domestic Turkey
      • Wild Turkey
    2. Examine the other pieces of evidence in the box.
      • What do each of the items represent from the information read in the case file?
        • Example: The neck pillow in the habitat box represents comfort for domestic turkeys living in barns.
  5. Hand out the evidence boxes and remind students that there will be evidence for both domestic and wild turkeys in their box. They will be deciding what piece of evidence goes with each turkey.
    • Example: Groups with turkey diet evidence will determine which items are for a wild turkey and which are for a domestic turkey. 

  6. After all groups have reviewed their evidence, come back together as a class.

    1. Choose a student to act as Wild Tom and a student to act as the Domestic Nicholas. Give each student a name tag (Wild Tom or Domestic Nicholas, slide 32)  

    2. Have groups take turns sharing the evidence they studied. As each group shares, dress up the two students with the appropriate evidence materials.

    3. As groups are sharing evidence and restoring the turkeys’ memories, discuss what each item/prop represents. 

      • Wild Tom:

        • Pictures of wooded and grassland areas (represents where turkey lives)

        • Nuts and seeds (food)

        • Camouflage apron (their instinct to hide from predators)

        • Binoculars (represents their great eyesight)

        • Long legs made from felt (represents their fast, strong, long legs)

        • Beak/snood combo, black sticky dots (represents marks left behind when wild turkeys are plucked)

        • Weight card (shows the size – smaller than domestic turkeys)

        • Wild turkey feathers (example of plumage) 

      • Domestic Nicholas:

        • Boot covers (represents biosecurity measures to prevent disease)

        • Neck pillow (represents comfort in a turkey barn)

        • Hand-held fan (represents comfort from big fans used in turkey barns)

        • Whole corn, whole soybeans (turkey feed)

        • Megaphone (represents loud animal)

        • Deck of cards (represents social animal)

        • Weight card (shows size – larger than wild turkeys)

        • Feathered costume wings, white feather boa (represents white feathers)

        • Visors, feathers, and foam (beak/snood combo)

    4. Wrap up the activity with a discussion about how each type of turkey has differences to help them survive. These differences are because of the environment in which they live.

      • Example: A domestic turkey does not need to hide from predators, as they protected inside barns. Wild turkeys have instincts to hide from predators, as well as great eyesight and long, fast legs to help them avoid predators. Both domestic and wild turkeys are gregarious, meaning they like to stick together in groups. In the wild, this helps them to survive, whereas on a farm it allows them to be social and active.

Activity 3: Turkey Supply Chain (20 minutes)

  1. Place students in their original four groups and provide each group with a set of the From Tom to Table cards.
  2. Have students work together in their groups to determine the correct order of the cards – getting the turkey from the Tom to the Table.
    • Remind students of the farm visit video they watched to help them order the cards.
  3. Once groups have begun wrapping up, discuss why students chose the order they did. Give students time to compare with other groups and make adjustments. As a class, collaborate to put cards in the proper order from Tom to Table.
  4. First, explain that this is an example of a supply chain. Then, ask students what they think a supply chain is and allow them to come up with ideas individually.  
  5. After students have had a chance to think on their own, allow them to share with a partner near them.  
  6. When pairs are done sharing, ask for volunteers to provide their thoughts. Use thoughts from volunteer groups to create a class definition for supply chain.
    • To help guide discussion and definition development, the National Geographic defines a supply chain as, “A network of people and activities that help move a product from start to consumption by the end user.”4
  7. Mention that you have covered the activities in the turkey supply chain, but that there are many people and careers involved with getting turkey from the farm to the fork.
  8. Have students gather back into their groups and discuss potential careers for each step of the supply chain.
  9. After groups have discussed, bring the discussion back together as a class and allow groups to share potential careers at each step of the supply chain. Keep track of answers where all students can see. 
    • Potential Responses: 
      • Farmer 
      • Truck Driver
      • Hatchery Caretaker 
      • Butcher
      • Meat Cutter
      • Grocery Store Clerk
      • Marketer 
    • Note: Add in careers students might not recognize when appropriate. For example, in the distribution center step careers could include government officials controlling exports of turkey or inspectors to ensure food quality and safety.  

    1. After the class has reviewed careers at each step, wrap up the activity by referring to the record of careers discussed. Highlight that all these careers, activities, and people represent all the work it takes to get turkey to consumers. 

Activity 4: Turkey Nutrition and Safety (30 minutes)

  1. Ask students how they (or their parents) make choices in the store?
    • Potential Responses: taste, cost, nutrition, ease of preparation
  2. Discuss with students that many shoppers look at the nutrition label to make decisions about what to purchase.
    • Mention that this label contains information such as calories, fat, protein, and vitamins.
  3. Allow students to return to their original groups and provide each group with a Nutrition Label Worksheet.pdf and a Today's Turkey - Turkey Cuts and Nutrition Sheet. Allow groups time to investigate these handouts before providing instruction. 
  4. Once groups have had a chance to investigate their handouts let them know that they will be finding and recording the nutrition information for a specific cut of turkey. Assign each group a cut of turkey from the Today's Turkey - Turkey Cuts and Nutrition Sheet. 
  5. Provide time for groups to work through their Nutrition Label Worksheet, filling in the blank red spaces with information from the Today's Turkey - Turkey Cuts and Nutrition Sheet.
  6. When groups are finished with their sheets, bring the discussion back together and allow groups to share their findings.
    • Note: When all groups have shared, collect the nutrition label worksheets and place them where students can easily reference them later on. This information will be needed in the Elaborate section of the unit when students are completing their Gobble Up marketing projects.  
  7. After all groups have shared, ask students to turn back to their groups and discuss how they could prepare the turkey, or ways they’ve eaten turkey.
    • Ideas could be turkey sandwiches, turkey chili, soup, etc.  
    • Encourage students to be creative with food items
      • Note: This discussion allows students to brainstorm ideas for their Gobble Up! turkey marketing project. 
  8. Once groups have discussed, allow them to share ideas with the class.
  9. Discuss with students that we must be food safe when preparing these turkey recipes. Ask students what food safety means to them.
    • Potential Responses: washing hands, cooking to correct temperature, storing in the refrigerator. 
  10. Provide each group with a different USDA Food Safety Activity Sheet (Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill). Allow groups time to read and work through the activity on the sheet. 
    • Note: The Cook and Clean activity sheets are better suited for groups with advanced students. The Chill and Separate activity sheets are better suited for groups with struggling students.  
  11. Once groups have completed their sheet, allow students to find a classmate in a different group and discuss what they learned from their activity sheet.  
  12. Wrap up the activity by reminding students that when cooking products, like turkey, food safety and the four steps (clean, separate, cook, and chill) must be followed to avoid illness. 

Elaborate:

Activity 5: Turkey Food Products and Marketing (90 minutes) 

  1. Place students in their original four groups.

  2. Have students recall their discussion about what they could prepare with turkey.

    • Note: If students did not participate in Activity 4, have them briefly discuss in their groups what products are made from or with turkey.

  3. Provide groups with Turkey Product Packaging Images, allow groups to discuss what they notice on the package. 

    • Potential Prompts: What words do you see? Are there bright colors or pictures? What stands out to you?

  4. Once group discussion dies down, bring groups back together to discuss as a class. Have each group share their findings. Keep track of findings in a location where all students can see.

    • Note: It is encouraged to create a chart to keep track of findings to model scientific data collection. For example, record the group number in each row and create columns for their findings on each label.  


    		•  Label 1 Label 2 Label 3
      Group 1:


      Group 2:


      Group 3:


      Group 4:



  5. Refer to the location of the groups’ findings and mention that these are all components of marketing.

  6. Discuss with students what they think it means to market a product based on the items they found on the packaging.

    • Consider mentioning topics such as:

      1. Deciding an audience to sell to.

      2. Marketing based on nutritional information.

      3. Making packaging look appealing.

      4. Clever ads or slogans.

  7. Let groups know that they will now be coming up with their own turkey recipe to market (as a poster) and discuss the components they will need to include:

    1. Identify a turkey recipe to promote. 

    2. Recipe nutrition information.

    3. Portray turkey accurately.

    4. A food safety component from their activity sheet in their recipe.

      • Examples could include wash your hands before handling the turkey, cook turkey to 165°, refrigerate leftovers right away, etc.

  8. Allow students to return to their groups to begin creating their recipe and poster.

    • Encourage students to research and be creative with their recipes!

  9. Once posters have been completed allow groups to “market” their product to the class.

Evaluate:

  • Projects may be judged in a class or a grade wide competition.
    • Projects may be scored using the official elementary division Gobble Up! Rubric.
    • Note: Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation is no longer hosting a statewide contest, but posters may be sent in for feedback from IALF’s team.

Did you know? (Ag Facts)

  • Iowa ranks 7th in U.S. turkey production, with approximately 12 million birds raised annually.
  • Iowa is 6th in the U.S. for turkey processing, with approximately 15.5 million turkeys processed annually.
  • Iowa raises mostly tom turkeys used for processed meats like lunch meat.
  • Domestic turkeys are white, whist wild turkeys are brown.
  • Turkeys are raised 100% free of added hormones and steroids. 

Extension Activities:

Suggested Companion Resources:

My Family's Turkey Farm by Katie Olthoff

Sources/Credits:

Author(s):

Alexandra Osborn

Chrissy Rhodes

Heather Collins

Melissa Nelson

Laura Mincks

Ellen Lupkes

Organization Affiliation:

Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation

Agriculture Literacy Outcomes:

  • T2.3-5d: Provide examples of specific ways farmers/ranchers meet the needs of animals.
  • T3.3-5b: Diagram the path of production for a processed product, from farm to table. 
  • T3.3-5e: Explain the practices of safe food handing, preparation, and storage. 
  • T3.3-5f: Identify careers in food, nutrition, and health.  
  • T5.3-5b: Discover that there are many jobs in agriculture.  

Iowa Core Standards:

  • 3rd Grade: 
    • Literacy: 
      • RI.3.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. 
      • W.3.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. 
        • A: Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension. 
        • B: Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.  
      • W.3.4: With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. 
      • W.3.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. 
      • SL.3.4: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. 
    • Science: 
      • 3-LS-1. Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles, but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.  
      • 3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.  
    • 21st Century Skills: 
      • 21.3-5.HL.1: Obtain, interpret, understand and use basic health concepts to enhance personal, family, and community health. 
  • 4th Grade: 
    • Literacy: 
      • RI.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.  
      • W.4.2: Write informative/explanatory tests to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. 
        • B: Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. 
        • D: Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. 
      • W.4.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 
      • W.4.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. 
      • Sl.4.4: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. 
    • Science: 
      • 4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.  
    • 21st Century Skills: 
      • 21.3-5.HL.1: Obtain, interpret, understand and use basic health concepts to enhance personal, family, and community health. 
  • 5th Grade: 
    • Literacy: 
      • RI.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.  
      • W.5.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. 
        • B: Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. 
        • D: Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.  
      • W.5.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 
      • W.5.7: Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.  
      • SL.5.4: Report on a topic or text or present and opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.  
    • 21st Century Skills: 
      • Obtain, interpret, understand, and use basic health concepts to enhance personal, family, and community health.