Gobble Up! Turkey Learning Unit - Middle School Lesson
Author
Published
8/13/2020
Target Grade Level / Age Range:
6-8
Estimated Time:
- Activity 1 – What are Turkeys? 45 minutes
- Activity 2 – How are Turkeys Raised? 45 minutes
- Activity 3 – Turkey Production and Careers 20 minutes
- Activity 4 - Turkey Nutrition and Food Safety 45 minutes
- Activity 5 – Turkey Food Products and Marketing 90 minutes
Purpose:
Students will understand turkey production, nutrition, and marketing.
Materials:
- Activity 1 – What are Turkeys?
- Turkey Feather
- Turkey Deli Meat
- Microscopes (2)
- Toothpick
- Blank microscope slide
- Cover slip
- Methylene Blue
- Activity 2 – How are Turkeys Raised?
- No materials
- Activity 3 – Turkey Production and Careers
- No materials
- Activity 4 – Turkey Nutrition and Food Safety
- No materials
- Activity 5 – Turkey Food Products and Marketing
- Digital art software - Paint, Publisher, Canva, etc. (optional)
- Word processor or similar (i.e. MS Word, Google Docs, etc.)
Essential Files (maps, charts, pictures, or documents):
- Activity 1 – What are Turkeys?
- Turkey Features.pdf (printed front and back)
- Turkey Microscope Exploration.pdf
- Activity 2 – How are Turkeys Raised?
- Activity 3 – Turkey Production and Careers
- Activity 4 – Turkey Nutrition and Safety
- Activity 5– Turkey Food Products and Marketing
- No files needed
Vocabulary:
- Background – Agricultural Connections
- Tom – a male turkey
- Hen – a female turkey
- Nutrition – science related to healthy and balanced diets
- Gregarious – fond of company or sociable
- Domestic – An animal that has been tamed is genetically different from wild ancestors. Domestic animals are kept by humans for work, food or as a pet.
- Biosecurity – measures aimed at preventing the introduction, or spread, of harmful organisms in order to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious disease.
- Activity 1 – What are Turkeys?
- Growth Rate – The rate at which an animal gains weight.
- Traits – characteristics that can be described or measured.
- Market Weight – The weight at which turkeys are able to be sold for processing (currently an average of 38 pounds for toms).
- Hatchability - The likelihood of an egg to successfully hatch.
- Fertility – The ability to conceive.
- Artificial Selection – The human selection of breeding pairs to produce favorable offspring.
- Activity 2 – How are Turkeys Raised?
- Nitrogen (N) – a nonmetallic element that makes up 78% of Earth’s atmosphere.
- Phosphorus (P) – a nonmetallic chemical element that is the 12th most abundant in the Earth’s crust.
- Potassium (K) – a chemical element in the alkali metal group that is the 7th most abundant in the Earth’s crust.
- Carbohydrates – formed by green plants using carbon dioxide and water during photosynthesis. Serve as an energy source for animals.
- Cellular Respiration – the metabolic process in living organisms by which oxygen is combined with carbon into a cell to form carbon dioxide and generate energy.
- Co-Product – products that are not the main result of the production process but are produced jointly or sequentially with another product.
- Litter – the material that covers the floor of turkey confinements containing bedding material, feathers, and etc.
- Activity 3 – Turkey Production and Careers
- Goods – merchandise or possessions bought and sold at markets.
- Producers – someone that makes, grows, or supplies goods for sale.
- Supply Chain – the sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a good.
- Beak Conditioning – the utilization of infra-red technology to treat the tip of the beak to wear down as the turkey eats, resulting in a more rounded beak tip. This is done to protect turkeys from injuring each other with their sharp beak tips.
- Activity 4 – Turkey Nutrition and Food Safety
- Calorie – a unit of energy equivalent to the heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C, often used to express the nutritional value of foods.
- Vitamin – any of a group of organic compounds which are essential for normal growth and nutrition and required in small quantities in the diet because they cannot be synthesized by the body.
- Protein – any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds that have large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids and are an essential part of all living organisms.
- Sodium – a chemical element of the alkali metal group that is the sixth most abundant element on Earth.
- B Vitamins – essential vitamins in facilitating the metabolic processes of all forms of animal life.
- Saturated Fat – a fatty acid in which the hydrocarbon molecules have a hydrogen atom on every carbon and thus are fully hydrogenated, usually considered unhealthy fats.
- Trans Fat – fat produced from the industrial process of hydrogenation, in which molecular hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, thereby converting liquid fat to semisolid fat, usually considered unhealthy fats.
- Fiber – dietary material containing substances such as cellulose, lignin, and pectin, that are resistant to the action of digestive enzymes.
- Sugars – any of the class of soluble, crystalline, typically sweet-tasting carbohydrates found in living tissues and exemplified by glucose and sucrose.
- Vitamin A – another term for retinol, a yellow compound essential for growth and for vision in dim light.
- Vitamin C – another term for ascorbic acid, a vitamin essential in maintaining healthy connective tissue, also though the act as an antioxidant.
- Calcium – one of the alkaline-earth metals that is the most abundant metallic element in the human body and the fifth most abundant in Earth’s crust.
- Iron – a chemical element that makes up 5% of Earth’s crust and supports hemoglobin in the human body to provide oxygen to damaged cells.
- Activity 5 – Turkey Food Products and Marketing
- Marketing – promoting and selling goods, including market research and advertising.
- Advertising – producing advertisements meant to encourage the sale of a good.
- Demographic – a particular sector of the population, grouped by factors such as age, gender, income, location, career, interests, and more.
Background – Agricultural Connections:
This unit is written to provide information about turkey production, nutrition, and marketing for students in grades 6-8. This unit is part of a scaffolding series aimed at different ages groups. For lessons aimed at grades 3-5 or 9-12, visit IowaAgLiteracy.org.
This unit includes five activities that can be broken up into 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 turkeys to students and allows them to investigate their traits and characteristics.
- Activity Two details how domestic (farm) turkeys are raised and how turkey production encompasses the cycling of matter and flow of energy.
- Activity Three illustrates how turkey goes from “tom to table,” immersing students in the turkey supply chain and the careers in the turkey industry.
- Activity Four covers food safety and nutrition, introducing students to turkey food products and turkey nutrition.
- Activity Five allows students to explore common labeling terms and engage in the marketing process by creating their own 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.
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 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 from 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 or commonly “bird flu”) is one of the most common and detrimental diseases for 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. You can 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)!
Turkey production also plays an important role in energy flow and matter cycling. Turkeys are part of a larger ecosystem that utilize energy from plant life and cycle that energy and matter into other forms. They play a key part in Iowa’s agriculture system, in more ways than one.
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.” 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 explore what terms are commonly used when creating marketing campaigns for turkey products. Marketers learn about a product, determine a demographic to purchase the product, and create a plan to sell the product. Students will create a project to advertise a turkey 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:
- Have students view Visit an Iowa Turkey Farm (9:06)
- While viewing, have students take notes of things they noticed or found interesting surrounding turkey farms.
- After watching, have students share with a partner the notes they took during the video.
- Let students know that through this unit they will be further exploring the turkey industry.
Procedures:
- Begin by asking students what they already know about turkeys. Keep track of all of their answers on the board.
- Here are some example questions to start the discussion:
- What are turkeys used for?
- What do turkeys look like?
- What type of animals are turkeys?
- How do we raise turkeys?
- After students have answered what they already know about turkeys, split the class into groups. Each group will receive a set of Turkey Features.pdf (print opposing traits on different sides of the same card. Explain that the group should try and create the ideal turkey using the cards.
- Students should work within their groups to pick 1 trait from each card.
- The groups will write a claim on a sheet of paper about why their group’s turkey is the ideal turkey and use evidence from the cards to support it.
- After all groups have finished building their turkey and writing their claim students will participate in a gallery walk to view each groups chosen traits and claim about why the turkey is ideal.
- Each group will rotate counterclockwise around the room to look at the other turkeys that have been built.
- At each station the group will discuss the following questions:
- Is there anything similar between this turkey and our turkey?
- Is there anything different about this turkey and our turkey?
- Does this group's reasoning change my mind about any choices I made?
- After groups have visited all the stations bring the class back together as a whole. Ask the class “What causes turkeys to have different traits?”
- Possible student answers: DNA, Genetics, Cells
- Explain to students that today's turkeys have been bred using artificial selection. Turkeys that have desirable traits are bred to create offspring that also have those traits. While all the traits' students explored are important to creating a successful flock of domestic turkeys, the most common traits bred for are high weight, high egg production, and good leg and joint health.
- All the traits that students chose between look the way they do because of the animal's cells and DNA. That DNA is determined by the animals' genetics. Every trait that the students had to choose between was influenced by the animals' cells and DNA.
- Students will now look at two different parts of a turkey under a microscope to see what the cells look like.
- One microscope should have a slide containing turkey deli meat. The other microscope should have a turkey feather for students to view.
- Directions to create the turkey deli meat slide:
- Using a toothpick, scrape a single piece of turkey to retrieve material. This is your collected specimen.
- Smear the material collected into the center of a clean slide.
- Allow the smear to dry.
- Add a small drop of methylene blue to the center of the smear to stain the slide.
- Place the edge of a cover slip down on one end of stain. Slowly lower the coverslip at an angle to avoid air bubbles.
- This video is a good example of creating a slide using the same techniques: https://youtu.be/J3HfSss5YPs?si=OFXqTgXUksbiBAce
- Directions to view turkey feather under the microscope:
- Wash and dry feather with a 75% alcohol solution as needed.
- Secure feather to microscope stage or slide using tape.
- Students will use the Turkey Microscope Exploration.pdf sheet to document their findings.
- Have students record observations and what questions those observations led to on the second page of the Turkey Microscope Exploration sheet.
- Ask all students to share what they observed and why they think the different parts of the turkey look different.
- Wrap up student discussion by connecting student observation to the idea that different cells and body structures have different purposes for the wellbeing of the turkey (Feather = insulation, camouflage, flight; muscle cells = movement and storage energy) and that other animals’ structures are similarly advantageous to them.
- Begin this activity by having students break into groups of 2 or 3.
- Give each group a printed set of cards from the Turkey Matter and Energy Flow Cards.pdf packet/cards (do not give students the red and green arrows yet)
- Ask students to work in their group to put the various cards in order. Explain that this is a cycle and will be shaped like a circle.
- After all of the groups have completed their order, bring the class together for a short discussion.
- Ask students to share what order they had their cards in?
- The correct order is soil, crops, turkey feed, poults, toms, litter, and then it circles back to soil.
- If this is a cycle, what things are cycling through it?
- Example answers: energy, matter, plants, nutrients.
- If students gave the answers energy or matter, then use that to prompt this explanation. If they did not, then begin to explain that both energy and matter move through cycles.
- Give each group a set of green matter arrows. Each group should place these arrows between the cards in the cycle they created to represent the flow of matter.
- After all of the groups have completed placing their green arrows give them a set of red energy arrows. Have them place these arrows between the cards of their original cycle to represent how energy moves through the cycle.
- As a class review the correct order of how energy and matter move through the system. The correct order is shown in the image below.
Explore/Explain
Activity 1 – What are Turkeys?
Activity 2 – How are Turkeys Raised?
- Begin by asking students what they know about turkeys and how it gets from the farm to our table. As students begin answering, write their answers on the board.
- Take 6-7 examples before moving onto the next step.
- Possible Responses: Farmers raise them, processing plants, buy meat at the grocery store.
- Let students know that this process is referred to as a supply chain and they will be spending this next activity investigating the turkey industry supply chain and associated careers.
- Split students into pairs or small groups and give them the From Tom to Table (6-8).pdf.
- Have students work together to use prior knowledge about lifecycles and what they have learned so far about turkeys to put the steps in order.
- When complete, tell students this order of events is the supply chain.
- When groups have placed their cards in chronological order, groups walk around to each other group’s cards to compare.
- After groups have reviewed each other's cards, provide each group with a set of the From Tom to Table Careers.pdf.
- Groups should read about each of the careers and then place them under the spot in the timeline where they believe that career would take place.
- If a career can take place at multiple points along the supply chain, have students take note of where else that career can be found.
- Once all of the groups have placed their careers, have a whole class discussion about where they placed the careers and why.
- There is no correct or incorrect order for the cards. They are interchangeable among the different steps. Rather, the students should have reasoning behind where they placed their cards.
- Use the following questions to help facilitate the discussion with students:
- Which career did you put at which location? Why?
- What if this career did not exist?
- What other careers could be at these locations?
- Are there careers that were not included in the cards that could take place here?
- Have students share with a partner which career discussed was the most intriguing to them.
- Begin by asking the class what they know about food safety using the following questions.
- Why is food safety important?
- People can get sick from bacteria in food that isn't properly handled.
- What are some ways you can practice food safety?
- Keep cooking spaces clean, wash your hands, store food properly, cook food to the correct temperature, and prevent cross contamination.
- Have students work in groups and choose a recipe from Everyday Turkey — Iowa Turkey Federation. Have students use the Food Safety and Turkey sheet to create a food safety plan for the recipe of their choice.
- Groups should make a plan of what food safety practices should be used if someone were to cook this recipe and what exactly someone should do. For example, if a recipe includes someone cooking with ground turkey, the group should include how the turkey should be stored, how the prep surfaces should be cleaned, how often hands should be washed and what temperature the turkey should be cooked to.
- When groups have completed their food safety plan for their chosen recipe, they will be creating a nutrition label.
- Groups should input their ingredients and measurements into the following website to generate a nutrition label for their recipe: Nutrition calculator: computes nutrition value of a meal
- After creating the nutrition label, groups should review the label and additional information provided on the site to determine if their recipe could be considered healthy.
- Using this information, groups should develop a claim supporting their choice (healthy or unhealthy), as well as develop a counterclaim supporting the other choice.
- After groups have finished their food safety plan and nutrition labels, allow them to share with the class.
- Optional: After all groups have shared, create a virtual or physical class turkey recipe book.
- Have students recall the marketer career from the Tom to Table Careers activity (Activity 3) and facilitate a short discussion regarding why a marketer would be important in the turkey industry
- Note: If students did not complete this activity, have students brainstorm how they might describe the job of a marketer.
- Potential answers: product knowledge, increased sales, getting products into more locations
- Have students break out into groups and have each group brainstorm a list of words that a marketer might use to advertise and label turkey products.
- Potential answers: fresh, juicy, local, all-natural
- Once groups have developed their own lists, have groups share out what they came up with and keep track of words on the board.
- When all groups have shared, choose one word and ask students what comes to mind when they hear that word.
- Example: Fresh – high quality, not frozen, healthy
- Next, ask students if they think this term is regulated or not, meaning that companies must follow certain rules to be able to utilize them. Let students know that they will be investigating this.
- Have each group visit the Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms page on the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service website. Assign each group a poultry term from the list and gather the definition and regulation information for that term.
- Term Options:
- Free Range/Free Roaming
- Fresh Poultry
- Natural
- No Hormones (Pork or Poultry)
- No Antibiotics
- Organic
- Once all groups have gathered their information, allow each group to share their term with the rest of the class.
- After all groups have shared, ask students if they were surprised by any of the terms and their regulations for use. Ask if there are any terms they would utilize for their own turkey product labels or advertisements.
- Have students turn back to their groups and let them know that they will now be developing a marketing plan for a turkey recipe of their choice.
- Note: If students completed Activity 4 – they may choose to use their recipe and nutrition information from this activity
- Once groups have developed their marketing plans, allow them to “market” their product to the class.
- Projects may be judged in a class or grade wide competition.
- Projects may be scored using the official middle school division Gobble Up! Rubric.
- Note: Iowa Ag Literacy Foundation is no longer hosting a statewide contest, but posters may be sent in for feedback from IALF’s team.

Activity 3 – Turkey Production and Careers
Activity 4 – Turkey Nutrition and Food Safety
Elaborate
Activity 5 – Turkey Food Products and Marketing
Evaluate
Did you know? (Ag facts):
- Iowa is the 6th highest turkey producing state with 11.7 million birds
- Iowa raises mostly tom turkeys used for processed meats (like lunchmeat)
- Domestic turkeys are white, not brown
- Turkeys are never raised with the use of hormones or steroids
- Turkeys are raised in barns to keep them comfortable and safe
- Iowa has two turkey processing facilities. Tyson Foods in Storm Lake and West Liberty Foods in West Liberty.
Extension Activities:
- As a class, make one of the turkey products! Include steps like food safety, nutrition of the product, safe use of kitchen tools, and a taste test.
- Schedule a FarmChat© with industry professionals, like farmers, veterinarians, marketers, advertisers, food scientists, butchers, or more!
- ELA Turkey Lessons – Make turkeys cross curricular by having students learn about perspective, dialogue, poetry and more!
- USDA Flock Defender – Learn more about biosecurity through the Education Kit and the Flock Facts games.
Suggested Companion Resources:
- Supply and Demand – Learn about how supply and demand impact prices.
- Where Does Your Food Come From – Students will create an augmented reality video to educate consumers about where their food comes from.
Sources/Credits:
- (2011). (rep.). https://www.fsis.usda.gov/. Retrieved 2024, from https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/import/Chicken_Turkey_Nutrition_Facts.pdf.
Food Safety and Inspection Service. Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms | Food Safety and Inspection Service. (2024, July 2). https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms
Healthy Eating Made Easy. National Turkey Federation. (2023a, June 8). https://www.eatturkey.org/healthy-eating-made-easy/
How to Cook the Perfect Turkey. National Turkey Federation. (2022, March 31). https://www.eatturkey.org/cooking-turkey/
Lavine, A. (2020, March 10). Growth Chart - Turkeys. Maple Creek Poultry Processing. https://www.maplecreekpoultry.com/notes-and-information/growth-chart-turkeys
Lawrence, J. D., & Bortz, L. (2008). (rep.). Iowa Area Development Group. Retrieved 2024, from https://www.iadg.com/webres/File/Industry%20Reports/TurkeyReport2008.pdf.
Our Industry. Iowa Turkey Federation. (n.d.). https://iowaturkey.org/our-industry
O’Brien, S. (2023, July 4). Turkey: Nutrition, calories, benefits, and more. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/turkey#nutrients
Price, E. (2023, December 19). Your guide to different marketing roles. All Business Schools. https://www.allbusinessschools.com/marketing/job-description/
Raising America’s turkeys. National Turkey Federation. (2023b, June 2). https://www.eatturkey.org/raising-turkeys/
Turkey sector: Background & statistics. USDA ERS - Turkey Sector: Background & Statistics. (2023). https://www.ers.usda.gov/newsroom/trending-topics/turkey-sector-background-statistics/
Author(s):
Alyson McCarty
Ellen Lupkes
Organization Affiliation:
Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation
Agriculture Literacy Outcomes:
- T3.6-8.a. Demonstrate safe methods for food handling, preparation, and storage in the home.
T3.6-8.b. Evaluate food labels to determine food sources that meet nutritional needs.
T3.6-8.c. Evaluate serving size related to nutritional needs.
T3.6-8.g. Identify agricultural products (foods) that provide valuable nutrients for a balanced diet.
T3.6-8.j. Identify the careers in food production, processing, and nutrition that are essential for a healthy food supply.
T4.6-8.g. Identify science careers related to both producers and consumers of agricultural products.
T5.6-8.b. Distinguish between careers in production (farmers and ranchers) with those that directly involve consumers (business and nutrition).
Iowa Core Standards:
- 6th grade
- Literacy
- RI.6.7: Integrate information presented in different media or formats as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue. (DOK 3,4)
- W.6.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through selection, organization and analysis of relevant content. (DOK 3,4)
- a. Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting, graphics, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
- b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
- W.6.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate. (DOK 3,4)
- Mathematics
- 6.RP.a.1: Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. (DOK 1,2)
- Literacy
- W.7.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through selection, organization and analysis of relevant content. (DOK 3,4)
- a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what it is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting, graphics, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
- b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
- W.7.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation. (DOK 3,4)
- Literacy
- W.8.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through selection, organization and analysis of relevant content. (DOK 3,4)
- a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what it is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting, graphics, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
- b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
- W.8.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. (DOK 3,4)
7th grade
8th grade