Gobble Up!
Welcome to Gobble Up!
The Gobble Up! Turkey Learning Unit is designed to help enhance students’ understanding of turkey production, nutrition, and marketing through interactive activities, projects, and resources.
Previously a statewide marketing contest, our 2024 redesign of Gobble Up! is intended to better meet educator and student needs and interests. With specialized units for grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12, we aim to provide an opportunity for every classroom to learn more about one of Iowa’s biggest industries while meeting Iowa Academic Standards. Each unit is accompanied by a pacing guide to give teachers the ultimate flexibility of implementation with activities ranging from 20 to 90 minutes.
Access your grades’ unit below or by searching for “Gobble Up!” in our Iowa Lesson Plans matrix. Sign up here to receive a free Gobble Up! kit (yours to keep) and for information on our Turkey FarmChat.
Gobble Up! Turkey Learning Unit Lessons
Recorded and Upcoming Virtual Events
Sign up here to receive information about our upcoming turkey FarmChat and a free Gobble Up! kit (yours to keep). For kits specific to your grade level with all materials needed for all five Gobble Up! activities in the curriculum, contact info@iowaagliteracy.org to request checkout dates.
Learn more about the poultry industry through our recorded Ag in Action - All About Poultry FarmChats
- Turkey Farming. View recording here.
- Unique Poultry. View recording here.
- Food Safety and Preparation. Video recording here.
What is Gobble Up?
The Gobble Up! Turkey Learning Unit is an exciting cross-curricular program for elementary, middle, and high school students to engage with and understand turkey production. This experiential learning unit, when fully implemented, will allow your students to creatively develop a marketing strategy for a product of their choice, while learning about the multitude of agricultural careers and skills it takes to develop and sell a product. Students will also learn about the turkey production industry and turkey nutrition as a result of participation. All activities and resources are funded in part by the Iowa Turkey Marketing Federation and the USPoultry Foundation.
What is the objective of the unit?
Students will increase their understanding of turkey production, nutrition, and marketing through interactive activities, projects, and resources.
What grade levels are included in the unit?
There are three sets of curriculum: elementary (grades 3-5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12). Each level has different activities tailored to meet Iowa Academic Standards.
What's the timeline?
Activities may be implemented at any time of the year. Activities take a different amount of time; 20-90 minutes. See specific unit plans for detailed classroom activities.
Curriculum Connections
Students who fully participate in this unit have the opportunity to learn about health literacy, nutrition, food safety, writing skills, careers, and many aspects of animal agriculture. Alignment with Iowa Academic Standards is detailed in each activity for targeted grades.
Resources
Use these lessons and resources to bolster the marketing and turkey concepts. Further resources are included in each unit.
Elementary Lessons
- Animals in Iowa
- FoodMASTER: Meat, Poultry, and Fish
- Turkeys Talk Math
- A Rafter of Turkeys
- Bring Home the Blue, Not the Flu!
- Turkey Turmoil
- Avian Influenza - Supply and Demand
Middle School Lessons
- FoodMASTER Middle: Protein
- The Geography of Thanksgiving Dinner
- Eggs on the Menu
- FoodMASTER Middle: Eggs
- Hen House Engineering
- The Geography of Thanksgiving Dinner
- Bring Home the Blue, Not the Flu!
High School Lessons
- U.S. Poultry and Egg Curriculum
- Hen House Engineering
- Weighing in on Egg Labels, Supply, and Demand
- The Geography of Thanksgiving Dinner
- Bring Home the Blue, Not the Flu!
Videos
- My Family's Turkey Farm read aloud
- Turkey Production video playlist
- Talking Turkey with Josephine: A Visit to the Farm
Other Resources
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