Future. Get Inspired! Growing. for the. February

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Barry Stewart
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1 Areas of Learning The World Around Us Personal Development and Mutual Understanding Learning Intentions We are learning: that potatoes are grown in many different countries around the world; how the Great Famine in Ireland caused people to emigrate; that microbes can be helpful as well as harmful; ways in which some materials can be reused for different purposes; to prepare, taste and name dishes that reflect cultural diversity; and to demonstrate good food safety practices when getting ready to store, prepare and cook food. Throughout the activities links to the curriculum skills have been signposted. Get Inspired! Around the World Display the word potato in different languages (Resource A). Explain that potatoes are grown all over the world. Display the World Potato Cultivation Map (available at brilliantmaps.com/potatoes/) showing some of the places they are grown. Explain that within countries, different potato varieties grow in particular regions, for example the Glens of Antrim and Comber in Northern Ireland. Show the children the Top 10 Potato Producing Countries video and statistics (see Discuss how statistics can change depending on the country and environmental and/or human factors, for example government decisions, drought, war, pests etc. Use The Great Famine in Ireland Each One Teach One cards provided in Resource B to discuss the potato blight (for more on Each One Teach One, see Active Learning and Teaching Methods for Key Stages 1 & 2, available at As part of the debrief, ask: Was there anything that surprised or shocked you? How do you think people were feeling during the famine? Explain that microbes are living things all around us, but we cannot see them without microscopes. Microbes include: Fungi Bacteria Viruses. Managing Information Find out what the children already know about some microbes. What can they find out about them? Be sure to emphasise that some are helpful while others are harmful and can cause disease in both plants and animals. Recap on the fact that the blight was caused by a fungal disease. Set up an experiment to see how quickly harmful fungus can spread. Key Using ICT Using Maths Communication 1

ing Groow f r the What you need Managing Information Tongs Unopened fresh bread 3 sealable food bags Labels Marker Warm water Soap Paper towels Instructions 1.

2 ing Groow f r the What you need Managing Information Tongs Unopened fresh bread 3 sealable food bags Labels Marker Warm water Soap Paper towels Instructions 1. Use the tongs to carefully remove a slice of bread from its packaging and place in a food bag. 2. Seal the bag and label it control. 3. Take a second slice of bread and pass it around the class, ensuring everyone touches it. 4. Seal it in a food bag and label it unwashed hands. 5. Ensure that everyone washes their hands thoroughly with warm water and soap and dries them using paper towels. 6. Pass a third piece of bread around for everyone to handle. 7. Place the piece of bread in a food bag, seal the bag and label it clean hands. Leave the bags somewhere where changes can be observed over 2 3 weeks. Note significant observations using the following questions: When did mould begin to appear? On which bread sample did mould appear first? Why? What colour is the mould? Where on the bread did the mould begin to grow? Did it spread? Where? Ensure the bags remain sealed throughout the experiment and dispose of them when finished; inhaling mould spores is harmful. Ask the children to consider where the microbes must have been living and discuss the importance of hand hygiene to prevent the spread of harmful germs. Interesting Fact Microbes are living everywhere in the soil, on rocks, even in and on our bodies! 2

Northern Ireland Farmer John Clarke John Clarke was born into a farming family near Ballycastle, Northern Ireland in 1889. He left school at the age of 11 to help on the farm.

He discovered the solution to potato blight by developing a potato that cropped in the spring, therefore avoiding the summer when warmth and rain encouraged the fungus to spread and grow more quickly.

3 Northern Ireland Farmer John Clarke John Clarke was born into a farming family near Ballycastle, Northern Ireland in He left school at the age of 11 to help on the farm. He continued to read books and learned Dutch, Italian and German so that he could correspond with people interested in farming methods. He discovered the solution to potato blight by developing a potato that cropped in the spring, therefore avoiding the summer when warmth and rain encouraged the fungus to spread and grow more quickly. His first newly-bred potato was the Ulster Monarch (1936). Managing Information Explain that in the 1800s, people needed to combat crop growth difficulties and today we do exactly the same; the difference nowadays is we have more research scientists, laboratories and sophisticated equipment. 3

4 Get Growing! Growing Potatoes Indoors and Outdoors Being Creative Discuss what plants need in order to survive (light, water and oxygen). Explain to the children that they are going to begin growing chitted potatoes in preparation for planting them outdoors in 4 6 weeks. Organise the class into six groups, with each group responsible for planting one of the chitted potatoes. Each group will need the items listed below. What you need 1 chitted potato 1 deep pot Compost Stones Watering can Instructions 1. Put a few stones in the bottom of the pot for drainage. 2. Cover with compost, leaving 12 cm from the top of the pot. 3. Carefully place the chitted potato in the soil with the shoots facing upwards. 4. Gently cover the potato completely with soil. 5. Water the plants and place them in an area where there is light. 6. Wash hands after handling the soil. 7. Water the plants over the next 4 6 weeks. 8. Observe and record details of the potato plant growth by: measuring shoots; recording details of colour, number of leaves etc.; and using photographs as supporting evidence. 9. At the end of the 4 6 weeks, take the plants out of their pots so that root growth can be considered before planting outdoors. 4

5 Why not use this opportunity to recap on the needs of plants by changing the growing conditions the variables for each pot (see Resource C)? During the 4 6 week period, ask the children to think about the places or containers they could use to plant potatoes outdoors in April. Being Creative Show the children images on the interactive whiteboard of potato containers, including potato bags, wire cylinders, potato towers, raised beds etc. Play the video 10 Ways to Grow Potatoes: Potato Planting Ideas available at balconygardenweb.com If you don t have a school garden, you should think of other inventive potato containers, such as a: laundry basket; bin; used tyre; pair of jeans; or bucket. 5

6 Get Cooking! Making Potato Bread Managing Information In advance of this lesson, have prepared a basket of different breads, some of which would be traditionally associated with Northern Ireland and others that would be traditionally associated with other countries, for example soda bread, wheaten bread and potato bread (Northern Ireland), baguette and croissants (France), doughnuts (America), pitta bread (Greece), naan (India), tortillas (Mexico), and ciabatta and focaccia (Italy). Show the children a basket with different types of bread in it. Explain that some were baked here and some have been imported. This demonstrates how international trade is an important part of our economy. As transport and communication have greatly developed, we can now enjoy foods that we would not have had in the past. Show the children the packet of potato bread and ask if they know of any other names it might be called, for example potato farl, fadge, tatie bread or slim. Have they ever eaten this, perhaps with a fry? Explain that potato bread is traditional in Northern Ireland and that it was made traditionally on a griddle, a flat hot iron plate, but nowadays it is cooked in the pan. Display the potato bread recipes from Sow, Grow, Munch on the interactive whiteboard. As the children make their bread move between the groups to advise and support them and encourage them to apply the correct techniques. Use appropriate vocabulary, for example: Mash the potatoes firmly. Sprinkle in the baking powder. Shape the rounds to 2.5 cm. Encourage the children to use their senses throughout the process, using questions such as: How does the mixture feel? How does it look as each ingredient is added or mixed through? How does it smell as it cooks? Once cooked, how does it taste? 6

7 Resource A Potato in Different Languages potato English prátaí Irish papa Spanish Kartoffel German tŭdòu Chinese pomme de terre French patata Italian batata Portuguese ziemniak Polish patates Turkish aardappel Dutch картошка Russian albtatis Arabic aaloo Hindi poteto Japanese 7

8 Resource B Each One Teach One Cards The Great Famine in Ireland 1. The Great Famine was also known as the Great Hunger. 2. The famine happened in Total deaths equalled approximately one million. 4. The famine was caused by potato blight. 5. The population fell by 20 25%. 6. More than a million people emigrated from Ireland. 7. The potato blight made potatoes rot. 8. Landlords in Ireland were feared by their tenants. 9. Tenant holdings were so small that nothing other than potatoes would grow. 10. One third of all families could not pay their rent. 8

9 11. Potato blight is caused by a fungus. The fungus lives in the soil and attacks the potato plant. It can destroy a whole crop in as little as 10 days. 12. A plot of land could mean the difference between life and death in the early nineteenth century. 13. The potato was introduced to Ireland as a garden crop of the gentry. 14. The potato became the principal food of Ireland because the main diet still revolved around butter, milk and grain products. 15. In the first two decades of the eighteenth century it became the food of the poor. 16. The Irish Lumper was the main potato grown. 17. Before the famine, the potato crop was used extensively as a fodder crop for livestock. 18. How the blight arrived in Ireland is uncertain. 19. Some believed the diseased potatoes came from the eastern United States. 9

10 20. The blight spread rapidly. 21. In 1846, three quarters of the harvest was lost to blight. 22. Three million Irish people were totally dependent on the potato for food; famine was inevitable. 23. Younger members of families emigrated. 24. The same numbers of men and women emigrated. 25. The emigrants sent money home to their families in Ireland, which in turn, allowed another family member to emigrate. 26. The ships people emigrated in were known as coffin ships, as they were overcrowded and poorly maintained and many deaths happened. 27. After the famine, the potato remained Ireland s staple crop. 28. Emigration has been an important source of inspiration for songs throughout the world. 10

11 Resource C Pot Test Variable to be changed 1 Does the potato need water? Do not water the plant. Leave it in the light. 2 Does the potato need light? Water the plant. Leave it in a dark cupboard. 3 Does the potato need oxygen? Water the plant. Secure a clear plastic bag over the top. Leave it in the light. 4 Does the potato need water, light and oxygen? 5 Does the potato need water, light, air and warm temperatures? 6 Does the potato need water, light, air and cool temperatures? This is the control. Water the plant. Leave it in the light. Water the plant. Leave it in the light in a warm place. Water the plant. Leave it in the light in a cool place. 11

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