Tours of the farm involve stops in the garden, the farmhouse and the barn. Here you’ll find topics of tours and TEKS alignments.

Tour information by grade level:

• Grades K-2
• Grades 3-6
• Grades 7-12

Grade Levels K-2

What is a Farm?

We’ll show students who and what lives on a farm and talk about raising crops and livestock for food. Big picture:

• Garden: Science (needs of plants, seeds, sun/water/soil), Social Studies (farmers as producers).
• Kitchen and house: Social Studies (needs of humans, old vs. modern technology, family life), Science (resources like water, heat and light).
• Barn and animals: Science (needs of animals, dependence on environment), Social Studies (role of animals in food and work).

Kindergarten TEKS

Science:

• K.9A – Observe, identify, and describe the basic needs of plants and animals.
• K10A – Observe and describe ways that living organisms depend on each other and their environment.
• K.10B – Observe and record physical characteristics of animals.
• K.3B – Collect data and make observations using senses.

Social Studies:

• K.6A – Identify basic human needs of food, clothing, and shelter.
• K.6B – Explain the difference between needs and wants.
• K.7A – Identify jobs in the home, school, and community. (farmers as community helpers)
• K.12A – Identify how technology has changed the way people live (old vs. modern farm tools, stoves, water access).

English Language Arts:

• K.1E – Engage actively in group reading/activities with purpose and understanding.
• K.6A – Discuss topics and concepts introduced.

Grade 1 TEKS

Science:

• 1.9A – Investigate the basic needs of plants and animals.
• 1.9B – Describe how living things depend on each other.
• 1.10A – Investigate how plants and animals use their external parts to survive.

Social Studies:

• 1.6A – Identify needs of humans such as food, clothing, and shelter.
• 1.6B – Explain how families meet human needs.
• 1.7A – Identify examples of technology used in the home and school (old vs. new farm life).
• 1.17A – Create and interpret visuals, such as maps, pictures, and diagrams. (house layout, farm map)

Math:

• 1.8A – Collect, sort, and organize data. (Which vegetables do kids like? What animals are on a farm?)

Grade 2 TEKS

Science:

• 2.9A – Identify the basic needs of plants and animals.
• 2.9C – Explore how animals depend on plants and other animals.
• 2.10A – Observe, record, and compare characteristics of living organisms.
• 2.10C – Explore how animals and plants use resources in their environments.

Social Studies:

• 2.6A – Identify ways in which people depend on the physical environment (farms provide food, shelter, and clothing).
• 2.7A – Explain how work provides goods and services.
• 2.7B – Explain the roles of producers and consumers (farmers grow food, families buy it).
• 2.18A – Express ideas orally based on knowledge and experiences (sharing their thoughts during station activities).

English Language Arts:

• 2.7A – Discuss topics and concepts with peers.
• 2/9D – Describe personal connections to ideas in text (connecting farm life to their home life).

Grade Levels 3-6

Early to Bed, Early to Rise: Life on a German-Texan Farm

Life on a German-Texan farm meant hard work for everyone in the family. Children, parents and even grandparents all had important roles to play in keeping the farm running. This program explores chores, food, school, clothing, transportation, play, and how environment and culture shaped daily life.

Science TEKS

• 3.1B – Make informed choices in the use and conservation of natural resources by recycling or reusing materials.
• 3.9A – Observe and describe the physical characteristics of environments and how they support populations and communities.
• 4.7A – Examine the properties and uses of natural resources.
• 5.9C – Predict the effects of changes in ecosystems caused by living organisms, including humans.
• 6.12A – Investigate how human activities such as farming and urbanization can affect the environment.

Social Studies TEKS

• Grade 3
  • 3.2B – Identify ways in which people in the local community and other communities meet their needs for government, education, communication, transportation, and recreation.
  • 3.4D – Describe the effects of human processes such as farming, building homes, and conservation in shaping the landscape.
  • 3.7A – Explain how humans depend on, adapt to, and modify the physical environment.
  • 3.13A – Identify and compare traditions, customs, and celebrations of diverse groups in the community and other places.
• Grade 4 (Texas History focus)

• 4.2A – Explain the reasons for European exploration and colonization of Texas and North America.
• 4.8A – Describe the geographic factors that influenced patterns of settlement in Texas.
• 4.19A – Describe the contributions of people of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups to Texas.
• 4.22A – Identify the development of economic activities in Texas over time (farming, ranching, trade).

• Grade 5 (U.S. History focus)

• 5.7B – Explain the geographic factors that influenced settlement patterns and population distribution in the United States.
• 5.8A – Describe how and why people adapted to and modified their environment in the United States.
• 5.12A – Compare how people in different regions of the United States earned a living, past and present.
• 5.12C – Analyze the effects of immigration and migration on economic development and growth.
• 5.21A – Describe the customs and traditions of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups in the U.S.

• Grade 6 (World Cultures and Geography focus)

• 6.3A – Identify and explain the geographic factors responsible for population distribution in places and regions.
• 6.3B – Explain ways in which human migration influences the character of places and regions.
• 6.20A – Answer geographic questions, including: Where is it located? Why is it there? What is significant about its location? How is its location related to other places?
• 6.21A – Identify and describe examples of limited resources and explain the choices people make.

Grade Levels 7-12

Changing Technologies in a Changing World

Students explore how new technologies, immigration and global markets shaped daily life in Texas, the U.S. and the world. From farming innovations and food preservation to shifts in labor, migration and trade, students analyze how people adapted, economies transformed, and cultures evolved in response to change.

Grade 7 (Texas History)

• 7.10A – Identify why immigrant groups came to Texas and where they settled.
• 7.10B – Describe how immigration and migration influenced Texas society and culture.
• 7.12A – Analyze how Texas’s economy became interdependent with the U.S. and the world.
• 7.18B – Explain how cultural groups maintained heritage while adapting to Texas culture.
• 7.19A – Compare types and uses of technology, past and present.
• 7.19D – Evaluate how scientific discoveries and technological innovations affected use of natural resources.

Grade 8 (U.S. History to 1877)

• 8.11A – Analyze how physical geography influenced settlement and economic activity.
• 8.23A – Identify racial, ethnic, and religious groups that immigrated to the U.S. and their reasons for immigration.
• 8.27A – Explain the effects of technological innovations such as the cotton gin, steamboat, and telegraph.
• 8.28A – Analyze how scientific discoveries and technological innovations impacted daily life in the U.S.

Grade 10 (World History)

• WH.16A – Identify major technological innovations and explain their impact on societies.
• WH.16C – Explain how scientific discoveries and technological innovations have transformed production and communication.
• WH.17B – Explain how trade and interdependence shaped global economies.

Grade 11 (U.S. History)

• US.13A–B – Analyze causes and effects of migration and immigration on U.S. demographics and culture.
• US.25C – Explain how contributions of diverse groups shaped American culture.
• US.26A – Explain effects of innovations (electric power, telephone, petroleum, steel, etc.) on U.S. economic development.
• US.27A – Analyze how technological innovations and free enterprise improved the standard of living (transportation, communication, industry).
• US.15D – Describe the economic effects of international conflicts (Spanish-American War, WWI) on the U.S. economy.

Grade 12 (Economics)

• E.1A–C – Explain scarcity and choice; describe how societies answer economic questions (what, how, for whom); identify factors of production.
• E.2A – Understand effects of changes in price on supply and demand.
• E.5A – Analyze the impact of international trade on the U.S. economy.