Agricultural Revolution Lesson Plan 3
Lesson 3: Farming: Oops? Lesson objective: • Develop an argument comparing the relative pros and cons of the Agricultural Revolution for humanity. Description:Students begin this lesson by brainstorming the benefits and drawbacks of agricultural lifestyles as a full class. Then, they read two different comics, each of which attempts to convince the reader to adopt or reject agricultural society. Students then use these two comics and the evidence they have gathered in the previous two lessons to develop an argument for or against farming, which they will present as a poster advertisement.Opener: Agricultural CommercialKick off this lesson by playing this one-minute video for your class. You may want to pause at points toenable students to discuss their initial thoughts on the benefits as well as the “side effects” of agriculturalsociety. Finally, give your students time at the end of the video to consider how the Agricultural Revolutionhas impacted their lives.Comic: Join the Neolithic Revolution!Was farming a good idea? This one-page comic attempts to convince students of farming’s benefits and encourages them to join the revolution.Guiding questions:• According to this comic, what is one complaint a forager might have about their life?• According to this comic, what is one benefit of living in an agricultural society?Comic: Quit the Neolithic RevolutionDid the first farmers make a terrible mistake? This one-page comic tries to open students’ eyes to the downsides of agricultural societies and convince them to return to foraging. Guiding questions:• According to this comic, what is one complaint a farmer might have about their life?• According to this comic, what is one benefit of living in a foraging society?Closer/Assessment: Marketing 101: Forage or Farm?This culminating activity asks students to compare the positive and negative aspects of foraging and farming to formulate an argument for why one is better than the other. In this way, students begin to understand that each way of life has benefits and drawbacks. In addition, this will help them evaluate why most people made the switch to farming, and understand why this change was a gradual process and one that not everyone chose to make.