Meet the Farm

Curriculum Area: Science — Living World
Curriculum Level: New Zealand Curriculum Level 1
Duration: 45 minutes
Year Group: Year 1
Class Size: 17 Students

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WALT (We Are Learning To):

• Understand why people farm animals in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Name common farm animals and their babies.
• Identify food and useful products that come from farm animals.
• Understand the importance of treating animals kindly.
• Begin exploring the dairy industry and what products come from milk.

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Success Criteria:

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

✅ Say why we farm animals in New Zealand (e.g., for food, wool, milk).
✅ Correctly name and match at least three farm animals with their babies.
✅ Identify at least three products we get from farm animals.
✅ Show how to safely and kindly approach a dog as part of learning to treat animals well.
✅ Identify what dairy farms produce and name at least one food item made from milk.

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Materials Required:

• Picture cards of NZ farm animals and their babies (laminated for reuse)
• Real-life product samples or visuals (e.g., small plastic milk bottle, cheese, wool, eggs)
• Plush toy dog for role play
• Dairy farming cycle chart (kid-friendly visual)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Printed worksheet: “Who Lives on the Farm?”
• Stickers for feedback and engagement
• Short animated video clip (2–3 mins, no audio) showing cows being milked in an NZ farm
• A4 drawing paper and crayons

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Lesson Breakdown (45 minutes)

1. Whakawhanaungatanga & Introduction — 5 minutes

Greet learners with a karakia timatanga and a waiata that relates to the land or animals (e.g., “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” with Te Reo animal names for familiarisation).
Quick circle time — ask students:
🗣 “Has anyone been to a farm before?”
👂 “What animals do you think live on a farm?”

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2. WALT 1–3: What’s on Our NZ Farms? — 10 minutes

Activity 1: Farm Animal & Product Match-up
Show children laminated animal cards (cow, sheep, pig, chicken, goat) and ask class to describe the animals:

• What do they eat?
• What sound do they make?
• What do they give us?

Then place product visuals (milk, wool, bacon, eggs, yoghurt) on the floor and ask students in small groups to match them to the correct animal. Teacher checks and explains correct answers with visual aid.

📌 Differentiation:

• Use Makaton signs for ELL or students requiring communication support
• Pair struggling readers with peers for product-to-animal match

📌 Extension:

• Encourage naming more products from each animal (e.g., butter, cheese from milk)

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3. WALT 4: Animals and Their Babies — 7 minutes

Activity 2: “Mum and Me!” Card Game (Pairs or Small Groups)
Distribute a mixture of animal and baby cards. Ask students to walk around and find their “baby” or “parent.”
Examples:

• Cow 🐄 → Calf 🐮
• Sheep 🐑 → Lamb 🐏
• Pig 🐖 → Piglet 🐽

Support students in pronouncing and recognising names. Prompt Te Reo Māori equivalents: e.g., kaehe (lamb), kau (cow)

Challenge: Introduce less common pairs like goat and kid.

📌 Extension:

• Ask advanced learners to draw the animals and label them in Te Reo Māori

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4. WALT 5: Treating Animals Kindly — 7 minutes

Activity 3: Dog Safety Role Play
Talk about how to show kindness to animals. Introduce classroom plush toy dog, “Kahu.”
Use teacher modelling to demonstrate:

• Asking permission before approaching a dog
• Letting the dog sniff before petting
• Stroking gently (never pulling ears/tail)
• Not approaching if dog is eating or sleeping

Students practise in pairs or groups with "Kahu" and take turns demonstrating.

📌 Differentiation:

• Visual cue cards for neurodiverse learners
• Social stories beforehand for tamariki needing predictable routines

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5. WALT 6–7: Intro to Dairy Industry — 10 minutes

Activity 4: The Story of Milk
Show animated clip of cows being milked (mute for teacher narration). Ask:
🗣 "Where does milk come from?"
👀 "What foods are made with milk?"

Show dairy cycle chart: Cow → Milking → Bottling → Supermarket → Us
Hold up cheese, yoghurt, milk cartons and name each.

📄 Students complete a mini-drawing on A4: Draw a cow and one product that comes from its milk.

📌 Extension:

• Name a step in the dairy process in order; illustrate the whole cycle with arrows

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6. Wrap Up & Reflect — 6 minutes

Quick fire round Q&A:
💬 “What’s your favourite farm animal and why?”
🎯 Revisit success criteria — what did we learn today?

Reward participation with stickers and light praise.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Informal observation of participation and verbal responses
• Correct matching in activities
• Visual work sample (animal drawing with product)

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Differentiation Strategies

• Visual supports and simplified instructions for ELL and neurodiverse students
• Peer modelling and buddy support
• Hands-on materials for tactile learners
• Extension challenges for advanced learners in drawing, Te Reo use, and sequencing

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Extension Ideas for Advanced Learners

• Create a flipbook of a dairy product’s journey from farm to table
• Research and present about another NZ farm animal (e.g., alpacas)
• Help create labels in Te Reo Māori for classroom farm display

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Optional Home Link

Ask students to bring in a clean milk or yoghurt container from home for a class recycling and food origins wall.
Encourage whānau to talk about any trips to farms or use real farm products in a baking activity at home.

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Teacher Reflection

✅ Were students engaged with the match-up and roleplay activities?
✅ Did students use correct naming for animals and their babies?
✅ What could be improved in introducing complex ideas like the dairy process?

Revisit and build on this lesson in Week 2 with a focus on wool processing or other farming industries in NZ.

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This lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum – Level One Science Learning Area (Living World: Life Processes and Ecology), fostering basic biological understanding and human impact in an engaging, locally relevant way. ✅