Understanding the Classification of Crops in Agriculture

Lesson Plan: Classification of Crops

Subject: Agricultural Science

Class: JSS 1

Term: Second Term

Week: 1

Age: 10 – 12 years

Topic: Classification of Crops

Sub-topic: Types of Crops Based on Their Life Cycle

Duration: 40 minutes

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Behavioural Objectives

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

1. Define and explain crop classification based on life cycle.
2. Identify and describe annual, biennial, and perennial crops.
3. Provide examples of each type of crop.
4. Explain the importance of crop classification in agriculture.

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Keywords

• Crops: Plants cultivated for food, fiber, or other purposes.
• Annual Crops: Crops that complete their life cycle in one year.
• Biennial Crops: Crops that take two years to complete their life cycle.
• Perennial Crops: Crops that live and produce for more than two years.
• Life Cycle: The stages of growth a plant goes through from seed to maturity.

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Set Induction (Teacher’s Attention Grabber)

The teacher brings different food items such as maize, yam, and orange. The teacher asks the students:

• Do all crops grow and produce food within the same period?
• How long does it take for a mango tree to grow and bear fruit?
• Does maize take the same time as a mango tree to mature?

These questions will get students thinking about the differences in crop growth cycles.

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Entry Behaviour

Students have seen or eaten different crops such as maize, yam, and orange. They know that some plants grow fast while others take years to produce food.

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Learning Resources and Materials

• Pictures of different crops (maize, cassava, cocoa, mango, etc.).
• Live samples of some crops (maize seeds, cassava stem, mango fruit).
• Agricultural Science textbook.

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Building Background/Connection to Prior Knowledge

The teacher reminds students of their knowledge of plants and how they grow. The teacher asks:

• Have you seen how maize grows?
• How long does it take for cassava to grow?
• Have you noticed that a mango tree takes years before it starts producing fruit?

These questions will help students connect their knowledge to the new topic.

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Embedded Core Skills

• Critical Thinking: Identifying differences in crop growth cycles.
• Observation: Recognizing how long different crops take to mature.
• Communication: Describing examples of different types of crops.

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Reference Books

• Lagos State Scheme of Work for JSS 1 Agricultural Science.
• Agricultural Science Textbook for Junior Secondary Schools.

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Instructional Materials

• Charts showing examples of annual, biennial, and perennial crops.
• Video clips or images of different crops.

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Lesson Content

Definition of Crop Classification Based on Life Cycle

Crops can be classified based on how long they take to grow, produce, and complete their life cycle. The three main classifications are:

1. Annual Crops

   • These crops complete their life cycle in one year or one growing season.
   • They grow, mature, flower, produce seeds, and die within a year.
   • Examples: Maize, rice, sorghum, okra, tomato, yam.

2. Biennial Crops

   • These crops take two years to complete their life cycle.
   • In the first year, they grow leaves and roots.
   • In the second year, they produce flowers, seeds, or tubers.
   • Examples: Cassava, cocoyam, onion, carrot, cabbage.

3. Perennial Crops

   • These crops take more than two years to complete their life cycle.
   • They keep growing and producing for many years.
   • Examples: Rubber, cocoa, oil palm, mango, guava, cashew.

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Evaluation (Fill-in-the-Blank Questions)

Choose the correct option:

1. Crops that complete their life cycle within one year are called ______ crops.
   a) Biennial
   b) Perennial
   c) Annual
   d) None of the above

2. An example of an annual crop is ______.
   a) Mango
   b) Cocoa
   c) Rice
   d) Rubber

3. Biennial crops take ______ years to complete their life cycle.
   a) One
   b) Two
   c) Three
   d) Four

4. Which of these is NOT a biennial crop?
   a) Carrot
   b) Cassava
   c) Onion
   d) Mango

5. Perennial crops live for more than ______ years.
   a) One
   b) Two
   c) Three
   d) Four

6. One example of a perennial crop is ______.
   a) Maize
   b) Yam
   c) Guava
   d) Tomato

(Continue with 9 more questions following the same pattern)

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Class Activity Discussion (15 FAQs with Answers)

1. What are crops?
   Crops are plants grown by farmers for food, fiber, or other uses.

2. How are crops classified?
   Crops are classified based on their life cycle into annual, biennial, and perennial crops.

3. What is an annual crop?
   An annual crop is a plant that grows, matures, produces seeds, and dies within one year.

4. Can you give three examples of annual crops?
   Examples include maize, rice, and okra.

5. What are biennial crops?
   These are crops that take two years to complete their life cycle.

(Continue with 10 more FAQs following the same pattern)

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Presentation Structure

1. Teacher’s Activities

   • The teacher revises the previous topic.
   • The teacher introduces the new topic by showing different crops.
   • The teacher explains the classification of crops with examples.
   • The teacher allows students to identify crops and classify them.

2. Learners’ Activities

   • Students listen and observe the teacher’s explanation.
   • Students identify different crops.
   • Students classify crops based on their life cycle.
   • Students answer questions and participate in discussions.

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Evaluation Questions (Short Answer Section)

1. What is an annual crop?
2. Mention two examples of biennial crops.
3. What is the difference between annual and perennial crops?
4. Name one crop that takes more than two years to grow.
5. Why is it important to classify crops?

(Continue with five more questions following the same pattern)

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Conclusion

The teacher summarizes the lesson and corrects students’ mistakes. The teacher goes around, marks students’ work, and provides feedback.

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