This interesting video explores food extinction, why ancient plant varieties are disappearing from farms around the world, and how important it is to preserve this genetic diversity.
Teaching Tips
Positives
Using the data and statistics presented, students can understand how industrialization and the drive for more profit may lead to a single crop being grown, instead of many.
This video explores some historical data about the old seed varieties.
Additional Prerequisites
The teacher will find an ad at the beginning of the video.
Differentiation
Cross-curricular activities could be conducted in history classes when discussing people's past experiences with seeds and agriculture.
Biology classes could explore the relationship between the genetic homogeneity of crops and human health.
The teacher could divide this video into three parts to help students understand the facts and data.
This video could be used as an introduction for a lesson on nutrition and human disease.
As the marketplace has become more globalized, the genetic diversity of the food we eat has shrunk, making crops more prone to being wiped out by a single disease. This Vox video explores how this happened and why it is important to preserve genetic diversity in the foods we eat. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Science and Engineering
LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
MS-LS1-5 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.
Social Studies
Personal Finance & Economics
Global Connections (F2): Students understand economic aspects of unity and diversity in Maine, the United States, and the world, including Maine Native American communities, by analyzing how resource distribution effects wealth, poverty, and other economic factors.
