Seasons

Lead-in

  • What month are we in?
  • In what months are you busy or relaxed? Why?

Presentation

Pre

  • Do you like planting?
  • What plants, herbs and spices, or flowers do you know?

Top Down

  • What aspect of farming does the text talk about?
  • Animals
  • Planting
  • Equipment
  • Animals
  • Planting
  • Equipment

Spring

During the spring of the year is when crops are planted. Farmers may also till their fields, use pre-emergence herbicides (before the weeds start to grow), or apply fertilizers.

Summer

The summer is an interesting time. Farmers will be monitoring crops for weed control, fertilizer needs, or other pest management practices. If the farmer has hay ground, they will also cut hay and bale it for animal feed during the summer months.

Fall

The fall most notable for the harvest season. Farmers will run combines through their fields to harvest their crops, and will either store them in grain bins on their own farm, or take them to a local co-op for storage and eventually sale.

Winter

There isn’t much to do in the fields in the winter, so farmers use these months to review their yield maps and management practices to decide how they should proceed the next year. This is also a good time of year to do any maintenance or repairs that the equipment might need.

Adapted from Source

Bottom Up

  • Answer the questions according to the text.

Example: When do farmers review their yield maps? > In the winter

  1. When do you store your harvest?
  2. When do you do maintenance on equipment?
  3. When is harvest?
  4. When do you get hay for animal feed?
  5. When do you plant crops?
  1. In the fall.
  2. In the winter.
  3. In the fall.
  4. In the summer.
  5. In the spring.

Post

  • Do you think farming is interesting?
  • Do you prefer farming plants or animals?

Target Language

The Four Seasons

Farming

Controlled Practice

  • Look at the pictures and say what they represent.

Freer Practice

  • Describe the pictures.

Example: There is a pair of sunglasses on the sand. I think it’s summer.

Production

  • Look at the pictures and decide which is the best place to spend a weekend.

Example: I think the log cabin on the lake is a good idea but in the summer.

Homework

Find the intruder.

Example: COW / CHIKEN / PIG / LION / HORSE > COW / CHIKEN / PIG / LION / HORSE

  1. BEACH / SUMMER / SEA / BALL / SUN

  2. SNOW / WINTER / HAIL / SNOWMAN / SNORKEL

  3. TRACTOR / ELEVATOR / BARN / HAYSTACK / STRAW BALE

  4. POOL / LEAVES / WIND / TREE / AUTUMN

  5. ROSE / SPRING / DAISY / MOON / LILY

  1. BEACH / SUMMER / SEA / BALL / SUN

  2. SNOW / WINTER / HAIL / SNOWMAN / SNORKEL

  3. TRACTOR / ELEVATOR / BARN / HAYSTACK / STRAW BALE

  4. POOL / LEAVES / WIND / TREE / AUTUMN

  5. ROSE / SPRING / DAISY / MOON / LILY

Fill the gaps.

Example: I buy my _______ from a farmer whose chickens roam free. (eggs / milk) > I buy my eggs from a farmer whose chickens roam free.

  1. The big building is a ____for keeping the grain. (barn / farm)

  2. They sold like homemade ice cream on a ____ day. (winter / summer)

  3. It’s necessary a ____ to plow the ____. (car / tractor); (field / street)

  4. My grandfather likes looking at colorful carp in the ____ on a sunny spring morning. (field / pond)

  5. If you want to find a needle in a ____, get a magnet. (straw bale / haystack)

  1. The big building is a barn for keeping the grain.

  2. They sold like homemade ice cream on a summer day.

  3. It’s necessary a tractor to plow the field.

  4. My grandfather likes looking at colorful carp in the pond on a sunny spring morning.

  5. If you want to find a needle in a haystack, get a magnet.

Match the collocations with their respective definitions.

  1. Summer

  2. Spring

  3. Fall

  4. Winter

(    ) The weather begins to get warmer and trees and other plants grow new leaves.

(    ) The hottest season and has long sunny days. The temperature can stay warm, even after the sun has gone down at night.

(    ) The coldest season, with short days and longer nights. We can see falling snow and freezing cold temperatures.

(    ) Also known as autumn, in this season the weather becomes cooler, and leaves start falling from many types of trees.

  1. Summer

  2. Spring

  3. Fall

  4. Winter

( 2 ) The weather begins to get warmer and trees and other plants grow new leaves.

( 1 ) The hottest season and has long sunny days. The temperature can stay warm, even after the sun has gone down at night.

( 5 ) The coldest season, with short days and longer nights. We can see falling snow and freezing cold temperatures.

( 4 ) Also known as autumn, in this season the weather becomes cooler, and leaves start falling from many types of trees.

Put the words in the correct order to make sentences.

Example: winter / wear / clothes / In / warm / people . > In winter people wear warm clothes.

  1. with / They / grain / the / barn / heaped

  2. morning / corral / this / The / fled / cows / the

  3. was / mountains/ The / chilly / night / in / spring / air / of / the

  4. farm / my / chickens / On / eggs / , / father’s / lot / the / a / lay / of

  5. fall / the / winds / In / and / are / summer / the / light

  1. They heaped the barn with grain.

  2. The cows fled the corral this morning.

  3. The night air of spring was chilly in the mountains.

  4. On my father’s farm, the chickens lay a lot of eggs.

  5. In the summer and fall the winds are light.

Correct the wrong sentences.

Example:  The winter is also known as autumn. -> The fall is also known as autumn.

  1. The crops are planted during the summer, when the farmers apply fertilizers.

  2. Farmers use the fall’s months to review their yield maps and make necessary repairs to their equipment.

  3. Crops are harvested in the winter and can be stored in barns on farms.

  4. The weed control and eventual application of fertilizer are realized during the spring.

  1. The crops are planted during the spring, when the farmers apply fertilizers.

  2. Farmers use the winter’s months to review their yield maps and make necessary repairs to their equipment.

  3. Crops are harvested in the fall and can be stored in barns on farms.

  4. The weed control and eventual application of fertilizer are realized during the summer.

Writing

Write about your favorite season and what you see.