The Rare Breeds curriculum can be taught simply, with the basic message of preserving and promoting rare farm animals that are endangered, or it can be an in-depth study of the science and social history of these farm animal breeds.
Regardless of the age of your students, they will benefit from your knowledge of the issues. If students sense not only enthusiasm, but also an in-depth understanding of the issues, they will generally pursue that knowledge with questions.
The teacher can use the Socratic method to effectively urge students forward in their understanding, asking appropriate leading questions. The more you learn about rare breeds, the easier it will be to lead your students to a rich understanding of the issues.
I was very excited to learn that the comb of the rooster is used for heat exchange. This one fact led to a host of questions about form and function. I looked at sheep and goats and asked: Why hooves? Why cloven hooves? Why aren't horses hooves cloven? Is there a relationship between hooves and grasslands, or cloven hooves and climbing rocks? What's the waddle on the goat? Is it a vestige of some past need, or does it serve them now? Each new piece of information serves as an inspiration for me to learn and ask more questions.
What are your questions? What would you like to learn? The form on this page will help us gather from you what you want to know. We will find out the answers, and then build responses into this site. The following articles and websites are a first step in gathering a rich array of background resources for your reference and your students'.
In time, if you deem this work useful and we can secure funding, a wide array of resources will be gathered and categorized into a searchable database. How you can help: If you think such a resource would be useful, and important to the overall effectiveness of the curriculum, please send an email explaining your perspective to: cc@farmschool.com. Thanks!
Thank you for your interest in Rare Breeds and sharing their story.
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Articles:
Websites:
Kelmscott.org:
an educational farm in Maine that preserves rare breeds. Students
can take a virtual tour of the farm, read about rare breeds and even adopt an animal.
Dominoes Petting Farm.
At this website students can read about
specific rare breeds such as the Poitou Donkey and Jacob sheep, learn a few fun animal
facts, and learn about some of the factors involved in domestication,
www.hertsdirect.org
This site is published in England by a county park: Hetfordshire county park. The site
describes why it is important to preserve rare breeds, and discusses Tamworth pigs in
detail. http://www.hertsdirect.org
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