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Learning Activities

Barley for Beauty and the Beast
Objective:

Students will understand the major types and uses of barley as a source of food and fibre for both humans and livestock.

Procedure:

1.        Make copies of the information on the above links for this activity and hand out to the class (Note: These sheets will be a useful reference for the students as they proceed through the remaining activities in this unit).

2.                  Ask students if they have recently eaten any foods that contain barley.  Can they think of other
uses of barley, besides food for people?

3.           Depending on available time and resources, students can work independently or in small groups.

4.                  Each student or group chooses one of the following topics:

• barley used for human food (e.g. flour, flakes, pot/pearl barley)
• barley used for livestock food (e.g. rolled or ground barley, silage, straw)
• barley used for beverages and flavorings (malt extract or malt)
• nutritional benefits of barley (e.g. beta glucan)
• industrial uses of barley (e.g. straw can be used as a building material; starch is used for paper coating and surface sizing, in paints, starch-based detergents and bio-degradable plastics)

5.                   Students develop displays of the types and uses of barley in the category they have selected. Displays can include drawings, photographs, growing barley plants, samples of barley, labels from foods containing barley, media reports, and anything else students wish to include.  Encourage them to brainstorm unique and creative ideas for their displays.

6.               You may want to suggest sources of additional information and materials that will be useful in creating their displays (see back cover for some ideas).

7.                Students take turns presenting and explaining their displays to the rest of the class, and answering any questions.

For Discussion:

1.      How do different varieties of the same species occur? (be sure to consider natural selection,          adaptation, selective breeding).

2.      How is each variety suited to its use?

3.      What other possible uses of barley can you think of?

Suggestions for Extending this Activity:

     1.     Invite other classes, parents and/or members of the community to view the displays and ask               questions of the displayers.

     2.     Displays may be entered in a Science Fair, used at your school’s Open House, or included in an               appropriate event in your community.