The Topic: Corn Easier - Corn is a tall plant grass that has large ears with many seeds or kernels. These seeds grow in rows on the larger ears and are eaten as a vegetable. Corn is grown as food for both people and animals.   Harder - Corn, also called maize, is a cereal grass related to wheat, rice, oats, and barley. It is a plant whose food value and wide variety of uses make it the most important crop grown in the United States and one of the most important in the world. In order of world grain production, corn ranks second after wheat and is followed by third-ranking rice.   Indians living in what is now Mexico about 10,000 years ago, first used corn gathered from wild plants as a food source. Near 5000 B.C., they learned how to grow corn themselves and it came to be called Indian corn. Today the term usually refers to corn varieties with multicolored kernels.   In the U.S. and most other developed countries where corn is grown, farmers today grow hybrid corn almost exclusively. Hybrid corn is developed through breeding to have exceptional vigor and produce high yields. Varieties of corn can be raised in most temperate (mild) and tropical areas of the world. Corn is raised as source of food and food products for people, livestock feed, and industrial products including ceramics, explosives, construction materials, metal molds, paints, paper goods, textiles, industrial alcohols, and ethanol.   Corn Cam from Iowa Farmer Today http://www.iowafarmer.com/corncob/corn.html Take a peek here for a close-up look at a cornfield and a summary of plant growth from S. Grief. The site connects you to lots or good related corn information.   Kids Corner from Ohio State University http://www.ohiocorn.org/kids/group1.htm Here you find lots of activities about corn from processing to products including foods, ethanol, and plastic, the history of corn, and more. Other Kids Corn Sites: 2) Corn at Nebraska Ag in the Classroom http://www.fb.com/nefb/ag-ed/corn.html 3) Corn Comet http://www.cyberspaceag.com/corncomet.html 4) Cornhead University from the Kansas Corn Growers Association http://www.ksgrains.com/corn/edu.html 5) Corny Culture at KingCorn, Purdue University http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/cgg5.htm 6) Popcorn from the Popcorn Board http://www.popcorn.org/   KingCorn: The Corn Growers' Guidebook from Purdue University http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/ Here is a web-based encyclopedia of knowledge, also known as the Corn Growers' Handbook, about the production, marketing and usage of corn in North America.   Maize Page from Iowa State University http://maize.agron.iastate.edu/ Here you find lots of information about corn, its history and production, and how it is used.   After visiting several of the websites, complete one or more of the following activities related to corn.   Make A Corn Products Display. Discover the large array of products that are made with corn. Put together a display that shows and organizes these products. Include real items and pictures of the corn products.   Create A Corn Mural. Using a large sheet of art paper or posterboard, create a mural that either shows (a) the history of corn, (b) the crop cycle of corn, or (c) the parts of a corn plant.   Make A Cornhusk Doll. Visit sites like About Cornhusk Dolls, Corn Husk Doll is Easy and Fun, How to Make a Corn Husk Doll at About.com, and Harvest Corn Dollies; then make your own Cornhusk dolls.   Prepare Corn Foods. Find some corn recipes at Corn Recipes, Corn Recipe Index, Old Fashioned Parched Corn, and Corn: The A-Maize-Ing Grain. Try a new recipe. Share them. Enjoy! You may wish to use Native American recipes found at Native Foods: Corn Recipes.   Create a Corn Mosaic. Check out the Corn Palace in South Dakota. Dye yellow corn or find some Indian corn. Create a corn mosaic. Or, make your own mini corn palace.   Read a Corn Story. Read a book about corn such as Three Stalks of Corn by Leo Politi, The Popcorn Book by Tomie De Paola, The Huckabuck Family and How They Raised Popcorn in Nebraska and Quit and Came Back by Carl Sandburg and David Small, Popcorn by James Stevenson, Popcorn at the Palace by Emily Arnold McCully and Popcorn by Frank Asch. Write your own popcorn story.   Explore Corn in Your Family. What corn products do you use at your house? Compare your favorite corn food with other class members.   Map the World of Corn. Where is the world's corn produced? Create a North American and World map showing corn production. How is all this corn used? How much is eaten by humans versus animals?   Illustrate A Native American Corn Myth. Visit sites like The Forgotten Ear of Corn (Sioux: Arikari) and Father of Indian Corn (Ojibwa). Illustrate one of the stories with your own original drawings.   Complete a corn WebQuest. Use or adapt the following webquest: 1) Lowry Popcorn Factory http://www.humboldt.k12.nv.us/acartwright/   More Sites About Corn Avoiding Corn http://www.vishniac.com/ephraim/corn.html This page provides advice and information for persons allergic to corn.   Corn as a Crop http://www.aphis.usda.gov/bbep/bp/corn.html This article presents the basics about corn as an agricultural crop.   Corn Refiners Association http://www.corn.org/web/cornmain.htm Here you can learn what the 'wet processing' of corn is and the processes and products associated with corn refining. Related Website: 2) Where Does Corn Oil and Corn Syrup Come From at How Stuff Works http://www.howstuffworks.com/question93.htm   European Corn Borer at Iowa State University's Department of Entomology http://www.ent.iastate.edu/pest/cornborer/ This site serves as a central reference point for information about the European Corn Borer, a pest of corn in the Midwestern United States. Other Corn Pest Sites: 2) Corn Rootworm http://www.ent.iastate.edu/pest/rootworm/ 3) Maize DB Pests and Pathogens with Images http://www.agron.missouri.edu/Coop/images/pesky.html 4) Western Corn Rootworm http://classes.aces.uiuc.edu/CPSC120/wcr.htm   Ethanol Fastback from the Illinois Corn Growers Association http://www.ilcorn.org/Pages/fstback.htm A renewable energy source made from corn, ethanol appears to have advantages as a fuel for motor vehicles, especially when used as a blend with gasoline.   Father of Indian Corn http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/5292/fathcorn.htm Here you can read the Chippewa and Ojibwa tale about the origin of corn, given as a gift to the young Wunzh from the Chief of Sky Spirits. Related Website: 2) Grinding Corn http://emuseum.mnsu.edu/prehistory/ancienttech/grinding_corn.html 3) Native American History of Corn http://www.nativetech.org/cornhusk/cornhusk.html   Illinois Corn from the Illinois Corn Growers Association and the Illinois Corn Marketing Board http://www.ilcorn.org/ Here you can find information about corn in Illinois. Similar State Corn Resources: Colorado Corn Online http://www.coloradocorn.com/ Kansas Corn Growers Association http://www.ksgrains.com/corn/ Kentucky Corn Growers Association http://www.kycorn.org/ Minnesota Corn Growers Association http://www.mncorn.org/ Missouri Corn Online http://www.mocorn.org/ Nebraska Corn Growers Association http://www.necga.org/ Ohio Corn Marketing Program http://www.ohiocorn.org/ North Carolina Corn Information http://ipmwww.ncsu.edu/corn/corn_contents.html South Dakota Corn http://www.sdcorn.org/ Virginia Cooperative Extension: Corn http://www.ext.vt.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Docs.woa/wa/getcat?cat=ir-cg-gr-co Wisconsin Corn Agronomy http://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/   National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) http://www.ncga.com/ This comprehensive website about corn is provided by an organization whose aim is to help protect and advance the corn producer's interests. Related Website: 2) American Corn Growers Association http://www.acga.org/   Ontario Corn Producers' Association http://www.ontariocorn.org/ This comprehensive website has lots of information about corn and corn farming. Not-To-Be-Missed Section: 2) Corn in the Classroom http://www.ontariocorn.org/citc.html Another Canadian Corn Resource: 3) Corn http://www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/crops/field/corn.html   Popcorn http://www.popcorn.org/ Here you can learn about the history of popcorn and what it is that makes popcorn pop! In addition there are section designed just for kids and another for teachers. The site also contains popcorn recipes and nutrition information. Related Websites: 2) Mike's Popcorn Page http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/9882/ 3) Popcorn Facts, History, & Popping Tips http://www.popcornpopper.com/popcornfacts.html 4) Popcorn History from MacCorns http://www.maccorns.co.uk/history.htm 5) Undeniable Kernel: All You Ever Wanted To Know About Popcorn http://www.pciol.net/Javaman/page6.htm 6) What is the History of Popcorn? http://okok.essortment.com/whatisthehist_rsdt.htm 7) Popcorn Pops! http://simscience.org/crackling/Beginning/SnapCracklePop/PopcornPops.html   Websites For Teachers Corn (Grades 1-3) http://www.agintheclassroom.org/Primary%20Lesson/corn.htm This site contains background information and lesson activity ideas for learning about corn.   Corn (Grades 5-6) http://teachingtreasures.com.au/corn_project.html This brief site contains some corn information, a list of study questions, and some activity ideas.   Corn Curriculum from the National Corn Growers Association http://www.ncga.com/education/main/index.html This site contains several unit plans that utilize examples from the corn industry to teach mathematics, science, language arts, social studies and even music and art.   Measuring Candy Corn by C. Boesiger & C. Peterson http://education.nebrwesleyan.edu/240-244websites/99- 240244/students/websites/peterson-boesiger/candycorn.html This metric lesson uses candy corn to teach about measurement.   Popping Over Corn by T. Oakley (Grade K) http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/lvelem/poppingovercorn/teacher.htm Students learn about the life cycle of corn. Another Popcorn Lessons: 2) Day Full of Popcorn by C. Bingham (Grades K-3) http://ericir.syr.edu/Virtual/Lessons/Interdisciplinary/INT0015.html 3) Popcorn Action (Grades 6-8) http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/821.html 4) Popcorn Lesson (Grades 4-5) http://www.familyeducation.com/whatworks/item/front/0,2551,1-13182-3211-8,00.html 5) Popcorn Math by L. Jewell (Grades 3-6) http://explorer.scrtec.org/explorer/explorer-db/rsrc/820889976-81ED7D4C.1.htm   Three Stalks of Corn (Grade 1) http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/socialstd/MBD/Three_Stalks1.html This lesson made examines things made from corn and uses the book by by L. Politi.   corn seed farming germination corn futures syrup starch refining fermentation ethanol sweetener bioproduct corn oil livestock feed popcorn protein fiber maize cultivation pollen hybrid corn ear grass pollination sweet corn grain corn silk tasselling 'three sisters' flint corn corn husk doll corn shuck 'knee high by the 4th' grower dent corn flour corn leaf 'Corn Palace' cornstalk market cornbread corncob corn-on-the-cob roasting ear kernel tortilla bushel zea mays linnaeus Indian corn elevator harvest corn belt corn picker candy corn        Created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, 7/01.