Prepared by Alexandra Ball, M.Teach Year 1, University of Sydney

Grade Level: Year 4 Primary/ Elementary (can be modified to suit lower grades)

Duration: 40 min

Subject: HSIE/Science and Technology

General Aim: Acquisition of information

Specific Aims: To provide background information about dairy farming in Australia and the dairy industry

To explain where milk comes from and how milk gets from the cow to the factory to be made into dairy products

Basic Method: Explanation

Preparation:

Teacher:

• Board and chalk/marker for writing on board
• Carton of milk and block of cheese for Setting step
• Toy cow with "moo-ing" sound for Setting step
• Large map of Australia, showing dairy regions
• Large picture/diagram of cow showing udders
• Large flowchart representing process from cow to factory on board but hidden until Consolidation step (illustrations but with spaces left blank for labelling) plus a handout of this diagram for each student.
• Milk in refrigerator and enough cups for whole class

References: Fact Sheets (The Story of Milk) from Dairy Corporation HomePage

CONTENT	PROCEDURE
Step 1: Milk and dairy products come from cows.       This lesson is part of content strand on Farms and Food. Today we are looking at farms that milk comes from. We are going to find out how farmers get the milk and how it gets to the factory to be made into dairy products. Tomorrow we will find out what they do to the milk at the factory to make it into drinking milk and other dairy products.	SETTING Teacher asks who likes milk (hands up) and asks for suggestions of other dairy products (writes these on board). Teacher asks for suggestions as to where these products come from (using toy cow as prop). Teacher explains lesson context and aims.        Teacher asks if anyone has been to a farm or seen a cow being milked - if so there is a brief discussion about the student's experience and observations leading into Step 2.
Step 2: Dairy cows not native to Australia - came over with First Fleet. There are 13 500 dairy farms in Australia, each with an average of 149 cows. Farms are located in high rainfall areas, along coast or near rivers so farmers can grow rich lush food. Victoria produces more than half of all the milk produced in Australia Cows main foods are grass and clover, but also eat hay, fodder and pellets (which the farmer makes or buys). Milk is made in the cows udder - it is made to feed baby cows but once they get old enough they can eat grass etc like big cows and the farmer can take all the cow's milk for us to use. Cows are milked twice a day seven days a week. In the old days farmers milked by hand straight into a bucket. Now cows are milkedby milking machines which are placed on each teat. The machines take each cow's milk through pipes and into a refrigerated tank. There are stirrers in the tanks stirring the milk and helping to cool it down so it stays fresh. Big refrigerated tankers come to the farm once a day and pump the milk from the storage tank into the tanker. The tanker driver must check that the milk is cool enough with a thermometer and that it looks clean and smell fresh. The driver drives it to the factory where it is tested to make sure it is fresh and healthy. Then it all goes into huge storage tanks at the factory. Here it is either made into drinking milk or made into other products like ice cream, cheese, yoghurt etc.	NARRATIVE T explains the origins and facts of dairy industry in Australia.     Teacher shows map of Australia, pointing out Australian Dairy Regions.       Teacher shows picture of cow, pointing out udder and teats.                      Teacher asks for reasons milk has to be checked.   Teacher refers to products written on board during step 1.
Step 3: Flowchart: cow on farm --> cow being milked in shed --> milk flowing through pipes into storage tank --> milk cooled and stirred in tanks --> truck coming to farm and pumping milk into tanker (checking milk first) --> driving milk to factory --> milk tested again then pumped into large storage tanks at factory	CONSOLIDATION Children assist building flowchart on board through teacher questioning and prompting as class fill in the steps of the process from cow to factory. Children progressively write in steps on their own personal copies.    Teacher commends contributions to lesson which finishes with everyone enjoying a glass of nice cold milk!

Possible follow up activities:• research pasteurisation and homogenisation in library or via internet (Stage 3)