The Life of John Deere

Taylor·

History

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Grade Level3rd Grade

SubjectHistory

Original Prompt

Make a reading comprehension activity about the life of John Deere that focuses on the skills of compare/contrast, chronology, and cause & effect. The following is a summary of a document named 420bab69-ecc2-4450-b7e0-0c65dff8df8a%2Fuser_uploads%2FnZdhPPTtElvdX8h137Y5u?alt=media&token=36fbc12f-6dbe-41b0-8180-bdaf0ba7f0d2: John Deere was born in 1804 in Middlebury, Vermont, during a time when economic hardship forced many families to struggle for sustenance. When he was just four years old, his...

This teaching resource focuses on the life of John Deere, the inventor of the revolutionary steel plow, and how chronological order is used to narrate his story. Students will explore the timeline of his life, noting significant events such as his birth in 1804, the invention of the self-scouring steel plow in 1837, the founding of Deere & Company in 1868, and his death in 1886. Through various activities, students will understand the cause-and-effect relationships that led to the invention of the steel plow and how it addressed the farming challenges of the 1830s. Moreover, comparisons between old wooden plows and Deere's steel plow will help students grasp the advancements in agricultural tools.