Goldie's History Kits are digital kits created by the State Historical Society of Iowa and were developed for K-5 educators to meet the Iowa Core Standards for Social Studies and Literacy. Related to the Primary Source Sets and created with a Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) grant from the Library of Congress, these kits encourage students to develop deeper connections to Iowa's history. The following educational tools are included in each kit: Read Iowa History Lessons Read Aloud Books Object Photographs and Videos from the State Historical Museum of Iowa Think Likeà Cards https://iowaculture.gov/history/education/educator-resources/goldies-history-kits Read Iowa History are free and downloadable lessons for K-5 educators that provide easy-to-follow instruction to integrate Primary Source Sets and the Iowa Core Standards for Social Studies and Literacy. The Read Iowa History lessons were developed by the State Historical Society of Iowa and created with a Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) grant from the Library of Congress. Read Iowa History utilizes the compelling and one supporting question from the elementary-level Primary Source Sets. Educator materials include: Primary Sources Lessons Worksheets Historical Introduction to the Topic Assessments Vocabulary Lists/Cards https://iowaculture.gov/history/education/educator-resources/read-iowa-history Overview Corn has been at the center of Iowa life for much of its existence, and Iowa leads the United States in corn production. The state set a 2016 record with 2.7 billion bushels of corn raised. In addition, the yield in 2018 set an all-time high with an average of 204 bushels per acre. Iowa’s incredibly fertile fields stretch for miles of corn and soybeans, providing the United States with two of its most valuable exports. But as farmers are growing more crops and managing more acres, fewer Iowans are making a living as farmers. The number of farms in Iowa is on a steady decline while the average farm size continues to rise. Technology drives increasingly efficient precision farming. This begs the question: Has farming in Iowa shown more continuity or change? In this lesson, students will analyze sources and then write an argumentative essay for a fictitious competition sponsored by the Iowa State Fair board. https://iowaculture.gov/sites/default/files/history-education-ghk-corn-manual-08.2021.pdf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7beKoAwEZM.