1. Teacher Guide This lesson is designed to teach kids to ask a critical thinking question that you can’t just put into a search box to solve. To do that, we encourage them with smaller questions that search can help them answer. Make sure that you read the notes for each slide: they not only give you teaching tips but also provide answers and hints so you can help the kids if they are having trouble. Remember, you can always send feedback to the Bing in the Classroom team at BingInTheClassroom@Microsoft.com. You can learn more about the program at bing.com/classroom and follow the daily lessons on our Partners In Learning site. BingInTheClassroom@Microsoft.combing.com/classroomPartners In Learning site Want to extend today’s lesson? Consider using Skype in the Classroom to arrange for your class to chat with another class in today’s location. And if you are using Windows 8, you can also use the Bing apps to learn more about this location and topic; the Travel and News apps in particular make great teaching tools.Skype in the Classroom Ja'Dell Davis is a Los Angeles native who currently lives in New York City. She works in the Youth Services Department at the Educational Alliance as the Assistant Director for Higher Education Initiatives, where she specifically oversees college prep programming for high school seniors, and academic enrichment programming for middle school students. Ja’Dell previously taught high school in Philadelphia public schools, and implemented college access programming at Chester High School in Chester, Pennsylvania. Ja’Dell received her B.A. from Swarthmore College with a special major in History and Educational Studies, and a minor in Black Studies. She completed her M.S.Ed in Secondary School Education at the University of Pennsylvania. This fall, she will begin her doctoral studies in the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to her work in the education field, Ja’Dell is a dancer, musician, avid people watcher, and Scrabble enthusiast. This lesson is designed to teach the Common Core State Standard: Reading: Informational Text CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.4CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.7CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.7Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium's portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.3CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.3Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.1CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.1Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

2. What is the benefit of contour plowing for farmers? ©Cameron Davidson/Gallery Stock

3. Glaciers roughed up the terrain of the region in eastern Washington and the Idaho panhandle now known as the Palouse. Despite the lumpy hills dotting the prairie, the region has become an agricultural powerhouse, with wheat and lentils as the top crops. Unlike the generally flat parcels of land in the Midwestern United States, the Palouse proved a labor-intensive challenge to farmers. One of many modifications used to work the earth here is contour farming. Rows of crops follow the slopes and peaks of the land, making for strange-shaped fields such as this one. What is the benefit of contour plowing for farmers?

4. 1 Map SearchFind the location of the Palouse. 2 Image Search Find an image of the Palouse that is take from land-view in order to see the shape of this land. 3 Web SearchWhat is a contour? 4 Web Search When was contour farming developed? When did the farmers in the United States adopt this practice? 5 Web SearchWhat are the benefits of contour farming? What is the benefit of contour plowing for farmers?

5. 5 Minutes What is the benefit of contour plowing for farmers?

6. 1 Map SearchFind the location of the Palouse. 2 Image Search Find an image of the Palouse that is take from land-view in order to see the shape of this land. 3 Web SearchWhat is a contour? 4 Web Search When was contour farming developed? When did the farmers in the United States adopt this practice? 5 Web SearchWhat are the benefits of contour farming? What is the benefit of contour plowing for farmers?

7. 1 Map SearchFind the location of the Palouse. What is the benefit of contour plowing for farmers?

8. 2 Image Search Find an image of the Palouse that is take from land-view in order to see the shape of this land. What is the benefit of contour plowing for farmers?

9. 3 Web SearchWhat is a contour? What is the benefit of contour plowing for farmers?

10. 4 Web Search When was contour farming developed? When did the farmers in the United States adopt this practice? What is the benefit of contour plowing for farmers?

11. 5 Web SearchWhat are the benefits of contour farming? What is the benefit of contour plowing for farmers?