Observation Sheet
The questions below are intended to help you generate even more questions and to draw some tentative conclusions.
They should not be treated as a simple checklist.
1. Look at any stone walls and speculate why they were built there. What purpose do you think they served? Are
the stone walls still maintained? Are there other types of fence on the farm as well?
2. What kinds of animals are on the farm? How are they used for economic purposes? What land alterations were made
to accommodate the animals? How many animals are on the farm?
3. What kinds of buildings are on the farm? What are they used for? Have they always been used for this purpose?
Were some buildings built more recently than others were? Is there evidence that some buildings have been torn
down?
4. Does the farm grow food? What crops are grown? How much of the food grown here is consumed by the family, and
how much, if any, is sold to market?
5. Look at the physical layout of the farm, its buildings, and fields. Draw a sketch showing where the buildings
and fields are located. What ideas can you come up with to explain why the farm is laid out in this particular
way? How does the layout allow the farmer to move animals and crops to the necessary buildings to get them ready
for consumer use or market?
6. What are the physical features of the land on which the farm is located? How do these features help or hinder
the work of the farmer? |
