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 Diana Herrington has her B.S. and M.A. in mathematics from Cal Poly, SLO. She is currently teaching pre-service teachers curriculum and supervising secondary math student teachers and interns at California State University Fresno. Prior to this she was a 6-12 classroom teacher for 35 years teaching all levels of mathematics. Diana is a Presidential Awardee of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), California State Science Fair Coach of the Year, and Central Valley CUE Educator of the Year. She has worked on state assessment committees and has been a member of the California MathematicsTask Force and the California Teacher Advisory Council (CalTAC). Diana’s belief that students can only go as far in science as their mathematics will take them is her driving force for making sure students see and experience mathematics in as many ways as possible. This lesson is designed to teach the Common Core State Standard: English Language Arts CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.ECCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.E Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

2. Which type of asparagus would you like to try, and why? © Leon Fischer/Westend61/plainpicture

3. White asparagus enjoys a more popular place at the table in Germany and other parts of northern Europe than it does in the United States. From a purely botanical perspective, there’s no difference between white asparagus and the green spears we’re more accustomed to. They both grow well in saline, sandy soil and can be prepared in the same ways. But to grow the plant known as “spargel” in Germany, and colloquially known as “white gold” or “edible ivory,” it must be kept from sunlight. The simplest method is to cover the shoots in soil as they grow, to prevent sunlight from triggering the photosynthesis that makes asparagus and other plants green. But in larger commercial-growing operations, such as the one seen here in Abensberg, Germany, sheets of fabric serve the same purpose, shielding the plant from the sun and keeping the shoots pale. In Germany, “spargel” season is met with great fanfare. Because it often coincides with the strawberry harvest at the end of June, farmers’ markets and roadside stands show off the bounty in white and crimson displays. Which type of asparagus would you like to try, and why?

4. 1 Web SearchWhat is etiolation? 2 Web SearchWhat would be another etiolation vegetable? 3 Web SearchWhat colors does asparagus come in? 4 Web SearchWhat is the edible difference between the different colored asparagus? 5 Image Search Search for images of the colors of asparagus. Which type of asparagus would you like to try, and why?

5. 5 Minutes Which type of asparagus would you like to try, and why?

6. 1 Web SearchWhat is etiolation? 2 Web SearchWhat would be another etiolation vegetable? 3 Web SearchWhat colors does asparagus come in? 4 Web SearchWhat is the edible difference between the different colored asparagus? 5 Image Search Search for images of the colors of asparagus. Which type of asparagus would you like to try, and why?

7. 1 Web SearchWhat is etiolation? Which type of asparagus would you like to try, and why?

8. 2 Web SearchWhat would be another etiolation vegetable? Which type of asparagus would you like to try, and why?

9. 3 Web SearchWhat colors does asparagus come in? Which type of asparagus would you like to try, and why?

10. 4 Web SearchWhat is the edible difference between the different colored asparagus? Which type of asparagus would you like to try, and why?

11. 5 Image Search Search for images of the colors of asparagus. Which type of asparagus would you like to try, and why?