Teosinte

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/teosinte

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Zea mays ssp. parviglumis
2. What is the geographic origin and center of domestication?Balsas River Valley, southwestern Mexico
3. How does teosinte look compared to corn?Teosinte has a few rows of small, hard kernels covered by a tough shell, while corn has many rows of large, soft kernels on a big ear. The corn kernels are easier to eat and cook.
4. Where did teosinte grow and become corn?Teosinte originally grew in the Balsas River Valley in Mexico. People there started picking and planting it about 9,000 years ago, and over many generations it slowly changed into corn.

Glume: A small, leaf-like structure that encloses the base of a grass flower or a grass fruit.
Threshing: The process of separating grain from stalks and husks after harvesting.
Introgression: The transfer of genetic material from one species to another through hybridization and repeated backcrossing.