January 2020

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin

By: Julia Finley Mosca

When young Temple was diagnosed with autism, no one

expected her to talk, let alone become one of the most
powerful voices in modern science. Yet, the determined
visual thinker did just that. Her unique mind allowed her
to connect with animals in a special way, helping her
invent groundbreaking improvements for
farms around the globe!

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple

Grandin is the first book in a brand new educational
series about the inspirational lives of amazing scientists.
In addition to the illustrated rhyming tale, you’ll find a
complete biography, fun facts, a colorful timeline of
events, and even a note from Temple herself! ¹

Did You Know? (Ag Facts) ² ⁻ ³

 The majority of cattle {in North America} are handled in a center track restrainer system
that Temple Grandin designed.
 Temple Grandin has been honored as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People
as well as inducted into The Women’s Hall of Fame.
 Dr. Grandin has researched many topics regarding humane livestock practices in her time
as a professor at Colorado State University.

Discussion Questions

 What is the author’s purpose in writing this book?

 Temple’s mother told others that she was “different, not less”. What did she mean?
 Describe Temple’s invention and why it is important to agriculture.
Grade Level(s): 2-5
Purpose: Students will analyze Temple Grandin and her contributions to agriculture as well as
working as agricultural engineers to design a corral system that builds upon her research.
Vocabulary:

 agricultural engineer: career in which people design farm machinery or help plan farm
structures
 alleyway: a narrow corridor built for livestock to travel through when being herded from
one location to another nearby
 flight zone: distance from an animal a handler must maintain for the animal to feel
comfortable
 handling: the manner in which an animal is treated
 livestock: animals raised to produce commodities such as food and fiber (i.e. cattle,
sheep, hogs)
 producer: someone who raises livestock or crops for others to consume
 squeeze chute: a device used to restrain large animals, especially cattle and horses

Background Agricultural Connections

Moving livestock can be difficult if you do not understand how the animals think and move.
Livestock handlers want to keep their animals calm when moving them to avoid stress and
injury. If there are loud noises or other distractions, such as sights or even smells, many
animals will become fearful or hesitant to move. An animal that is afraid can be dangerous
for both the animal and the handler. Keeping the area free of distractions can help reduce
animal handling problems. If the animals are kept calm and feel safe, they will usually move
with little or no effort. Handlers want to keep animals calm so the animals are not negatively
impacted. Stressed animals can have lower weight, reduced reproduction rates, and
increased sickness.

Cattle producers use alleyways and squeeze chutes to move cattle while doctoring them. By
understanding cattle behavior, such as their flight zones, along with creating alleyways and
chutes with rounded turns and closed sides, producers can keep livestock calm. This greatly
reduces the animal's stress levels while they are being handled. Understanding animal
instincts allows producers to handle them easier.

As animals of prey, livestock have wide angle vision, which allows them to see predators as
well as handlers. Cattle and pigs have a visual field in excess of 300°. In sheep, the visual field
ranges from 191° to 306° depending on the amount of wool on the head. Due to their wide
angle vision, they are aware of their surroundings. If the handler is in their blind spot, the
animal will turn to see them.

Dr. Temple Grandin, a professor at Colorado State University, focuses on animal behavior and
has made, and continues to make, a huge impact on how livestock are handled. She
researches how livestock perceive their environment and helps producers develop livestock
handling facilities that help keep animals calm.

Temple Grandin was diagnosed with autism as a young girl in the 1950s. In 1961, she spent
the summer at her aunt's ranch in Arizona. She became interested in the cattle and realized
they were visual thinkers; they saw the world in much the same way as her and noticed
details in their surroundings most people missed. In fact, Temple often describes herself as
someone who "thinks in pictures." As a senior in high school in 1965, she created her first
invention, a squeeze machine. The inspiration for this invention came from cattle chutes that
keep cattle calm during vaccinations by squeezing them firmly, like a hug. Temple grew to
love animals and earned her master's degree in Animal Science in 1975. In 1976, she invented
the curved chute system for moving cattle. She earned her doctoral degree in Animal Science
in 1989. Dr. Grandin was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2010 and was
also named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people that year.

Dr. Grandin's research led her to believe that the way animals, especially cattle, are handled
and transported can potentially cause stress, pain, and fear. When cattle are moved on wet
or slippery slopes or in poorly lit areas, they can be injured. She believes that this is cruel and
unnecessary. In order to design a better system for handling livestock, she decided to put
herself through the handling process. Using her instincts, which are often similar to cattle,
she realized cattle prefer pens and chutes with solid sides and well lit areas, keeping them
free from distractions, dark tight spaces, and shadows which could scare the cattle. Her
invention of the curved chute system came from the realization that cattle tend to move in a
circular pattern around their handlers. By designing a system with solid walls, non-slip floors,
and a curved walkway allowing cattle to move in a single-file line through the alley, cattle are
handled in a calm manner. Today, half of the cattle in United States and Canadian meat
processing plants are handled with equipment that Grandin designed.

Dr. Temple Grandin travels and speaks to groups about animal behavior. Many professional
speakers wear suits, however Dr. Grandin is well known for her unique style. She wears
Western shirts, often paired with cowboy scarves. She may wear fancy or simple Western
shirts, but her Western shirts are as constant as her passion for agriculture. In 2011, she even
wore a Western shirt to the Golden Globe Awards in Hollywood!

Agricultural engineers are important to livestock producers. They often assist producers in
designing livestock handling areas using the research from Dr. Grandin. They help producers
apply basic science and engineering principles as they develop these livestock facilities.
Often, agricultural engineers design machinery such as tractors and implements, animal
housing or handling facilities, irrigation and drainage systems, and soil conservation systems.
Agricultural engineers help design methods to decrease labor, which also increases a
producer's ability to produce food.

Temple Who? ³

Materials:

 The Girl Who Thought in Pictures

 Describe Temple sheet

Procedures:
1. Explain to students that they will hear about a very important scientist today – Dr. Temple
Grandin. Explain to students that we are all different – we like different foods, we wear
different clothes, and sometimes we act different from one another. Just because someone
 acts different does not make them “less” – it makes them unique. We are ALL unique in our
own ways. We will learn how Temple Grandin is unique through today’s story. Also, point
out that although this book looks fictional, this is actually a NON-FICTION story.
2. Read The Girl Who Thought in Pictures to students.
3. Discuss with students the theme of the story. What did the author want us to learn from
this story? How did Temple help farmers?
4. Project the “Describe Temple” sheet. Brainstorm words that describe Temple with the class.
Students have to explain their adjectives before we add them to the class sheet on the
projector.
5. Explain to students that now we have learned all about Temple and her passions, it is time
to think about our passions. What types of things are we passionate about in this class?
Animals? Plants? Building things? Helping others? Give an example of your own to the class
(i.e. Teachers are passionate about children, helping others, etc. This is why they choose
careers in education.) In their writing journals, have students write about their passions,
and then how they will use it to help others, just as Temple did.

Cattle Flight Zones ²

Materials:

 Understanding Flight Zones

 Cattle Flight Zones Reading Page
 Cattle Flight Zones Comprehension Sheet

Procedures:
1. Show the video Understanding Flight Zones to help students understand what a flight
zone is and how it affects the comfort of the animals.
2. Discuss cattle movement and how entering and exiting the flight zone affects their
movement.
3. Pass out a Cattle Flight Zones Reading Page and a Cattle Flight Zones Reading
Comprehension Sheet to each student. Ask the students to do a close reading of the
reading page and then complete the comprehension sheet.

Curved Cattle Chute ²

Materials:

 Engineering Process Handout

 Design of Curved Cattle Chutes
 Paper plates with high edges
 Scissors
 Glue
 Tape
 Card stock
 Yarn
 Straws
 Construction paper
 Pipe cleaners
 Marbles
Procedures:
1. Present the following scenario to the students: A local cattle operation has a problem.
They need to move their cattle from pasture through a cattle chute to doctor them, but
the cattle are afraid to walk through the chute.
2. Explain to the students that their job is to design a cattle chute using the following
guidelines:
1. The chute should have at least 3 turns causing the cattle to change directions.
2. The chute should end with a squeeze chute or pen to collect cattle.
3. The chute should start wide and then narrow as it reaches the squeeze chute or
final pen, requiring the cattle to move through in a single-file line.
3. Pass out an Engineering Process handout to each student. Walk through the engineering
process as a class.
4. Organize the students into small groups and have each group work as a team to design a
cattle chute using the Engineering Process.
5. Provide each group with a paper plate, scissors, glue, and tape and access to card stock,
yarn, straws, construction paper, and pipe cleaners to construct their prototypes. Give
each group marbles to represent the cattle who will be moving through the chute.
6. After the prototypes are built and tested, allow time for the groups to share their designs.
Ask the students to consider the following:
1. What happened to the marble's motion when it hit the wall?
2. Can the motion be predicted?
3. Was there a change in energy?
4. How does this compare to how cattle process information and respond to the
chute and/or distractions?
7. Show the video Design of Curved Cattle Chutes.
8. Discuss cattle movement and chute design. How do cattle use their senses to process
information? Discuss how the chutes on the video are similar and different from the
student designs.
9. Challenge the students to modify their projects to create a chute that follows Dr.
Grandin's guidelines—solid walls and curved alleyways which narrow—but do not
duplicate the chute shown in the video.
10. Have the students measure the length and width of their alleyways and the angle of their
turns and then compare their designs. Ask the students to consider the following:
1. Which angles worked best to turn the cattle?
2. Does the length and width of the alleyways affect the cattle movement?
3. What is the widest the chute can be to only allow one calf to pass through at a
time?

Extension Activities: ⁴
 Invite a local rancher to your class to discuss their livestock facilities. Ask the rancher to
share a diagram of their corral and identify areas that are working well, and areas that
could be improved. Your county Farm Bureau may be able to connect you to a local
rancher.
 Learn more about livestock facilities by visiting a local ranch, auction yard, or feedlot. Ask
your tour guide to explain how their facilities keep animals calm and safe. If appropriate,
have students employ Temple Grandin’s unique way of thinking by moving through the
system to understand the animal’s perspective.
 Further explore the contributions of Temple Grandin by watching the full-length film,
Temple Grandin (2010, PG). As students watch the movie, have them record the
challenges and successes she encounters as she designs facilities for animals.
 Have students research the educational background and skills required to be an
agricultural engineer.

Suggested Companion Resources:

 Beef Cattle in the Story of Agriculture (Book)

 Careers in Agriculture (Book)
 John Deere, That's Who! (Book)
 The Most Magnificent Thing (Book)
 Compliments of Cattle Poster (Poster, Map, Infographic)
 Into the Outdoors: Beef Farming (Multimedia)

Sources/Credits:
1. Mosca, Julia Finley. The Girl Who Thought In Pictures. Innovation Press, 2017.
2. Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom
3. Swimming in Second
4. California Ag in the Classroom
Suggested SC Standards Met:
English/Language Arts:
 2.RI.5.1 Ask and answer literal and inferential questions to demonstrate understanding of a text; use specific
details to make inferences and draw conclusions in texts heard or read.
 2.RI.5.2 Make predictions before and during reading; confirm or modify thinking
 2.RI. 8.1 Identify how the author uses words, phrases, illustrations, and photographs to inform, explain, or
describe.
 2.RI.10.1 Identify and analyze the author’s purpose.
 3.RI.5.1 Ask and answer literal and inferential questions to determine meaning; refer explicitly to the text to
support inferences and conclusions.
 3.RI.8.1 Explain how the author uses words and phrases to inform, explain, or describe.
 3.RI.8.2 Use knowledge of appendices, timelines, maps, and charts to locate information and gain meaning;
explain how these features contribute to a text.
 3.RI.10.1 State the author’s purpose; distinguish one’s own perspective from that of the author.
 4.RI.5.1 Ask and answer inferential questions to analyze meaning beyond the text; refer to details and
examples within a text to support inferences and conclusions
 4.RI.8.1 Determine how the author uses words and phrases to shape and clarify meaning.
 4.RI.8.2 Apply knowledge of text features to gain meaning; describe the relationship between these features
and the text.
 5.RI.8.1 Analyze how the author uses words and phrases to shape and clarify meaning.
 6.RI.5.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.
 6.RI.7.1 Integrate information presented in different media or formats to develop a coherent understanding of
a topic or issue.
Science:
 2.S.1: The student will use the science and engineering practices, including the processes and skills of scientific
inquiry, to develop understandings of science content.
 3.S.1: The student will use the science and engineering practices, including the processes and skills of scientific
inquiry, to develop understandings of science content.
 4.S.1: The student will use the science and engineering practices, including the processes and skills of scientific
inquiry, to develop understandings of science content.
 5.S.1: The student will use the science and engineering practices, including the processes and skills of scientific
inquiry, to develop understandings of science content.
 6.S.1: The student will use the science and engineering practices, including the processes and skills of scientific
inquiry, to develop understandings of science content.
 Describe Temple
After reading “The Girl Who Thought in Pictures,” describe Temple Grandin.
© Courtney Bartlett
Cattle Flight Zones Reading Page
CATTLE FLIGHT ZONES
To move cattle forward, you need to know where the flight zone and point of balance are.
The flight zone is how far from the animal a person must stay to keep the animal calm.
The picture below shows the flight zone and point of balance for cattle. The outer circle is
the edge of the flight zone. You can find the flight zone by slowly walking up to the
animal. Walking up to an animal’s head increases its flight zone. If a person is in the
flight zone the animal will move away.

The dotted line represents a curved chute. A chute is an alleyway that people use to walk
cattle to a pen. For most animals the point of balance is at their shoulder. When the
handler stands at or behind the point of balance, the animal will move forward. ​They will
back up if you stand in front of the shoulder. ​Avoid standing at the head of an animal and
poking it's rear. You should also avoid standing in the animals blind spot, which is behind
them. When a herd, or group, of cattle are moved in pastures and large pens, their
behavior is usually different because they are not in a chute or small pen. The flight zone
may be different for a herd of cattle in pastures.

Calm livestock can be harder to move because they no longer have a flight zone. These
animals can often be led using a halter or feed bucket. When animals are used to the
person and the person stays calm, the animal learns to trust them.
Think in Pictures: Like Dr. Grandin
Cattle Flight Zones Comprehension Sheet
Name: __________________________________Date: _________________

Class/Hour/Teacher: ___________________________________________________

After reading “Cattle Flight Zones,” respond to the following questions. When making
logical inferences, reference the text to support your answer.

1) What is the main idea of the “Cattle Flight Zones” reading page?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2) What details support the main idea?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3) Explain in your own words how to find the flight zone of cattle.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4) Do you think it would be easier to move calm cattle or cattle who are not used
to people? Explain your answer.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5) Why would it be more difficult to move cattle in a pasture?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 Engineering Process
Identify the problem and how
it affects people. Think locally,
nationally, and globally.
Brainstorm answers to
Communicate results. IDENTIFY the problem. Generate
Share the problem, design, lots of ideas. Consider
data, and conclusions. all solutions and select
Present findings. the best one.

IM
E AG
IN
AR E
SH

TE
ST
/IM
G N
PR
SI
DE
OV
E

Collect quantitative Sketch a diagram of

and qualitative data the prototype. Create
during tests of design. a list of materials and a
Compare results with
CREATE procedure to build the
expectations. Make prototype. Discuss the
needed changes for Build the prototype desired results.
improvement. according to
design plan and
procedures.
 Identify the problem.

Brainstorm solutions.

Diagram the prototype.

List Materials Write out the steps.

Describe the outcome

Test 1 Test 2 Test 3

What worked and what needs to change for success?