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Status

Open

Estimated Completion Time

18 weeks

Overview

Agriscience 1: Introduction

The word “agriculture” often evokes images of farms, fields, and livestock, and while all of these representations are correct and essential, the field of Agriculture is so much more! In Agriscience I: Introduction, you’ll explore how agriscientists play key roles in improving agriculture, food production, and the conservation of natural resources along with the technologies used to keep the field thriving. Are you ready to explore the diverse careers in agriscience and how you can prepare to positively impact the planet? Let’s get growing!

During this course, you will learn career-related skills and earn a badge for this accomplishment. A badge is a digital certification of your career-related learning that you can share on social media and higher education platforms, or with colleges, potential employers, peers, and colleagues. Select this link to learn more about badges.

Major Topics and Concepts

Unit 1: The Importance of Agriscience

  1. Explain how the history of agriculture has influenced the development of cities and economies
  2. Analyze the variables impacting imports and exports
  3. Determine the relationship between agriculture and society at the local, state, national, and international levels
  4. Evaluate the reliability of a website and recognize those websites that are appropriate for use in agriscience
  5. Formulate a business email and write with appropriate business etiquette

Unit 2: Agriscience and the Environment

  1. Explain the relationship between agriscience and the environment
  2. Identify threats to a healthy environment
  3. Compare and contrast practices for conserving renewable and nonrenewable resources
  4. Describe how natural resources are used in agriculture
  5. Demonstrate effective communication skills

Unit 3: Plant Science

  1. Investigate the many uses for plants in industry and medicine, in making our lives more beautiful, and as food products
  2. Identify the major parts of plants and state the important functions of each
  3. Compare the cell structure and function of plants, animals, bacteria, and viruses
  4. Apply the different types of soil classification
  5. Analyze complex problems by using critical-thinking skills

Unit 4: The Animal Element

  1. Differentiate between domestication and natural selection
  2. Compare the economic importance of different livestock animals with their byproducts
  3. Analyze the basic nutritional needs of animals and explain the different types of digestion in livestock
  4. Apply ethical concepts to assess the appropriateness of the treatment of animals in agriculture and apply ethics to workplace situations

Unit 5: Animal Biology and Pest Control

  1. Compare the anatomical features and growth patterns of various domesticated animals
  2. Assess the probability of certain traits appearing in the offspring of animals
  3. Investigate the possible control measures for various agricultural pests
  4. Evaluate the dangers in agricultural workplaces to formulate plans to mitigate risks

Unit 6: Technology and Agriscience

  1. Describe advances in agricultural technology and how they may change food production and distribution
  2. Investigate careers in agriscience alongside each step in the food system
  3. Compare consumer concerns over food safety to the available science, considering ways to communicate the findings to a consumer audience
  4. Create a recordkeeping system for financial and production records that will allow a farmer to interpret data to apply to improvements on the farm

Unit 7: Careers in Agriscience

  1. Hypothesize how agriscience advances could help farmers beyond North America to feed the populations in their regions
  2. Compare the working environment, needed skills, and educational requirements for various agriscience careers
  3. Differentiate among the types of tools and equipment used in agriculture and consider the appropriate safety measures and personal protective equipment needed to operate them
  4. Create a set of SMART goals that includes education and experience you will need to prepare for a career that interests and inspires you

Unit 8: Agribusiness Management

  1. Analyze pricing trends in agricultural products based on the principles of supply and demand
  2. Compare livestock and crop market structures to assess the pros and cons of each type of farming business
  3. Connect the trends in food production and consumption in the United States to the impact that these trends may have on health, safety, the environment, and the world food supply
  4. Create a strategic plan to participate in agricultural, scientific, and community programs that will help to develop leadership skills

 

 

Credits .5

Competencies

  • Importance of Agriscience
    Students will demonstrate an understanding of the importance of agriscience by explaining the history of agriculture, describing the field of agriscience, and summarizing the benefits of the internet to agriscience.
  • Protecting Environmental and Natural Resources
    Students will demonstrate an understanding of protecting environmental and natural resources by describing natural resources, explaining conservation practices, and summarizing resource management.
  • Plant Science
    Students will demonstrate an understanding of plant science by describing plant parts, summarizing uses of plants in industry and medicine, and differentiating types of soil classification.
  • Livestock
    Students will demonstrate an understanding of livestock by differentiating types of livestock, comparing the economic importance of livestock, and summarizing ethical concepts applied in agriculture.
  • Animal Biology
    Students will demonstrate an understanding of animal biology by describing anatomical features and growth patterns of domesticated animals, summarizing trait probabilities in offspring, and evaluating control measures for pests.
  • Agricultural Technology
    Students will demonstrate an understanding of agricultural technology by describing advances in technology, summarizing responsibilities during production stages to ensure safe and fresh food, and explaining technology for safety during the production stages.
  • Agriscience Careers
    Students will demonstrate an understanding of agriscience careers by explaining agriscience advancements, describing agriscience career skills, and summarizing required career paths for agriscience careers.
  • Agribusiness Management
    Students will demonstrate an understanding of agribusiness management by comparing market structures, explaining the impacts of food production trends on food consumption, and summarizing pricing trends in agricultural products.

Pre-Requisites

None
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