Advanced Agricultural Studies Grade Contract
Please print this for your records. Submit on 9/5, 10/30, and 1/12.
I. The first piece is the In Class Agricultural Practice grade. At the end of each week, you will write two, three to five sentence paragraphs that outline the following:
1. Three things you accomplished
2. One thing you learned
3. What you liked and disliked
4. Something funny that happened
5. Something you did wrong that you won’t do in the future
Each week on Friday, you will do this. You will turn this in once before interims and once at the end of the semester. This will account for 35% of your quarter grade. You must submit this journal every Friday on Edmodo. Your class Edmodo code is on board. Sign up and create a weekly journal. This is due by 3pm each Friday; late work will only be accepted up to 1 week at 70% maximum.
II. The second piece of this class’s grade relies on Out of Class Agricultural Practice. This semester you are responsible for 15 hours of work that relate to the class. These hours could be done by working in the school garden, spending time after school helping Mrs. Foster, working weekends with the animals, attending a FFA meeting, attending a FFA activity, watering at the school on the weekends, working at the plant sale or going to a FFA competition. You may NOT count hours spent at your home or your own research project. Each quarter you will submit this paper on the scheduled due dates with the appropriate information. Keep these records of dates and activities. On the due dates for the activities you will transfer the information to the Steps to Success Chart. This will count for 15% of your grade.
First Quarter: Due Monday, 10/30 during class – 7 Hours due (Weekend and Holidays)
Date / Activity / HoursSecond Quarter: Due Friday, 1/12 during class – 8 Additional Hours due (Weekend and Holidays)
Date / Activity / HoursIII. The third component of the course is the Agricultural Research Paper. You will write a three-page, double spaced, 12-point font paper on an agricultural topic of your choice. You must also include a work cited page at the end of the document. This will count as 25% of the grade. An outline will be due on Monday, 9/18, rough draft will be due Monday, 10/9, and the final draft will be due Thursday, 12/21.
IV. The fourth component of the course will be made up of a Career Readiness Grade. This will be 15% of your grade. You will have to dress out every day and be ready for laborious activities and you will need to clean up your area and fulfill assigned duties to lock up the classroom and its facilities. There will be a demerit system. If you are assigned a demerit (a reduction in your grade) you will be notified. This will be entered weekly and the grade will be finalized in the computer before the end of the quarter.
V. The fifth component of the course will be made up of a Career Development Event Participation grade. Students can participate in any career development event for the semester via the FFA or he/she may choose to use their paper and presentation for the Prepared Speech Competition. Students must follow all guidelines for the FFA CDE and practice with their team (if this is applicable). If the student is a member of a CDE team, he or she must be at 80% of the scheduled practices to have this qualify.
Examples:
· Fall semester- Forestry (September), Veterinary Medicine (November)
· Spring semester- Poultry, Floriculture, Forestry, Equine, Tool ID, Prepared or Extemporaneous Speech (February/April), Food Science and Job Interview (June)
VI. Lastly, you must create a Product demonstrating your knowledge of your agricultural research and Present the information to the class. You will present during the “Agricultural Symposium” on Monday, 1/8. The presentation must last at least 5 minutes and no more than 8 minutes. You should show the class your agricultural product at this time, as well. This component accounts for 20% of your overall grade and is your exam grade. You will be presenting to peers and staff. You must bring or show your product at this time.
Products could include: a garden at school, a video, making something better at school (sheds), planting your own crops and harvesting them.
Overall Grade Breakdown
In Class Agricultural Practice / 35%Out of Class Agricultural Practice / 15%
Agricultural Research Paper (outline and paper at end of class) / 25%
Career Readiness Grade / 15%
CDE Participation / 10%
Product/Presentation (Exam) / 20% of overall semester grade
If you agree to the above terms of the class, please sign the Advanced Agricultural Studies Contract to Mrs. Riedel. She will give this back after she has verified that you and your parent accept these terms.
Student Signature Date
Name of Student
Parent Signature Date
Name of Parent
Career Readiness End of Quarter Grade Name:
Quarter:
Job Skill / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 / 0No errors / 1 -2 errors / 3-4 errors / 5-6 errors / 7-8 errors / Not exhibited at all during quarter
Communication
Errors: / Exceptional listener and communicator who effectively conveys information verbally and in writing. / Not exhibited
Professionalism
Errors: / Conscientious go-getter who is highly organized, dedicated, and committed to professionalism. / Not exhibited
Dedication, Hard Work-Ethic, Tenacity
Errors: / Productive worker with solid work ethic who exerts optimal effort in successfully completing tasks. / Not exhibited
Teamwork
Errors: / Resourceful team player who excels at building trusting relationships with customers and colleagues. / Not exhibited
Honesty, Integrity, and Morality
Errors: / Seasoned professional whose honesty and integrity provide for effective leadership and optimal business relationships. / Not exhibited
Dependability, Reliability, Responsibility
Errors: / Dependable, responsible contributor committed to excellence and success. / Not exhibited
Positive Attitude, Energy, Drive, Passion
Errors: / Energetic performer consistently cited for unbridled passion for work, and positive attitude. / Not exhibited
Self-Motivated/Ability to Work With Little or No Supervision
Errors: / Highly motivated self-starter who takes initiative with minimal supervision / Not exhibited
Problem Solving, Reasoning, Creativity
Errors: / Innovative problem-solver who can generate workable solutions and resolve complaints. / Not exhibited
Bathroom Use
Four permitted Each Semester / No additional uses / 1 additional use / 2 additional uses / 3 additional uses / 4 additional uses / 5 or more additional uses
Error- A mark made against one's record for a fault or for misconduct.
Notes and remarks:
Advanced Studies Final Paper Outline
Due Monday, September 18th, 2017
Topic of paper:Title of paper:
Resource #1 Title or web address:
Summary paragraph from source:
Resource #2 Title or web address:
Summary paragraph from source:
Resource #3 Title or web address:
Summary paragraph from source:
Resource #4 Title or web address:
Summary paragraph from source:
Opening paragraph
Thesis (what you plan to prove or disprove):
Plan of attack (how you prove or disprove your thesis, listing reasons- this will be the layout for each of the body paragraphs):
Body
List the opening sentence of the paragraphs to support your plan of attack:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Conclusion
Plan of attack (how you proved or disproved your thesis, listing reasons-these were the paragraphs that you just listed- the evidence to support or disprove your thesis):Thesis (what you supported or disprove):
Conclusion sentence (something to get reader’s attention, one final time and leave something so they can remember your paper- quote, statistic, scenario):
Sample Advanced Studies Research Paper
Intro
INTRO: Imagine yourself making a delicious BLT sandwich. First, you toast the bread, then load it up with some Duke's mayo,smother it with some crispy, crunchy Smithfield bacon, and then, to make this sandwich perfect, top it off with any old tasteless homegrown tomatoes. Does that last part sound right? In North Carolina, the tomatoes that are cultivated sometimes lack flavor. THESIS: Growing an heirloom variety of tomato is the tasty solution to traditional flavorless varieties of tomatoes grown. PLAN OF ATTACK: Heirloom tomatoes have a rich ancestry, are packed with nutritional value, loaded with flavor, have a plethora of available varieties with unique traits, and when heirlooms are grown in the right environment they can be an easy choice of tomato to grow.
Body
B1: Thousands of years ago, the first tomatoes were grown in Central America.
B2: The average tomato has a great deal of lycopene, however, heirloom tomatoes are busting out with this vital nutrient.
B3: Heirloom tomatoes often are off the charts on the Brix flavor scale, well surpassing hybrid varieties of today.
B4: There are hundreds, if not thousands, of heirloom tomatoes from around the world.
B5: A tomato can be a little picky about how it is cultivated, but it all starts with the right soil.
Conclusion
Heirloom tomatoes have been and can be a great choice for any garden because of their nutritional value, flavor, countless unique varieties, and their ease in cultivation. Unlike traditional hybrid tomatoes often grown today, heirloom tomatoes are a great solution to tasteless hybrids. So when you go to make that next tomato sandwich, skip the flavorless, run of the mill grocery store tomato and reach for that juicy, colorful, and packed with flavor heirloom. Heirloom tomatoes are old school but their flavor is wave of the future.
Advanced Studies Final Paper Rubric
Due Thursday, December 21st, 2017
Dimension / Sophisticated / Competent / Needs WorkIntroduction / Position and exceptions, if any, are clearly stated. Organization of the argument is completely and clearly outlined and implemented. 4-5 pts / Position is clearly stated. Organization of argument is clear in parts or only partially described and mostly implemented. 2-3 pts / Position is vague. Organization of argument is missing, vague, or not consistently maintained. 0-1 pts
Research / Research selected is highly relevant to the argument, is presented accurately and completely – the method, results, and implications are all presented accurately; Theory is relevant, accurately described and all relevant components are included; relationship between research and theory is clearly articulated and accurate. 4-5 pts / Research is relevant to the argument and is mostly accurate and complete – there are some unclear components or some minor errors in the method, results or implications. Theory is relevant and accurately described, some components may not be present or are unclear. Connection to theory is mostly clear and complete, or has some minor errors. 2-3 pts / Research selected is not relevant to the argument or is vague and incomplete – components are missing or inaccurate or unclear. Theory is not relevant or only relevant for some aspects; theory is not clearly articulated and/or has incorrect or incomplete components. Relationship between theory and research is unclear or inaccurate, major errors in the logic are present. 0-1 pts
Documentation / Research paper uses both internal citations to mark unoriginal thoughts, as well as a works cited page at the end of the document. All are in APA formatting and are accurate: 4-5 pts / Research paper uses either internal citation or a works cited. APA formatting is attempted but needs work.: 2-3 pts / Research paper lacks internal citation and/or a works cited. If both are present, they need a great deal of work to be considered adequate: 0-1 pts
Conclusions / Conclusion is clearly stated and connections to the research and position are clear and relevant. The underlying logic is explicit. 4-5 pts / Conclusion is clearly stated and connections to research and position are mostly clear, some aspects may not be connected or minor errors in logic are present. 2-3 pts / Conclusion may not be clear and the connections to the research are incorrect or unclear or just a repetition of the findings without explanation. Underlying logic has major flaws; connection to position is not clear.0-1 pts
Writing / Paper is coherently organized and the logic is easy to follow. There are no spelling or grammatical errors and terminology is clearly defined. Writing is clear and concise and persuasive. There is a works cited page and internal citations. 4-5 pts / Paper is generally well organized and most of the argument is easy to follow. There are only a few minor spelling or grammatical errors, or terms are not clearly defined. Writing is mostly clear but may lack conciseness. There is a works cited or internal citations. 2-3 pts / Paper is poorly organized and difficult to read – does not flow logically from one part to another. There are several spelling and/or grammatical errors; technical terms may not be defined or are poorly defined. Writing lacks clarity and conciseness. There are no internal citations or a works cited page.0-1 pts
Score X4
Total Score
Agriculture Advanced Studies Final Presentation
Agriculture Symposium- this will act as your final exam: Monday, January 8th