In this Advanced Animal Science course students will explore:
1: Historical Development and Breed Selection
Students will become familiar with genetics first using a video and then completing a an activity to practice and understand Punnett square. Students will complete a worksheet from a video on Evolution and Natural Selection from Khan Academy before learning the details of the most common American Beef and Dairy Breeds. Finally students will research world cattle breeds and develop their own breed for certain characteristics they would want. Students will either write a paragraph or record a video to explain why they chose the breeds and what characteristics they are selecting for.  

2: Reproduction
Students will begin by reading with an article from Oregon State University on the Basics of Reproductive Function in Beef Cattle. 
Students will be asked to create a diagram of the female and male reproductive system using the diagrams in the article. The students can use any media they choose. These drawings or diagrams need to be submitted and available for class discussion.  

3: Common Practices 
Students will explore the process of cattle ranching from ranch to market. They will participate in a mock stock market sale by monitoring the calf prices in their area. Students will also learn about Temple Grandin and her revolutionary cattle handling practices that changed the industry in the 1970s.  

4: Developing Technology
Students will explore the practices and advantages of using CIDR from the manufacturer's webpage. To further understand the complex process students will complete a worksheet along with a short video. The class will also participate in a class discussion in message board format with a minimum of two comments per section. 

5: Ruminant 
Students will begin this section with an animated video explaining the process of digestion from eating grass to defecation. Students will take notes on the names and characteristics of the 4 compartments and their functions. Finally students will learn from a Dr. Kevin Pond Professor of Animal Science at Texas Tech University. (This video is age restricted because it's graphic nature, Parental Caution suggested). That video should be paused and questions throughout answered and turned in. Students will also draw and label a diagram of the digestive system.  

6: Dairy
Students will take a virtual Dairy Farm to get a basic understanding of dairy operations and the terminology associated with. Students will research safeguards to insure safe food sources and the varying styles of milking parlors.  

7: Organic and Grass Fed 
Students will use resources supplied by the teacher to research labels for beef and dairy products. Students will chose a specific label  and learn what is or is prohibited to carry the label. The teacher will facilitate a discussion on advantages and disadvantages of producing certain labeled food.  

8: Current Issues and Regulations
Each day there will be a new topic posted and discussion started by the teacher summing up some concepts and conclusions from the 7 previous weeks and how it relates to current issues and government regulations. Resources to be reviewed on both sides of the issue will include but not limited to: https://animalequality.org/issues/dairy/   https://www.progressivedairy.com/    https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/cows/beef-industry/   http://www.grandin.com/welfare/intro.welfare.html
Students will also be asked to form conclusions and state their reasoning in a polite, professional, and coherent way. Students often get a new perspective because of the global nature of this topic and diversity of the students who enroll. 

The flexible class will require students to educate themselves on the topics via the resources provided by the teacher. Then students will participate in an interactive discussion through the week to expand the students knowledge and understanding with their peers around the world. Using worksheets that follow along videos of experts and professors at the leading Animal Science colleges in the country explaining the topics each week. Students will need some supplies to build, draw or create diagrams of the reproductive and digestive systems to use in their studies and present to the teacher. Assignments include options for students to state their points and give reasons in written paragraph or video format, whichever the student is comfortable with. The teacher provides resources with a minimum participation level but the content also lends itself to further independent study with peer reviewed and expert in the field resources. 
This course will focus on bovine specifically beef and dairy production in the United States but will also touch on swine and sheep production. There will be virtual tours via video and opportunities to research or interview local producers in the students' region. Each class meeting will begin with a question to assess each student's prior knowledge. The class will continue with props, videos and student's participating by answering on a message board in the virtual classroom.
This curriculum is normally taught in a semester long traditional agriculture classroom for Science and Agriculture credit. The rigor will be challenging but knowledge and experience your student will attain will be immeasurable. The teacher has been an Agriculture Science Teacher for 10 years with a Bachelors and Masters degree in Agriculture Science. Additionally the teacher lives and works on a cow & calf operation in Texas and works in the Dairy industry as a professional insurance agent. Lastly, the teacher has been teaching online for 5 years and has logged over 1500 hours in face to face online courses. The importance of interactive and educational entertainment is a vital focus.