This class will use the documentary Farmland to learn different aspects of agriculture.  Farmland follows six farmers in different regions and experiences.  These include a big Georgia poultry farm, Texas cattle ranch, Minnesota swine farm, irrigated Nebraska corn/soybean farm, big California vegetable farm and a small Pennsylvania organic grower.  The students will learn farming methods, risks, animal welfare, and how farmers supply safe and nutritious foods for the world.  The students will watch the movie Farmland and will be able to discuss the different concepts covered.  I will provide a link to the documentary to view online.  

Week 1:  Animal Welfare
The class will learn about the care of livestock and learn about the government's role in the industry.  This week we will discuss vocabulary centered around animals such as ethics, animal welfare and animal rights.  I will provide a lesson about the Animal Welfare Act and introduce the laws about agricultural animals hosted on YouTube.  The students will play a trivia game with ag facts to show what they learned and what they already knew.  The whole class will also interact with each other by discussing and creating discussion questions. 

Week 2:  Farm Risk
The class will learn about risks on a farm and everyday life.  The risk discussed are production, marketing, financial, legal and human.  Different risk factors we will discuss are weather, commodity, insurance, and technology.  I will provide a lesson on farming risk hosted on YouTube.  The students will interact with each other by sharing ideas of the risks that might happen on their own farm either now or the future.   

Week 3:  Farm Size
The class will compare and contrast large versus small farms.  We will also discuss how farmers can feed a growing population.  I will provide a history lesson on how farms have changed through the years, discuss acres on a farm and what the future holds for farming. The students will interact by discussing what food they would grow on a farm or a garden.  Each student will decide which one has the bigger benefit to farming (small or large scale farm) and provide their thoughts on the topic with each other. 

Week 4:  GMOs and Organic Agriculture
The class will understand genetically engineered crops and compare different farming practices.   The students will learn vocabulary centered around engineering and technology.  I will provide a video lesson hosted on YouTube about GMOs and the benefits and what organic farmers are allowed to do.  The students will debate and give reasons to support their side of the GMO dilemma. The class will be given different scenarios and the pros/cons using their new knowledge.  

No farming background is needed for this class.   Everyone is welcomed to join and share their own point of view.  The point of view of this class will be coming from the farmers point of view and we will talk about the misconceptions about farming.  I will post mini lessons and assignments every Monday and the assignments will be due on Friday.  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday posts will be used as discussion questions and activities to gain further knowledge.  

All interaction will be in the Outschool classroom.  I will also use Kahoot for trivia questions and games.  I will provide the challenge link when it is time to complete the quiz.   Google forms will be used for quizzes to assess the learners knowledge. 

This course is scheduled in flex time for your convenience.  Flex class means there will be no live meetings.  The work is asynchronous and all activities will take place in the classroom portal not in zoom.  The course is great for busy families.  The student may access the materials at anytime during the course.  The teacher will be available for 1 on 1 or group meetings upon request and will answer emails try to answer within 24 hours.