Ask an you shall receive...plant science ideas!

This weekend I posted an Instagram Story about how I need to re-work my plant science unit in my first level (Basic Agriculture) class.I got SO MANY wonderful ideas from AG TEACHERS across the country. So, I complied what they said into a quick Google Document.Now, this document, I want it to be ALIVE (just like plants :))!That means, if you have something to add, ADD IT BY GOLLY!Just write your Instagram handle so if a teacher has a question they can reach out to you for advice.Y'all are awesome! Now, STOP, COLLABORATE and .... share? Sorry MC Hammer. 

One Word 2019

Y'all I loved this.Recently on the 'gram I have been seeing people post their #oneword365 for 2019. Basically it is the ONE WORD they want to focus on in 2019. This word should be able to be applied to all parts of life (career, school, family, relationships, health etc.)After seeing it I KNEW I needed to do this with my students. But, any old worksheet just won't do this justice! This is a BIG DEAL so it needed to be more that JUST an activity.So, after thinking and seeing some other ideas similar to this online (like All About Me banners) I decided to make my own :)And thus, the One Word Banner was made.On the back side are prompts to run through with the kids. Step 1: Brainstorm as many words as you can that will embody 2019. Step 2: Circle THREE that you like the most and write why you could see that as your ONE WORD. Step 3: Pick ONE WORD and explain why that one is the best for you in 2019. Step 4: On the other (blank) side creatively design your ONE WORD for 2019.After they were done I decided to hang them on my personal growth wall (I have the FFA mission on the different walls of my room).It was a GREAT activity that the kids took seriously and I love how for the rest of the semester they will be able to SEE their personal WORD day in and day out!Wanna try it out? Here is a link to the document!If you try it out with your students make sure you tag @agteacherhowtos so I can see the awesomeness your students create!

Happy 2019

2019It's here.Maybe you are in a place that says "THANK GOSH 2018 is over" or maybe "Man, 2018 was the BEST year ever".Regardless of where you are on that spectrum, I am here to say that 2019 can be different. It can be better than you BEST year. You can make today better than yesterday regardless of circumstances.I am cheering for you!Now, if you are a teacher...enjoy the last few days of freedom before chaos begins again but before you leave...Remember that you ARE making a difference, it doesn't matter if you feel like you are just treading water to stay afloat each day or you are swimming through the year like Michael Phelps. There is SOMEONE in your class, maybe it is just one, that looks up to you, loves coming to your class, and thinks of you as a mentor. And that my friends, is a WIN. Keep showing up for that kid.Happy New Year friends, happy to be on this ride with you...-Sarah

Agriscience Fair

Watch the #firstfridaywebinar about Agriscience Fair HERE!Agriscience Fair, one of those awesome opportunities for FFA members, but why not offer it to every AgEd student?Four years ago I set out to just that. All of my Basic Agricultural Science students have been doing Agriscience Fair as their semester long project/Final Exam since 2015. And here is how I make it happen...(need all the resources I use? You can check it out here!)Step 1: START EARLYLike 4 months in advance early. Yes, you really need that long. The best thing about Agriscience Fair is that it is already "chunked" for you, meaning that you take every part of the Agriscience Fair rubric (ex. introduction, materials & methods, results) and focus on ONE section at a time, give it a due date and then SLOWLY work on the entire project throughout the course of the semester. I start in September and then the actual paper and fair is in mid December before winter break.Step 2: PROVIDE SUPPORTDuh, right? But, you are going to need more than 1 day in class to support this project. ASF throws students off the deep end of inquiry and lets be honest, IT'S SCARY! Inquiry is HARD, but for good reason! The harder something is, when you achieve that hard thing, you get a HUGE sense of accomplishment! The kids need that! But, don't throw them off the deep end with out some swimmies on (you know those blow up things you put on your arms to help you swim?). What does this look like in my classroom? I give me students EVERY WEDNESDAY during the project as an agriscience fair work day. Yes, EVERY WEDNESDAY! Why, they need it and I need it. This gives me time to check in with the kids to see who is achieving and who is behind and needs extra support (if they need it I usually provide it during class and put them into tutoring). I also use these work days as due dates for sections, so I can yell out in class as I am checking sections who is done and who is not. Yes, this does take away from curriculum, but I USUALLY provide curriculum ahead of time so students who are finished with ASF can work on their notebooks (online of course) while others catch up.Step 3: KEEP PARENTS UP TO DATEParent contact is KEY! This is a huge project I do with my freshmen, and it's not easy! I email my parents BEFORE we start the project so they are aware of the expectations and due dates. I email EVERY time a student does not turn a section in on time. Why, so they 1. can talk to their child 2. so I have documentation that I contacted parents 3. to light a fire under the students! I also email before thanksgiving break, usually I have data/results due the week after thanksgiving break so if I student is behind, at least they have a good seven days to get results. I also email after thanksgiving break because the final due dates are just a few weeks away. I also think that NEXT YEAR, I might invite the parents to the fair to see all the amazingness the kids come up with!Step 4: HAVE A BACK UP EXPERIMENT IDEAAre there kids who refuse to do it, YES! You will have a handful who say "Mrs. Nerswick, I CAN'T DO THIS, I can't come up with an experiment idea!" (Although, I give them LINKS and LINKS of ideas!) So, if we get behind on a section or two, I have a few experiment ideas in my back pocket to assign them. I have thought one or twice to just assign all students an experiment BUT, the best experiments I see year after year are the ones my students came up with ON THEIR OWN! But, for those special little nuggets, I have some easy to implement ideas for them (ex. rate of germination in different conditions, spoilage rates of ________(insert a fruit or veggie), survey of population on GMO's, organic, free-range etc.).Step 5: HAVE AN AGRISCIENCE FAIRSeems easy enough eh? Do it, have an actual agriscience fair! I have mine DURING class (my periods are 50 minutes). I invite at least 5 judges (invite administration, science teachers, alumni, state staff etc.) to come and judge the students. I provide this EASY RUBRIC. I grade their papers pretty tough because we work on it SO MUCH in class, so the presentation we don't grade as hard. This project counts for 200 points, 100 for the paper and 100 for the presentaion as their FINAL EXAM GRADE! During the ASF, we place all my desks in a circle and the students set up their displays and wait for a judge to come to them. WAIT, rewind....make sure the DAY BEFORE you have a PRACTICE presentation. 1. So you know the kids have their displays done 2. So the kids can practice their presentation BEFORE judges. I give my students this presentation postcard, they have to present for 6 different students and the students listening sign their name and write one comment for the presenter. I collect that as a classwork grade. OK, now back to the day of the ASF, judges meet with 5-10 students then the judges reconvene and choose a few experiments to revisit because they were steller. Then ALL the judges go to re-interview those few experiments and pick a top 3. Then I present those top 3 students with a certificate! That's it! Super simple and effective.

Step 6: DO NOT GIVE UP/DO NOT GIVE INThis is HARD for you as the teacher too. Getting the kids to buy it, staying on top of 80+ students deadlines, emailing parents weekly, grading 80+ papers, organizing judges etc. It takes a lot of time and patience. BUT, I GUARANTEE that the day of the agriscience fair YOU WILL BE HAPPY with the result. Not going to lie, EVERY YEAR I ask myself "Sarah, why do you do this every year?! You are insane!" and EVERY YEAR at the agriscience fair I say to myself "THIS IS THE BEST THING EVERRRRR!" So keep working, YOU CAN DO IT!Step 7: NEED SUPPORT FOR YOU?Seems like a lot right? Well, I have ALL the guess work figured out for you AND created an editable resource that YOU CAN GET RIGHT NOW and implement into you classroom. This resource includes the following:Information/Due Date WorksheetASF Ideas WorksheetASF HyperDoc for helpful hints (*Includes link to Google Doc Written Report Template)Back Up ASF Ideas WorksheetStudent Accountability SheetPractice Presentation PostcardPresentation RubricASF CertificateYASSS! Am I right! If you don't know where to start, this is a one stop shop for some resources. I am also a HUGE fan on using the National FFA Resources to supplement the resources I have created to go along with it. With the HOPES that what my students create align with the National standard so students have the opportunity to submit for state judging!So, are you in? Are you ready to do an Agriscience Fair? Get your Agriscience Fair in a Box HERE!

Ten activities to start the year (or semester)

It's that time of year again!The holidays are over, and January is looming right around the corner (cough, one more day of 2018, cough).Here are some free & paid resources you can use on the first day/couple days back to EASE back into the school year.With NEW students#1 Investigate the Teacher via @writeonwithmissgI used this the first day with my students last semester and LOVED IT! It is an easy way for the students to get to know you WITHOUT just going through a Powerpoint because they go around the room and gather inferences about you based on your classroom. Students get to MOVE on the first day & practice research skills! Find it here!#2 Back to School Escape Room @nouvelle_elaTwo years ago I used this to introduce my classroom rules and syllabus. You can purchase the product and it is 100% editable to fit your classroom. Another awesome way to get the kids up and moving and learning things you HAVE TO teach ANYWAY...but making it more engaging (and less hands on for you, after you get it set up!)#3 Back to School StationsI did this year and LOVED it, I got the idea from @writeonwithmissg (you can purchase her product, I ended up making my own). I made 8 stations for the students to rotate around the room and complete. Some examples were goal making station, Meet with Mrs. Nerswick station, Student information Google Doc, FFA "post it" question poster, etc. You can make whatever stations fit your needs :)With OLD Students#4 Inquiry LabI was part of the National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Program a few summers ago (if you haven't done it....DO IT). But, one of the things they made us to is IMMEDIATELY get our of our comfort zone into the world of inquiry. If you are teaching a science class that will require students to think like scientists/researchers etc... you might want to start out the class with some uncomfortable growing to get the kids used to what you expect of them! I tend to do the "does bubblegum can/lose weight as you chew?" but there are TONS of other ideas like "are Oreos "really" double stuffed?" You basically give them the question, they DO THE REST! They create the experiment and do it! I give them a ONE SHEET lab report called a VEE Map. This includes ALL the things you need (materials, steps, results, etc) in an easy to follow sheet. I usually do this on the FIRST or SECOND day!#5 16 PersonalitiesEver heard of Myers-Briggs testing? I am a leadership NERD (insert hand up emoji here). There is a free test from 16 personalities that I love doing with my students. EVERY TIME students are like "that is TOTALLY me!" the website is very in-depth in many categories like careers, relationships, things that we like, teamwork etc. Students can gain A LOT of insight about themselves. I have given them a quick worksheet to complete and even once had students do a presentation on their findings using this Google Slides prompt. One of the prompts was to find funny pictures/memes that associate with their personality, below is an example.#6 Career Research/InterviewsI LOVE starting the year off with careers. I can hear you sighing and about to skip to the next idea...but stick with me. Instead of taking a test, or a web quest online. I HAVE STUDENT INTERVIEW a REAL PERSON about their ideal career. YES, they have to actually TALK ON A PHONE (or skype/facetime). I basically provide the contacts (you could do this for just one unit, ex. Animal Science-Find a bunch of people you know (via networking, contacts, social media) get their contact information and provide it to a student (or partners/groups). Then the students take the reins, they contact the person (via email) to set up a phone interview. They make the questions, have an interview, ask for follow-up questions/photos for them to make a presentation to class on their findings. This provides students an opportunity to learn about careers BUT also practice professional correspondence.#7 Resolutions/GoalsThere are A TON of resources on Teachers Pay Teachers for New Year resolutions and/or goals worksheets/activities.#8 Letter to Me in 2019I was thinking I wanted to do something similar to a resolution/goals activity, but wanted to make it a little different. So, I came up with an idea for the students to write a letter to themselves reflecting on the past year. They get a prompt to write three paragraphs, complete the letter, seal it in an envelope and they will get it back at the end of the school year. I will be doing this in some classes next week :) Here it is.#9 PodcastI LOVE podcasts! Mainly for my own development and inspiration like the RISE Podcast by Rachel Hollis and Goal Digger by Jenna Kutcher. But, there are SO many good ones out there you can use in your classroom. Maybe the kids ALREADY listen to one. Pick one, or leave it open-ended for the kids to pick their own. Listen to the podcast and provide a reflection component (you could use the worksheet in #10).#10 Retiring Address/Ted Talk WorksheetI am a sucker for a good retiring address or Ted Talk. I love hearing people's unique perspectives on life. You can get a free Ted Talk worksheet here from Laura Randazzo. I also made a similar one for Retiring Addresses (find it free there) as part of my Emergency Sub Plan documents (6 different ONE PAGE worksheets (printable/electronic) that can be used in ANY UNIT in ANY class)!#11 BONUS--Leadership Initiatives/Team Building ActivitiesFun activities are the best activities! I love having some fun activities to get the year or semester started! It's also an EASY way to weave in some teamwork and communication skills! I've done a fair few of these--Here is a quick list of examples...Balloon Tower Building, Spaghetti Tower, Minute to Win it Games, Team marker writing/drawing, team cup stacking, and so many more!Phew, now I just need to choose which one to do on my first day back next week!Hope you find something that give you a day to reset and the kids to get engaged!