Pennsylvania S upervised A gricultural E xperience

1. Pennsylvania SupervisedAgricultural Experience Practicum Skills

2. What are Practicum Skills? Practicum SkillsEnterprises allow students to gain knowledge through: *School related skill development activities. *Non-experimental research *Exploring various areas of agriculture *Exploring agricultural careers.

3. School related practicum skills example: • Keep records of what you do each day in your agriculture class, ag mechanics shop, greenhouse, floral shop, land lab, etc. • Work in the school greenhouse or land lab • Serve as a school lab assistant. • Develop and or maintain the FFA chapter website. • Develop and/or participate in a recycling or litter pick up program • Plant a butterfly garden at an elementary school

4. Creative Practicum Skills Examples: • Develop a marketing plan for an agricultural commodity • Write a series of newspaper articles about the environment • Design a land use plan for your school district • Develop a landscape design for a community facility • Design an advertising campaign for an agribusiness • Attend a county or state conservation camp

5. More practicum skills examples: • Observe and/or assist a florist • Grow plants in a milk jug "greenhouse" • Assist on a horse farm for a day • Interview an agricultural loan officer in a bank • Prepare a scrapbook on the work of a veterinarian • Attend an agricultural career day • Volunteer at a zoo

6. The Agreement Page Every Practicum Skills Record Book begins with Your enterprise name and number should be the same as you entered in the second column on your common pages title page. This page should be completed at the beginning of the project year in blue or black ink. Ag Shop 1 1st 20XX Jan. Joseph Scholar Andrew Educator Your School High School Enter the date you and your teacher agree that you will begin your practicumskills project. (If you are doing a school based enterprise, you may elect to keep your records on a school year basis.) Enter your name the same way as on the Common pages cover page. Enter your teacher’s name and your school name.

7. This page should be completed at the beginning of the project year in blue or black ink The Agreement Page Continuing with 31st Jan. 20XX 1st Dec. 20XX Enter the date of the last day you will enter data into your record book. This date should also be determined in conference with your teacher. Enter the date of the first day you will enter data into your record book. This date should be determined in conference with your teacher. (Practicum skills enterprises conducted at school are often kept on a school year basis rather than a calendar year basis.) The next section explains the expectations of each person listed on the agreement. Student will provide his/her own safety glasses, coveralls and safety shoes.

8. The Agreement Page Give a brief but complete description of the agricultural laboratory. Use complete sentences and proper grammar. The agriculture shop consists of an area approximately 1500 square feet. It includes 10 electric arc stick welders, 3 MIG welders and a TIG welder as well as a plasma cutter, a four station oxy-acetylene welding station as well as various metal working and bending jigs. There is also a weld testing station and two drill presses. Woodworking equipment includes a table saw, band saw, radial arm saw, belt and disk sander, planer, miter box saw, wood lathe and various hand and small power tools. We have stations for electricity and wiring, concrete and masonry, small gas engines and hydraulics. There is a safety cabinet, fire extinguishers and a cabinet to sterilize safety glasses. There is a fume exhaust system for the welders and small engines and a dust collecting system for the woodworking equipment.

9. The Agreement Page Finally, sign the agreement yourself and secure the signature of your parent. Signatures should be in blue or black ink. Joseph Scholar January 30, 20XX Elizabeth Scholar March 30, 20XX Andrew Educator January 30, 20XX It is important to have your parent sign the agreement to verify that you have discussed this project with them. Your teacher will most likely sign the form only after you have secured your parental signature (and signed the page yourself, of course.) Any successful SAE has the support of all parties involved in the project.

10. Your name, your enterprise name and number should be the same as you entered on your common pages title page. Enter this information on every page of this record book. Page 2 Ag Shop 1 Joseph Scholar Welding safety Flat position, fillet weld Construct a saw horse Striking an arc & running a bead Construct a parallel circuit Horizontal up weld Flat position, butt weld Woodworking safety Properly use a micrometer Everything you do for this project MUST be assigned to a summary area. You enter your TASK AREAS on this page. A task area is a general description of a skill. For example: welding; bedding plant production; animal health. You may add task areas during the enterprise. There is room for fifty task areas on this page, but you may use as few or as many spaces as you need for your particular practicum skills enterprise.

11. While ag mechanics practicum skill projects are very common, this record book is useful for many other agricultural areas. Another example is: Page 2 Greenhouse production 1 Joseph Scholar Properly ID 25 greenhouse plants Do a soft pinch on a plant Plant plugs Properly water plants Transplant greenhouse plants Read seed containers & follow Mix fertilizer and apply Prepare a marketing plan Properly operate greenhouse controls Everything you do for this project MUST be assigned to a summary area. See additional examples of tasks lists at the end of this power point

12. Another example is: Page 2 Animal care 1 Joseph Scholar Animal lab safety Clean and sanitize lab pens Keep animal lab records Properly handle small animals Prepare & use a breeding plan Properly groom small animals Calculate balanced rations Clip nails on small animals Prepare a marketing plan Everything you do for this project MUST be assigned to a summary area. See additional examples of task lists at the end of this power point

13. Page 2 This record book is designed as a tool for student and teacher to evaluate the work done on the project. They may or may not agree on the rating recorded. This evaluation may be done at the end of the year or when recording summary information.

14. Enterprise name, student name and enterprise number must be entered the same as on the common pages cover page. Diary page 3 Be consistent with time units. Use the same minute or hour unit throughout your diary entries. If using the computer template, you MUST use hours. Enter the summary area number (from page 2). Everything you do for this project MUST be assigned to a summary area. If you use minutes, you MUST convert the minutes to hours before entering your total time on the summary page 7 and 8. Ag Shop 1 Joseph Scholar Good diary entry. 1/27/20XX Mr. Educator demonstrated how to strike an arc and run a bead. Then we spent the rest of the class period practicing. 0.75 4 Use “Other than required” column for work done outside of regular class time. This can include time before and after school, during lunch or study hall. Bad Example. Worked in shop 0.75

15. Everything you enter on your diary pages MUST be assigned to a summary area listed on page 2. Diary page 3 Your entries must be reasonable experiences and specific. Entries should be sentences. Entries should show a progression of skills – not repetition of the same activity for long periods An example of a diary (task performed) for a welding task area would be: An example of a diary entry for a bedding plant production task area would be: I learned to spot weld today. I could see my skills improve as I practiced. 40 30 1 I also came to the ag shop during study hall to practice. “Welding” could be the task area name entered on page 2. 30 Our begonia plugs arrived today so we spent the entire class planting begonias into four inch pots. 2 “Bedding plant production” could be the task area name entered on page 2.

16. Everything you enter on your diary pages MUST be assigned to a summary area listed on page 2. Diary page 3 You may need to do multiple entries for each class period. 1-5 I learned to spot weld today. I could see my skills improve as I practiced. 40 30 1 I also came to the ag shop during study hall to practice. “Welding” could be the task area name entered on page 2. 1-5 30 I constructed a wooden frame to hold pipes for a new hydroponics system.. 2 “Woodworking” could be the task area name entered on page 2. 1-5 5 I updated my record book and took photos of several projects. 20 “SAE record book” could be the task area name entered on page 2.

17. Everything you enter on your diary pages MUST be assigned to a summary area listed on page 2. Diary page 3 Another example Remember, all of these diary entries occurred on the same day. 1-5 I repaired the tire on the wheel barrow so I could use it, during study hall. 40 1 . “Tool maintenance” could be the task area name entered on page 2. 1-5 40 I added mulch to two flower beds and raked leaves from several paths. 2 “Landscape maintenance” could be the task area name entered on page 2. 1-5 5 I updated my record book and took photos of several projects. 20 “SAE record book” could be the task area name entered on page 2.

18. Continue entering your diary data – when a page is filled, Diary page 6 make sure you carry the totals forward to the next page. 120 120 Animal care 1 Joseph Scholar 120 120

19. On the summary pages, you have the opportunity to combine all summary areas so that you and your teacher can see how much time you spent on each summary area (from page 2). Summary Pages 7 & 8 List all task areas in the same order as on page 2. Be sure to match summary code numbers with areas from page 2. Total ALL summary code 1 time from your diary pages as you complete the tasks in the summary areas and enter that amount in these spaces. BE SURE TO CONVERT YOUR TIME TO HOURS IF YOU USED MINUTES IN YOUR DIARY. 1 Ag Shop Joseph Scholar FINALLY, evaluate yourself on a scale of 1-4 and have your teacher evaluate your work also. 2 3 4 4 Welding safety 8 Flat position butt welding 4 4 3 Horizontal up weld 0 10 3 2 Construct a saw horse using power tools 3 12 4 2 Layout and test a parallel circuit with 1 switch 1 4 4 Layout a circuit with 3 way switches 4 10 4 3 Trouble shoot a small gas engines following procedcures 12 20 4 3

20. Page 24 & 25 Joseph Scholar It’s important to keep a photographic record of your practicum skills project. Insert pictures here that document your practicum skills project. Your School High School 1/6/XX Enter the date the picture was taken and the location. Insert a picture no larger than 4 inches by 6 inches. Finally describe the photo in fifty words or less. Make sure the picture is well focused and all safety practices are being followed. Today I passed the safety test for the band saw and was allowed to use the saw for the first time. I was sure to wear safety glasses, because if I had forgotten I would have failed the final part of the safety test. In this example, passing the band saw safety test should also be documented in the student’s diary entries 24

21. Practicum Skills Scorecard The scorecard will help you understand what we are looking for when practicum skills records are judged at the state FFA record book competition.

22. Keystone Degree Notes • Data from your practicum skills enterprises is entered on page 6 of your Keystone degree application. • To qualify for the Keystone degree with practicum skills enterprises you must accumulate at least 600 hours – at least 300 of these hours must be other than required lab hours. This MUST be shown in your record book.

23. This concludes the presentation on the practicum skills record book. You may want to go back and review this presentation at the end of the project year for help in closing out your record book. We’ll be looking for your record book at the Pennsylvania Record Book CDE in February.

24. Project Book Ag Mechanics Ag Resources Agriculture Technology Animal Science Aquaculture Bedding Plants Chrysanthemum Easter Lily Environmental Science Food Science Fresh Floral Designs Greenhouse Maintenance Grounds Maintenance Hanging Baskets Hydroponics Intern Management Planning Landscapes Landscape Drawings. Landscape Maintenance Pruning, Mulching, Fertilizing Plants 22. FFA Activities 23. Growing Woody Plants 24. Miscellaneous Floral Designs 25. Miscellaneous Potted Plants 26. Geraniums, Hibiscus, Impatiens, etc. 27. Pesticide Application 28. Plant and Soil Science 29. Farm Crops 30. Fruits & Vegetables 31. Soil Testing 32. Plant Tissue Culture 33. Poinsettia Production 34. Silk Floral Designs 35. Spring Bulbs 36. Sympathy Designs 37. Trial Gardens 38. Turf grass Management 39. Mowing, Fertilizing, etc. 40. Water Gardening 41. Wedding/Prom Designing 42. Window Merchandising 43. Miscellaneous Additional Example of a task list This list is used in an Agriculture Department in a Pennsylvania high school.

25. Occupational orientation Plant names, parts and functions Environmental requirements of plants Plant growth stimulants Diseases that affect plants Biological controls Use pesticides safely Insecticides, herbicides, etc Shop Safety Maintain shop tools Electric arc welding Oxy-acetylene welding Wood construction Masonry construction Small engines Tractor safely Greenhouse structures Grow cut mums Grow snapdragons Grow roses and orchids Grow potted mums Grow a poinsettia crop Grow Easter lilies Produce bedding plants Grow foliage plants 26. Force bulb crops Grow other crops Landscape establishment Landscape maintenance Read a landscape plan Animal feeds and nutrition Trees, plants and shrubs Garden store advise Customer services ID florist items Construct corsages Construct floral designs Holiday designs Floral wire services Merchandising Use the computer Construct floral displays Leadership in horticulture FFA activities Communication and P.R. Employability skills Citizenship Research skills SAE Cooperative education Additional Example of a task list This list is used in a Career and Technology Agriculture Department in PA