Project: 2015 - STEM FFA Greenhouse Project

Project Plan
Unique Requests of
Participating Mentors:

In addition, the completion of this project will lead to future project opportunities for PHS AG students in the growing lab providing opportunities for students in ecology, harvesting, specimen gardens, solar power, seasonal cycles, organic gardening, healthier meals and health education, and test plots for higher yields in crop production. We foresee this being the first phase of an ongoing project. We would love for Mentors to commit to working with our AG students not only as we research and design the Greenhouse, but to continue as this Greenhouse project grows and expands in our building. The potential for growth and involvement and use of the Greenhouse by other teachers, students and groups including: -PHS Food Truck & Catering classes – the potential for these groups to use the food grown for their catering events -Farmers Market -Educational Science stuff -AG Sciences – test plots, experiments with produce These uses are a part of the project, but cannot all be completed in this first year! http://geodesic-greenhouse- kits.com/greenhouse_kit/greenhouse_kit_42

Description:

As the agriculture program at Poudre High School continues to expand, there are more and more students needing one on one help in finding their passion. To help students progress their own learning we have decided to create spaces where students can gain more hands on real world application and apply it in their own education and lives. We would like to invite partners to Poudre High School to help these students create and build such spaces as well as mentor them in their learning objectives and goals. More specifically, students will need assistance acknowledging a real need in the community as well as developing new cutting edge problem solving ideas to support our local growing population. Once students and mentors are matched, it is our hope students can gain 21st century skills as well as content knowledge to use in real life situations. We hope that problems faced today in the agriculture industry are being addressed and our students will create new innovative ways to solve them. An extensive mentoring relationship will be built between students, mentors, teachers and other staff at Poudre High School to promote each student’s success in executing the student’s learning goals. Throughout the next two semesters students will be working with PHS to get a Growing Spaces Greenhouse Dome.

Benchmarks:

Here at Poudre High we are continuing to hold are students to a higher level and strive to raise the bar of academic excellence. Through this program we want each student to find effective ways to enhance their learning and increase their twenty-first century skills. We have set some benchmarks to be sure each student reaches the bar and learns key components in agriculture. Twenty-first Century Skills: Learning Skills Critical Thinking Creative Thinking Collaborating Communicating Literacy Skills Information Literacy Media Literacy Technology Literacy Life Skills Flexibility Initiative Social Skills Productivity Leadership Agriculture Standards: To effectively reach these standards, students will collaborate with a mentor and develop a relationship that helps capitalize on these learning targets. At this time we are working on a greenhouse project where students will develop plans, create goals, research growing techniques, and execute their plans. Students and mentors will work together by using resource tools to help in analyzing, synthesizing, and communicating information. Mentors will help students locate, select, and synthesize information from a variety of texts, media, references, and technological resources to acquire and communicate knowledge.

Duration:

30

Grade Level:

9

Content Area:

Agriculture I and II

Student Outcomes:

We will know we have reached our goal when? Students will be implementing a greenhouse project as part of the first FFA (Future Farmers of America) program in the Poudre School District. Ryan Dreitz launched this new program at Poudre High School in Fort Collins, Colorado and the program has more than doubled in size from the first year. Part of his vision to make this a successful and sustainable program is to develop student driven learning where students take ownership of their knowledge. Some outcomes include: Students will research, with the help of mentors, other examples of excellence regarding greenhouse projects, set the bar of quality for their work based on these examples and iterate on their efforts until they meet a standard they completely own. Real Students, Real Work, Real Outcomes! More details will be provided by the telementor lead instructor, Jacqui Walz.

Evaluation of
Student Outcomes:

Ryan Dreitz and Jacqui Walz will define the rubrics for this project along with goals and objectives the students will meet.

Teacher Role:

Teacher's Role: Work closely with ITP staff, mentors and students to ensure communication about the project is occurring weekly, identifying success and challenges and work to address any challenges. The teacher will also closely monitor student communication to ensure students are proactively communicating with mentors at least twice a week. Capstone Coordinator’s Role: Weekly check ins Provide constructive feedback to ensure student growth Be a guide in relationships between mentors and students Develop rubrics, benchmark goals, ect. To insure student growth is occurring

Mentor Role:

Mentor's Role: As a mentor you'll be helping a student with many aspects of a greenhouse project, including: 1. Researching examples of excellence around the world regarding greenhouse projects 2. All aspects of starting an engineering and business project 3. Helping students with specifications from the school district as well as the city of Fort Collins 4. Reviewing drafts of student work, offering your feedback. 5. Helping students determine the goals and objectives of the project. Mentor will also aid students in executing all aspects of this project, including: 1. Research 2. Development 3. Funding 4. Implementation 5. Evaluation