moulton middle school - pc\|macimages.pcmac.org/sisfiles/schools/al/lawrencecounty...exceeding...

$: Moulton Middle School - PC\|MACimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/SCHOOLS/AL/LawrenceCounty...Exceeding Expectations Moulton Middle School 2013 Ag Day Lawrence County Extension Office Coordinator,$
Moulton Middle

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Exceeding Expectations

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Lawrence County Schools

Agricultural Initiative

Moulton Middle School

MMS embedded agriculture education into its 2012-2013 curriculum. Concepts and skills

required for ARMT and Career Readiness were taught using agricultural themes.

MMS celebrated National Agriculture Day, March 19, 2013. Local agriculture programs and

farmers set up displays and demonstrations of various aspects of agriculture careers.

Each instructional department found innovative ways to incorporate environmental and farming

information into its lessons without compromising the integrity of Alabama Course of

Study mandates.

Moulton Middle School

MMS embedded agriculture education into its 2012-2013 curriculum. Concepts and skills

required for ARMT and Career Readiness were taught using agricultural themes.

MMS celebrated National Agriculture Day, March 19, 2013. Local agriculture programs and

farmers set up displays and demonstrations of various aspects of agriculture careers.

Each instructional department found innovative ways to incorporate environmental and farming information into lessons without compromising

the integrity of Alabama Course of Study mandates.

Moulton Middle School 2013 Exceeding Expectations

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Moulton Middle School Ag Day was outstanding! Several

local agriculture programs set up displays and

demonstrated various aspects of agriculture careers.

Students had the opportunity to hold or touch animals,

cotton samples, and a variety of grains. We invited

Moulton Elementary 4th Graders to participate in all the

activities.

Display Booths included:

Lawrence County 4-H

MMS Robotics

Servico Cotton Gin

Lauren Terry, Miss Rodeo USA

Demonstrations and Presentations included:

Mitchell Dalrymple Aging animals and grading meat quality

Different breeds of goats and sheep

Phillip Nelson Milking goats

Kaitlyn Terry Equine Education

Exceeding Expectations Moulton Middle School 2013

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Mitchell Dalrymple, MMS’s eighth grade social studies teacher, showed students

wool sheep, hair sheep (rams and ewes), Boer goats (does and bucks), Kiko goats, and

Pygmy goats. He taught them what to look for when grading

meat and aging animals.

Phillip Nelson

demonstrated how to milk

goats and discussed how

to achieve the best goat

milk products.

Local dairy goat farmer,

Phillip Nelson, brought

several goats for students

to see.


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MMS students got

autographed photos

from Miss Rodeo USA,

Lawrence County’s own

Lauren Terry. It was a

special treat for us

because Lauren is a

former Moulton Middle

School student. Lauren Terry Miss Rodeo USA

Servico, a cotton gin in northern

Lawrence County, displayed different

cotton samples and spoke to students

about grading cotton. Servico is the

only cotton gin in North Alabama to

have both Power Roll Gin Stands and

Uster's Intelligin!

MMS Robotics Sponsors, Sonya

Kilpatrick and Amy Sterling,

showed students ways robotic

technology is used in the

agricultural industry.


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Lawrence County Extension Office Coordinator, Linda

Robinson, and other Extension Agents displayed many grains

and plants grown locally. They also showed students the

variety of livestock and poultry produced here in Lawrence

County. Agents graciously spoke with students and answered

numerous questions about the contents of their booth.

Many MMS students

participate in Lawrence

County’s 4-H program

sponsored by the

Alabama Cooperative

Extension System


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Weeding and Planting

Fifth graders worked in the garden weeding and

removing debris such as rocks. They made a

planter box around the butterfly and alligator

memorials. Students planted Kentucky Wonder

pole beans in the raised bed planter and donated

bedding plants that will around the beans. Thanks

to these students we will also have nice flowers

to look at while we pick our beans in the future.

Thanks guys!!!

Mrs. Boyles’s fifth grade students also planted

beans in cups and clear jars which they left on the

window sill inside the classroom. The beans are

pressed against the inside of the jar by wet paper

towels. This will be interesting to observe. The

containers will be in the window sill ; hopefully,

getting some sun. The students will learn that the

beans are dicots.

Fall 2012 - MMS Raised Bed

Garden

Encore students researched and planted winter

crops. Students took turns caring for the garden's

needs and reported on progress. We cooked and

ate turnip greens, collards, broccoli, and cabbage.

Most students who did not like these foods

originally, at least tried them!

Spring 2013 – Soil Enrichment

The raised beds were enriched with organic

matter to improve soil condition. New crops

were planted for a cool spring. Vegetables

initially planted were onions, potatoes,

broccoli, cabbage, and lettuce. Due to

extremely cold weather, the beds will be

replanted with warm weather crops such as

tomatoes, peppers, squash, etc...


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MMS Community Garden

Our MMS Garden was tilled by a

local farmer who donated his time

and equipment. We are awaiting

donated organic matter to enrich

the soil. The garden will have RR

cross ties to frame out a small bed

and to control erosion. Crops to be

planted, when weather permits, are

sweet corn (several rows), English

peas, broccoli, spinach, greens,

carrots, etc... Can't wait for good

weather!! The county Extension

office is planning to come speak to

our science classes about erosion,

planting zones, climate, etc....

Next Project

We hope our next community project will

be a greenhouse at MMS. A grandparent

volunteer is planning to assist Encore

students with the construction of a small

greenhouse next to our raised beds. We

are looking forward to being able to get a

head start on our crop and flower

production in cool temperatures!


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ce MMS Baby Chicks

Feb 26th –MMS teacher Sheila Holley began the sixth grade egg-hatching project with the

purpose of hatching eggs for the eighth grade students to use for a science project to

display at the Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival in April. Eighth grade students participating

will raise the chicks to display and provide information about growing conditions, feed,

rates, breed, etc...

The incubator and data was on display at our MMS Ag Day. Students monitored

temperature, humidity, and movement. They "set" a batch of eggs to study/explore about

relative humidity, embryonic development, nutritional requirements, etc..... On April 8th

students learned how to candle eggs to assess viability of our incubator eggs (chicken). Mrs.

Holley discussed important details to measure and monitor during the process of

incubation/hatching.

Sixth graders also practiced creating "egg catching" devices in preparation for the festival

competition. Students worked in groups to design and experiment with a device that

prevent a raw egg from cracking using similar items to those allowed in the competition.

We have over 25 teams that plan to participate on April 13th!


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Tap Water Testing

Before students tested the water we all

drink, they defined vocabulary terms

associated with water quality and

discussed freshwater availability. They

investigated the average amount of

freshwater used daily by families and

discovered that a family will use about 300

gallons of water each day.

Next, students identified the possible water

sources for home use, including city water,

shallow wells and deep wells and the

possible pH variations of each source and

discussed the effect of high and low pH

water sources on plumbing.

Finally, students tested tap water samples

for pH, chlorine, iron, copper and water

hardness.

FYI: The average person uses five

gallons of freshwater each day just

to brush his or her teeth….


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Soil

Porosity?

pH?

Sixth graders learned about soil formation and

composition, including weathering and erosion

in Sheila Holley’s science classes. They began the

study with simply getting their hands into the

soil to identify particle sizes and organic matter.

They designed an experiment to test how

particle size affects soil porosity. Sixth graders

read a research article about soil health using

jigsaw. Students defined unknown vocabulary

and recorded (created posters for display) and

taught information about soil health such as

increasing organic matter, reducing tillage,

increasing residue, soil conservation, contour

plowing, and so on.

Students began an experiment on how soil type,

pH, and porosity affects the growth of corn seed.

Students planted a total of six different varieties

of corn (one seed per day per soil type) and are

monitoring the growth rates of each variety.

They have already noticed the difference in the

rate of growth in soil with more organic matter.


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Soil Testing

Kasey Shelton’s eighth grade science students also

tested our garden’s soil using different methods than

those used by the sixth graders. After defining

vocabulary terms associated with topsoil and

nutrients, they collected soil samples from MMS

community garden.

The soil particles were then analyzed to determine soil

texture. Students added water and discovered that

our soil is clay. Using chemicals and water they

determined pH levels in the soil. Finally, students

tested the soil for nutrient levels (nitrogen, potassium,

phosphorus). Based on these findings, students

recommended the best uses for this soil and different

types of fertilizers, including commercial fertilizer,

composting and animal wastes, which should be

applied to it.


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Egg Drop Contest

Students designed and constructed devices

they could use during the egg drop contest

at the Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival.

They competed in groups during school as

practice for the actual event.


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Corn Growth

In conjunction with the corn experiment, students have been doing

research on corn such as growth, history, a world without corn, corn

math, and corn uses. They created informational posters for display.

We used online sources to review and study how plants add to

Earth's carbon cycle. Students also identified counties in Alabama

that grow the most corn in the state.

Lawrence County is one of the top corn producers in Alabama.

Corn Math

While studying corn, students practiced math by

converting English measurements like bushels to metric

measurements and weights.


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Math Measurements

Various MMS math classes took

advantage of our community garden

to perform real-life math and

geometry problems. Students

measured and calculated the area

and perimeter of garden plots. They

used the data recorded to create

scale diagrams of garden plots and

beds.

Did you know

one bushel of

corn can

sweeten 400

Coca-colas?

Square Roots???

Students measured plant foliage and roots and recorded data of plant

growth. They also monitored and logged temperature variations, and those

effects on plant growth.

Math students used writing in prompts such as "Other than counting money

or animals, describe how someone in agriculture and industry uses math?"

Teachers incorporated real world word problems related to agriculture into

their curricula.


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Ready, Research, Write

Language arts students developed

presentations while learning about

agricultural topics. Mrs. McAbee’s eighth

grade students created and marketed fictional

farms. Each student made a brochure

detailing his or her farm’s name, location, type

of farm, product produced, any equipment

used to produce the product, any pesticides,

herbicides and fertilizers used whether it was

organically grown/raised, who buys their

product, how much their product costs, and

why their product is superior to other similar

products in the area. The majority of the

project was fact-based from extensive

research the students did. Upon completion

of this project, students presented their farm

brochures to the class.


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That Ol’ Goat…Farm

Students also compared and contrasted modern-day and old-

fashioned farming. After viewing a documentary about life

on a 1950’s era dairy goat farm in Washington state, they

watched another documentary about modern-day dairy goat

farming. Students then collaborated to find the similarities

and differences between the old farming practices and the

new, modern technological farming practices.

Posters and PowerPoint Presentations

Seventh grade students in LeighAnn Sibley’s classes researched agriculture in

Alabama. Each student created a poster with facts about agriculture in Alabama.

The posters were displayed in the hallways after completion. All sources of media

were available for students to use including MMS’s library, classroom resources, and

personal cellphones. They chose a variety of topics like cotton, peanuts, poultry,

and cattle farming. After completion, students presented their posters in the

classroom.

Crystal Webster’s sixth grade students researched and gathered information

concerning various agricultural topics such as planning for and planting a garden,

harvesting crops, raising and caring for livestock. They wrote explanatory essays

about their topics. Then, they created PowerPoint presentations to guide and

illustrate their essays when they present to the class.

.

Climates of the Thirteen

Colonies

Students in Paula Terry’s fifth grade history

classes compared and contrasted the natural

resources and climates of the 13 original

colonies to determine which region was best

for farming and farm related trade. They

discussed the climate and conditions that

make the southeast a great place for

agriculture and agribusiness.


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Careers in Agriculture

In Mitchell Dalrymple’s eighth grade world

history classes, students selected and

explored different careers available in

agriculture. They answered questions such

as: What high school courses should be

taken in order to prepare for this career?

What skills are needed for this job? What

type of education is needed? What is the

demand for people in the different fields

today? What are some positive aspects of

the career? What are some negative

aspects of the career? They also compiled

posters to share with the school and others

that showed their findings.

USDA at MMS

Mr. Dalrymple’s students used the USDA marketing website to

examine and evaluate the supply and demand of livestock and

grains over the past five years. They graded and aged livestock

(goats, sheep) and studied livestock marketing.


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US Agriculture Trade and

Commerce

Seventh grade students in Jon Johnson’s

classes read and discussed articles dealing

with agricultural exports and imports.

Beginning with the agricultural revolution,

they learned about the water cycle and the

history of food growth.

Students also completed projects after they

researched topics such as: United States

agricultural imports and exports. Lawrence

County agriculture, agricultural education,

trade and commerce, components of a

plant's growth, top U.S. exports to the world,

top U.S. imports from the world , Alabama

Cooperative Extension Service, importance of

cotton, and major crops grown in the U.S.

Online Post-it Notes

In Sonya Kilpatrick’s Research &

Design class, students collaborated on

online sticky notes to define

agriculture vocabulary words and

study for the test.

www.padlet.com


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Digital Portfolios

Mrs. Kilpatrick’s students added new webpages to

their digital portfolios where they showcased

agricultural jobs and careers available now in

Alabama. Using an Alabama-based program called

“On the Job,” they learned about opportunities in our

state in various agricultural industries. They

investigated the criteria required to work in the

profession, own or manage the business, and receive

the level of education necessary. Along with images

and hyperlinks, students compiled a webpage

dedicated to that career using information from actual

job posting.

Agriculture Careers

Computer Technology students in Michelle

Carpenter’s classes used websites to

discover careers in agriculture. A primary

source students depended on was

www.gaaged.org, Georgia’s Agricultural

Education website. Students found

information about careers in agricultural

mechanics, farm business, animal science,

horticulture, general plant science, crop

and soil science, forestry, insects, and food

science. They collaborated and discussed

these career choices before presenting

them in class.

http://www.padlet.com/

http://www.gaaged.org/


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It’s all Fun and Games

Mrs. Carpenter’s students have also

had fun playing educational

agricultural computer games such

as: AgBall, Animal Nutrients,

AgMan, Horticulture, AgTacToe,

Horse Judging, BarnBall, and Cow

Anatomy.

Robot Farmers

Amy Sterling’s robotics and science elective

students have studied the history of

technology used on farms and how it has

changed through the years. They discussed

modern-day technology used in farm

equipment along with the advantages and

disadvantages of robotic technology and

automation that is used on farms today

They showed the advantages and

disadvantages of using robotics and

automation on different types of farms and

gins.

ROBOTICS

Robots on the Farm APR 12, 2011 03:00 AM ET // BY EMILY SOHN

http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics

http://news.discovery.com/emily-sohn.htm


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Special Needs Students

MMS special needs students have participated in our

Agriculture Initiative since it began. Students have

planted seeds in containers and gardens as well as

practiced for the egg drop contest.

Our Alabama Alternate Assessment students watched a

film about farming. They saw and discussed how

animals are important in many different ways to a

farm. The students enjoyed learning how milk is taken

from cows, and how a crop is planted and harvested

using different machines and equipment. They decided

that "working on a farm is HARD work."

Classroom Garden

Alabama Alternate Assessment students planted a 'classroom garden' to give a hands-on approach to

"Agriculture in Alabama". Students helped plant rye grass seed (compliments of Lawrence County Co-

op), tomato seeds, pepper seeds, and Zinnas. Students have been assigned "Group Garden Partners".

Each group also placed a sweet potato in a jar of water to grow a vine. We recorded everything each

group planted, so they can monitor its growth. The students enjoyed "digging in the dirt".


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Darnell Farms

Heath Darnell from nearby Hillsboro invited sixth grade students to tour Darnell Farms. Students

learned about local farm daily practices and saw modern farm equipment. Mr. Darnell explained how

the technological advances in today's machines aid farmers in crop production.

Lawrence County

Exchange,

Moulton, Alabama

Hi-Tech Farm Equipment

at MMS


Pre

sen

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s Heath Darnell from

Darnell Farms,

Hillsboro, Alabama

“The Food We Eat…”


Pre

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Betty Sullivan,

Poultry Farmer

from Walker

County

Planting Pretty Petunias

Planting flower seeds was a fun way Jacqueline

Parham’s fifth grade students learned about how

plants grow. The students completed a fact and

opinion activity about flowers and gardening. They

learned that light, soil, water, and containers were

very important if the flowers were to grow

successfully. Students had to determine how much

light was needed because providing adequate light is

the most important step in growing healthy

seedlings. They started with a high quality plant soil.

Garden soil was not used because it may contain

diseases and pests. To prevent disease or dying, the

soil was kept moist but not soggy. Students punched

holes in the container bottoms to ensure drainage.

The flowers continue growing and will soon be

replanted in the courtyard.

Pig Poetry??

Seventh grade students in Francis Spillers’s class

wrote original poetry about agriculture and

illustrated the poems. They chose among three types

of poetry: Haiku, Acrostic, and Pyramid.


En

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MMS 4-H

Students have completed several projects in Paula

Terry’s fifth grade class. They learned all about dairy

farming and milk production. Some students

completed posters for the "Dairy Packs Power"

contest. Students also made posters for the 4-H

Farm City Poster Contest. The title was "Grown

Safely Extra Tasty". Students researched food safety

and created original drawings for their projects.


4-H

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