Working With Schools

An agricultural lesson offered to a school travels through a timetable, a building, a teacher's learning goals and a stack of forms. The teacher may love the idea of twenty sixth graders investigating soil. Someone still needs to know where the soil will go when the bell rings. A parent, 4-H volunteer or FFA partner can improve the odds by making the first request small, specific and easy to schedule.

Ask the teacher what the class is studying

Find the teacher or approved school contact and offer a fifteen-minute conversation. Describe the concept students would practice, the time needed and what the adult volunteer would bring. Align the demonstration with an actual lesson. Students studying measurement might compare the length of roots, while students learning persuasive writing might discuss competing plans for a school garden.

Check the National Agriculture in the Classroom Curriculum Matrix for lessons teachers can sort by topic and grade. Select an activity the students can finish during the allotted time. A lesson may need to account for shared desks, cleanup, accessibility, allergies and a class group with different reading levels.

Put the school in charge of permissions

Ask the school what approvals, visitor screening and supervision are required. The teacher can explain rules for equipment, food, live animals, photographs and sending material home. Discuss accessibility and how children can opt into a suitable role. If the activity uses food or animals, coordinate accommodations through the school and give adults time to consider a different format.

Make a supply list with quantities and who pays for each item. Provide a backup activity for bad weather or a late delivery. A plan to examine soil texture can move indoors with materials the teacher approves. An excursion with twenty missing permission slips usually remains where it began.

Try a pilot before expanding the partnership

Offer one session. Provide a quick opening question and a closing prompt that help the teacher see whether students learned the intended idea. For a seed activity, ask students first to predict what a plant needs and later to explain how the class will keep its comparison fair. Leave a short description of the follow-up observation so the lesson can continue after the visitor leaves.

Ask how the activity worked from the classroom

Within a week, ask the teacher what fit, what took extra time and what the students kept discussing. Invite a useful criticism. If the activity worked for one grade, adapt it with the next teacher instead of copying the entire plan. Record preparation time and supplies so the partnership can survive a change in staff or volunteer availability.

For longer school-based agriculture projects, confirm who supervises students when the adult partner leaves, where resources are stored and whether the district expects recurring approvals. Use the FFA school program resources if the school has an agricultural education program. Give the school one reliable contact and a proposed renewal date. The model partnership makes the school wonder where that volunteer has been all semester, preferably before anyone has to send a custodian after the potting mix.