Battle of the Best – Agricultural Careers
“Battle of the Best: Agriculture Careers” is a 90-minute FFA lesson plan in which students explore the breadth of agriculture careers using the AgExplorer website. Through a tournament-style bracket worksheet, students research careers across twelve focus areas, select a “winning” career, and create a paper-slide video presenting that career. The resource includes the lesson plan, student bracket worksheet, paper-slide script template, and a scoring rubric.
At a glance
- Learning objectives
-
- Discover the breadth and depth of careers in agriculture.
- Analyze career information in the twelve career focus areas.
- Create a paper-slide video featuring an agriculture career.
- Time required
- 90 minutes
- Grade level
- 9-10
- Materials
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- A copy of the "Battle of Agriculture Careers" worksheet for each student
- Internet access to play the video in real time or embed it in a PowerPoint ahead of time
- Internet access for students
- Paper
- Markers/colored pencils/crayons
- Cell phone or flip camera
- Resources
- 1. FFA.org; 2. Website: AgExplorer, https://agexplorer.ffa.org/; 3. Video: "How to make a paper slideshow," https://youtu.be/E5RXynA_D3I
- This quick lesson plan would work well as a portion of
- A careers unit.
- Partnership for 21st Century Skills
- Communication; Critical Thinking and Problem Solving; Initiative and Self-direction; Leadership and Responsibility
Downloads & Links
Aligned Standards
AFNR Career Ready Practices
- CRP.04Communicate clearly, effectively, and with reason. Career-ready individuals communicate thoughts, ideas and action plans with clarity, whether using written, verbal and/or visual methods.
- CRP.07Employ valid and reliable research strategies. Career-ready individuals are discerning in accepting and using new information to make decisions, change practices or inform strategies.
- CRP.08Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Career-ready individuals readily recognize problems in the workplace, understand the nature of the problem, and devise effective plans to solve the problem.
- CRP.10Plan education and career path aligned to personal goals. Career-ready individuals take personal ownership of their own educational and career goals, and they regularly act on a plan to attain these goals.
AFNR Cluster Skills
- CS.05Describe career opportunities and means to achieve those opportunities in each of the Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources career pathways.
Common Career Technical Core
- AG5Describe career opportunities and means to achieve those opportunities in each of the Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Career Pathways.
Common Core – Speaking and Listening
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.2Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
FFA Precept
- FFA.CS-MCommunication: Effectively interact with others in personal and professional settings.
- FFA.CS-NDecision Making: Analyze a situation and execute an appropriate course of action.
- FFA.PG-IProfessional Growth: Assume responsibility for attaining and improving upon the skills needed for career success.
- FFA.PG-JMental Growth: Embrace cognitive and intellectual development relative to reasoning, thinking and coping.
- FFA.PL-AAction: Assume responsibility and take the necessary steps to achieve the desired results, no matter what the goal or task at hand.
- FFA.PL-CVision: Visualize the future and how to get there.
- FFA.PL-EAwareness: Understand personal vision, mission and goals.
- FFA.PL-FContinuous Improvement: Accept responsibility for learning and personal growth.
NASDCTEc
- AGC09.02Select, research and examine critical aspects of career opportunities in one or more AFNR career pathways in order to gain an understanding of the breadth of occupations within this cluster.