Cayla Miller – National Forest SAE
This FFA lesson plan, “National Forest,” uses the SAE story of FFA member Cayla Miller working in the Cherokee National Forest to teach students about forest ecosystems. Students watch a video, complete “In the Forest” and “Forest Ecosystems” worksheets, and compare tropical, temperate, and boreal forests, including their layers, organisms, and interdependence, then draw a diagram of a chosen forest ecosystem.
At a glance
- Learning objectives
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- Describe the duties of conservationists who work in national forests.
- Compare and contrast tropical, temperate and boreal forest ecosystems.
- Draw a diagram of the ecosystem of a tropical or temperate forest.
- Time required
- 120 minutes
- Materials
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- A copy of the "In the Forest" worksheet for each student
- A copy of the "Forest Ecosystems" worksheet for each student
- Internet access to play the video in real time or embed it in a PowerPoint ahead of time
- Partnership for 21st Century Skills
- Communication; Critical Thinking and Problem Solving; Environmental Literacy; Information Literacy; Initiative and Self-Direction; Productivity and Accountability
- Cross-Curricular Connections
- Science — Compare and contrast tropical, temperate and boreal forest ecosystems. Draw a diagram of the ecosystem of a tropical or temperate forest.
Downloads & Links
Aligned Standards
AFNR Career Ready Practices
- CRP.02Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. Career-ready individuals readily access and use the knowledge and skills acquired through experience and education to be more productive.
- 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.06Demonstrate creativity and innovation.
- 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.
AFNR Cluster Skills
- CS.06Analyze the interaction among AFNR systems in the production, processing and management of food, fiber and fuel and the sustainable use of natural resources.
AFNR Performance Element
- NRS.02Analyze the interrelationships between natural resources and humans.
Common Career Technical Core
- AG-NR2Analyze the interrelationships between natural resources and humans.
Common Core – Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects: Writing
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.7Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.8Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.9Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9.10.2Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
Common Core – Reading: Informational Text
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.3Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
Common Core – Science & Technical Subjects
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.1Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.8Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.1Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.2Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text's explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.4Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 9-10 texts and topics.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.8Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.9Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts.
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.
FFA Precept
- FFA-CS-M.CommunicationEffectively interact with others in personal and professional settings.
- FFA.PG-J.Mental GrowthEmbrace cognitive and intellectual development relative to reasoning, thinking and coping.
- FFA.PL-A.ActionAssume responsibility and take the necessary steps to achieve the desired results, no matter what the goal or task at hand.
Green/Sustainability Knowledge and Skill Statements
- AFNR Career Cluster-Plant Systems Pathway, Statement 1Understand how environment, economy, and social equity are integrated in plant systems.
NASDCTEc
- AGPE01.03Apply scientific principle and processes when planning and conducting natural resource management activities to determine the need, feasibility and application of logical, reasoned solutions to natural resource system problems and issues.
Next Generation Science
- HS-ESS3-1Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
- HS-LS2-6Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.