Fiber & Oil Crop Production SAE – Mitch Hopkins

Lesson Plans & Curriculum
High School
60 minutes

This National FFA lesson plan introduces students to Mitch Hopkins’s fiber and oil crop production SAE through a video, then has students research cotton production topics by completing a choice board. Using the “Cotton Chronicles” worksheet, students explore topics such as the cotton gin, the Cotton Belt, parts of the cotton plant, and products made from cotton.

At a glance

Learning objectives: Explore a fiber and oil crop production SAE.

Research a variety of cotton production topics.
Time required: 60 minutes (*Time requirements may vary based upon student understanding and class schedule.)
Grade level: Grades 9 and 10
Materials: A copy of the "Cotton Chronicles" worksheet for each student

Internet access to play the video in real-time or embed it in a PowerPoint ahead of time

Devices to complete the choice board activities
Description of Lesson: Learn about Mitch Hopkins's fiber and oil crop production SAE. Research a variety of topics focused on cotton by completing a choice board.
Vocabulary: Cotton; Cotton Bale; Cotton Belt; Cotton Boll; Cotton Gin; Harvest
Resources/References: Video: "Fiber & Oil Crop Production SAE," https://vimeo.com/857891450; Video: "Eli Whitney Invents the Cotton Gin," https://youtu.be/GiV3kswk4aI; Website: "What Is the Cotton Belt?"; Website: "USDA Statistics by State"; Website: "Cotton Acres"; Website: "Cotton Ball Parts"; Website: "What Can You Make From a Bale of Cotton?"; Website: "Britannic Kids: Cotton"
Partnership for 21st Century Skills: Communication; Critical Thinking and Problem Solving; Global Awareness; Implement Innovations; Information Literacy; Initiative and Self-direction; Media Literacy; Productivity and Accountability; Think Creatively

Download Video

Oil and Fiber Crop Production SAE

Mitch Hopkins, a recent Covington High School graduate, shares his journey in agriculture as a member of the Covington FFA chapter. He focuses on fiber and oil crop production, particularly soybeans and cotton. Mitch discusses his hands-on experience in farming, from planting to harvesting, and his transition to co-owner of the family business, highlighting the support from his parents and the significance of pursuing one’s passion.

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.05Consider the environmental, social and economic impact of decisions.
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.
CRP.11Use technology to enhance productivity. Career-ready individuals find and maximize the productive value of existing and new technology to accomplish workplace tasks and solve workplace problems.

AFNR Cluster Skills

CS.02Evaluate the nature and scope of the Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Career Cluster and the role of agriculture, food and natural resources (AFNR) in society and the economy.
CS.05Describe career opportunities and means to achieve those opportunities in each of the Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources career pathways.
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

CS.01Analyze how issues, trends, technologies and public policies impact systems in the agriculture, food & natural resources career cluster.

Common Core – Reading: Informational Text

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).

Common Core – Speaking and Listening

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.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.5Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

Common Core – Writing

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4Produce clear and coherent writing the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.6Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibility and dynamically.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.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.W.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.

FFA Precept

FFA.CS-PTechnical/Function Skills in Agriculture: Obtain knowledge and skills needed for a career in agriculture and related industries.
FFA.PG-IProfessional Growth: Assume responsibility for attaining and improving upon the skills needed for career success.
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.