Premier Leadership · Personal Growth · Career Success

Production Careers

Lesson 4 of 8 in the National FFA Organization’s Power, Structural, and Technical Systems (PST) careers series (developed with John Deere). Students explore production/manufacturing careers in agriculture by researching a PST production career and creating a “day in the life” social media profile, then work in groups to design and build a model of a precision agriculture product. The resource includes a lesson plan, student worksheets, a model rubric, and an answer key.

At a glance

Learning objectives
  • Understand the role of production careers in manufacturing agricultural products.
  • Construct a model of a precision agriculture product.
Time required
100 minutes (*Time requirements may vary based upon student understanding and class schedule.)
Grade level
Grades 9 and 10
Materials
  • A copy of the "Production Careers" worksheet for each student
  • A PST Production Career Card, one per student
  • Supplies to create the products (e.g., modeling clay, craft supplies, cardboard, Legos)
Vocabulary
Model; Production
Cross-Curricular Connections
English/Language Arts: Evaluate and provide feedback; Make changes based on feedback. Engineering: Create a model for a product.
Resources/References
Website: AgExplorer.FFA.org/career/
Related Resources
"Power Up" Your Future With John Deere; We Are John Deere Series
SAE and FFA Connections
Agricultural Technology and Mechanical Systems CDE, FFA.org/participate/cdes/agricultural-technology/
Description of Lesson Series
There are a wide range of careers available in the Power, Structural, and Technical Systems pathway. Students might not even be aware of many of these careers. This lesson series will dive into the multitude of careers that are needed to take a precision agriculture product from idea to finished product and beyond. These lessons are designed to be used in order.

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 Precepts

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