Recently the Lower Lake FFA officer team went to Pomo and East Lake Elementary and taught mini workshops exploring the different aspects of agriculture. Students learned about butter making, floral design, transplanting, and the ruminant digestive system.
A lot of planning went into these workshops and as a result was a huge success. Each officer had to create a lesson plan, find ways to engage students, and calculate all the supplies they needed for their lesson plan. The elementary students were excited when they were told they'd get to be out of class for an hour. Everyone had a fun time and got something out of it. These workshops were also a great way to introduce next years incoming freshmen about what to expect from the ag classes offered here at Lower Lake High School.
We asked our officers and helpers to write a brief paragraph about their experience teaching these workshops. Here's what they had to say:
" This semester in Ag leadership I had the responsibility of teaching the kids about dairy science. Dylan(my helper) and I taught the kids how to make butter using heavy cream and salt. This lesson plan turned out to be a little more difficult than I thought. I learned that teaching younger kids is a lot more difficult than it seems. You have to be able to keep their attention at all times. I had a great time teaching the kids and seeing their thought process, and I look forward to doing it again here soon in the spring workshops." - Vice President, Lexie Miller
"My experience during the fall ag seminar at East Lake and Pomo was a learning experience for my leadership skills. I thought it would be easier to have elementary school students listen and follow instructions. Some students listened better than others. My lesson informed the students about how not to perform cuttings, transplanting, and how to plants seeds. The students loved to answer questions about my lesson and liked the hands on parts. Some students even asked me questions about other aspects of agriculture that weren't part of my lesson plan."
- Treasurer, Cody Mcnea
"When we did the fall ag seminars for East Lake and Pomo, I helped Cody with planting, transplanting, and cutting. I learned that not all plants can be cloned. the students were eager to learn about the transplanting. when we taught the other students at east lake, they were very eager and excited to want to learn too. the younger students were the best at listening and answering the questions." -Helper, David Morales
"Overall, teaching the elementary kids about the ruminant system was fun and I would like to do it again in the spring. On the first day to Pomo, I felt unsure of how to deal with the kids and felt relieved when we were finished. Honestly, that day gave me a whole new respect for teachers for when they have to deal with troublesome kids. On the second day when we went to East Lake, I had much more fun. The kids were better behaved and actually enjoyed listening. I learned that kids are very visual and that showing them pictures while I talked helped them remember what they learned!"
- Secretary, Markesha Annand
"Our ag program went to two different elementary schools and taught how important and fun agriculture is. We taught them a variety of agricultural skills like transplanting, cuttings, branding, and how to make boutonniere and butter. One of our workshops even showed where the cow's intestines went and how it all worked. We welcome all new students to our FFA program and would like to encourage more to join." - Reporter, Shaina Coles
"My lesson plan was about the cow's digestive system which I found to be harder to teach compared to the other workshops. To prepare, I had to do some in-depth research in order to provide the correct information to tell the kids. I also found it astonishing at the amount of work a teacher has to put into their lesson plans. Not only that but at the same time find out how to deliver their message in a fun and engaging way. Since I keep up with social media and the fads kids our age do, it made it easier to relate and get my words out to them in a way they'd understand. Overall, everyone had a fun time which was our goal as an officer team." - President, Eddie Llewellyn
A lot of planning went into these workshops and as a result was a huge success. Each officer had to create a lesson plan, find ways to engage students, and calculate all the supplies they needed for their lesson plan. The elementary students were excited when they were told they'd get to be out of class for an hour. Everyone had a fun time and got something out of it. These workshops were also a great way to introduce next years incoming freshmen about what to expect from the ag classes offered here at Lower Lake High School.
We asked our officers and helpers to write a brief paragraph about their experience teaching these workshops. Here's what they had to say:
" This semester in Ag leadership I had the responsibility of teaching the kids about dairy science. Dylan(my helper) and I taught the kids how to make butter using heavy cream and salt. This lesson plan turned out to be a little more difficult than I thought. I learned that teaching younger kids is a lot more difficult than it seems. You have to be able to keep their attention at all times. I had a great time teaching the kids and seeing their thought process, and I look forward to doing it again here soon in the spring workshops." - Vice President, Lexie Miller
"My experience during the fall ag seminar at East Lake and Pomo was a learning experience for my leadership skills. I thought it would be easier to have elementary school students listen and follow instructions. Some students listened better than others. My lesson informed the students about how not to perform cuttings, transplanting, and how to plants seeds. The students loved to answer questions about my lesson and liked the hands on parts. Some students even asked me questions about other aspects of agriculture that weren't part of my lesson plan."
- Treasurer, Cody Mcnea
"When we did the fall ag seminars for East Lake and Pomo, I helped Cody with planting, transplanting, and cutting. I learned that not all plants can be cloned. the students were eager to learn about the transplanting. when we taught the other students at east lake, they were very eager and excited to want to learn too. the younger students were the best at listening and answering the questions." -Helper, David Morales
"Overall, teaching the elementary kids about the ruminant system was fun and I would like to do it again in the spring. On the first day to Pomo, I felt unsure of how to deal with the kids and felt relieved when we were finished. Honestly, that day gave me a whole new respect for teachers for when they have to deal with troublesome kids. On the second day when we went to East Lake, I had much more fun. The kids were better behaved and actually enjoyed listening. I learned that kids are very visual and that showing them pictures while I talked helped them remember what they learned!"
- Secretary, Markesha Annand
"Our ag program went to two different elementary schools and taught how important and fun agriculture is. We taught them a variety of agricultural skills like transplanting, cuttings, branding, and how to make boutonniere and butter. One of our workshops even showed where the cow's intestines went and how it all worked. We welcome all new students to our FFA program and would like to encourage more to join." - Reporter, Shaina Coles
"My lesson plan was about the cow's digestive system which I found to be harder to teach compared to the other workshops. To prepare, I had to do some in-depth research in order to provide the correct information to tell the kids. I also found it astonishing at the amount of work a teacher has to put into their lesson plans. Not only that but at the same time find out how to deliver their message in a fun and engaging way. Since I keep up with social media and the fads kids our age do, it made it easier to relate and get my words out to them in a way they'd understand. Overall, everyone had a fun time which was our goal as an officer team." - President, Eddie Llewellyn