Opening the lesson: Ask students to take a couple of minutes and think about what is This technique is one way to get students thinking about what the lesson will be about. As you transition from one subject to another, asking students to think about the subject gives them an opportunity to regroup and focus on the task ahead. This way when you begin the lesson, students have already been thinking about what precision agriculture could be and are ready to learn what it is. precision agriculture. After a couple of minutes, ask students to share their thoughts.

1. Point out to students: “This lesson is intended to introduce you to precision agriculture and the role geospatial technology plays in modern farming.”
2. Begin by dividing the students into groupsBased upon reading level, divide students into groups that have a mixture of reading levels. You may not want all strong readers in one group and all low-level readers in another group and expect them to read and understand the same material. of three or four.
3. Assign each student in the group the same articleThis reading technique is a variation of the jigsaw approach. Each student in the group is responsible for gathering information from a single source. Then the students in the group come together and report on what they learned from their article. Later, they share what they have learned with students who have read different articles. to read, found in the additional resources section. Each group should have a different article.
4. To guide their reading, distribute a copy of the What is Precision Agriculture? handout to each student. Ask students to find and record answers to the questions posed on the handout as they read their articles. Note that they may not find all the answers in their particular article.
5. When students have read their articles and recorded their answers in their handouts, ask them to shareAs they share, walk around and listen to each group, which will help ensure they are on topic, and it also provides a way to gauge their understanding of the material. what they have learned with the other members of their group. Encourage them to modify their answers to the questions on the handout, based on what they learn in their small groups.
6. After they share within their groups, ask students from different groups to share what they have learned about precision agriculture with the class. Again, encourage students to ask questions and to modify their answers to the questions on the handout, based on what they learn from students in other groups.

Developing the Lesson:

7. Indicate to students that they are going to see a video program that features a farmer who uses precision agriculture. “What we are going to do now is watch a video about a farmer, name Don Villwock, from Indiana, who uses geospatial technology and practices precision agriculture.”
8. Show the Precision Agriculture video. Ask students to modify existing answers or answer any unanswered questions on the What is Precision Agriculture handout while they watch the video.

9. After showing the video, give students an opportunityIt is important to allow students a chance to debrief after they watch a video. This way the video is seen as purposeful and ties together the entire conversation. to comment, express opinions, or ask questions about what they have seen. Discuss what new information they learned from the video.

Concluding the Lesson:

10. For homework, ask each student to write a short paragraph (5-6 sentences) on what they learned about precision agriculture based on the readings and the video. Ask students to pay special attention to the role of geospatial technology in precision agriculture. Encourage students to use at least one imageA Google image search of “precision agriculture” provides a plethora of images to aid in the explanation.
    of precision agriculture as part of their paragraphs.
11. Collect student responses for grading.
12. Conclude the lesson by having students post their images of precision agriculture on the blackboard or wall. Have students work in small groups of three or four to examine the images and share what the images add to their understanding of precision agriculture.

Lesson Plan Two: Using GIS Information to Make Farming Decisions