Agricultural WebQuest Series

 Missouri Farm Bureau
and
Missouri State University

Teacher Page

Introduction

This WebQuest is intended to accompany the DVD, "Agro-Security - Safeguarding the American Food Supply."  A free copy of the DVD can be obtained from Missouri Farm Bureau.

Most Americans enjoy our abundant food supply.  Most, are not even aware of the many safeguards that our country has to make sure that terrorists are not successful in the interruption of our nations food supply.  This WebQuest and the DVD are intended to help you learn about the many ways our company's prepare for terrorist events affecting our food supply.

Task

For the inventory sheet students will need your guidance.  If possible, provide a field trip to a local garden or farm supply store or suggest one that the students might visit on their own.  Another option is to provide a farm supply catalog in hard copy or online for student use.

Process

Teachers may assign each member a specific task.  For example, inventory sheet, security arrangement, and state, local and federal guidelines.  The leader of the team would coordinate the tasks and decide the layout as well as the presentation of the poster.  An Inventory Sheet template is provided if your students would like to use it.

Following are the internet resources that your students may refer to:

1.  The Department of Homeland Security has a website that provides information on various aspects of homeland security, including information relating to disasters and emergencies.

2. The Office of Domestic Preparedness is a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness (SLGCP). SLGCP is the federal government's lead agency responsible for preparing the nation against terrorism by assisting states, local and tribal jurisdictions, and regional authorities as they prevent, deter, and respond to terrorist acts. SLGCP provides a broad array of assistance to America's first responders through funding, coordinated training, exercises, equipment acquisition, and technical assistance.

3. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has a bio and food security preparedness website which provides many useful tips on preventing as well as managing situation resulting from agro-terrorism.

4. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) Preparedness Division provides some good information.

5.  The Food Safety and Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)  provides food safety education through the following website. The objective is to educate consumers about the importance of safe food handling and how to reduce risks associated with food borne illness.

6. University of California, Berkeley.

7.  New York State Department of Transportation, Trucking Information.

In step 5 make sure that your students use proper citation rules for all resources or graphics used on the poster.

Conclusion

Your students now know more about the safe production of our food after creating a Poster and also by looking at those made by others.  The next time you go to your favorite store, you should have a greater appreciation and understanding of how many steps were involved in the safe production of your food.

Evaluation

Teamwork Rubric

Competency 

7 pts.

5 pts.

2 pts.

0 pts.
Poster Poster demonstrates strong understanding of the problem. Poster demonstrates some understanding of the problem Incomplete. Poster demonstrates little understanding of the problem Complete lack of understanding.
Citations All sources and graphics properly cited. Most sources and graphics cited properly. Some sources cited but not all. Complete lack of citation.
Response to Questions Demonstrated complete understanding. Able to respond to most questions. Tried to answer questions. Were not able to respond to questions.
Teamwork Presentation reflects teamwork by all members.  Presentation reflects teamwork by most members. Presentation reflects some teamwork. Presentation reflects little or no teamwork.
 
 

National Curriculum and Content Standards for High School

 

TECHNOLOGY

 

BASIC OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS

  • Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
  • Students are proficient in the use of technology.

SOCIAL, ETHICAL AND HUMAN ISSUES

  • Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology.
  • Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
  • Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS

  • Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
  • Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.

 TECHNOLOGY COMMUNICATION TOOLS

  • Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
  • Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH TOOLS

  • Students use technology to locate, evaluate and collect information from a variety of sources.
  • Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
  • Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.

TECHNOLOGY PROBLEM- SOLVING AND DECISION-MAKING TOOLS

  • Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
  • Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.

INFORMATION LITERACY

Standard 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.
Standard 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.
Standard 3: The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.

Independent Learning

Standard 6: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Standard 7: The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and recognizes the importance of information to a democratic society.

Standard 8: The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology.

Standard 9: The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS

3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, and graphics).

4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, and vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

The above standards are from NETS: National Curriculum/Content Area Standards

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This page was developed  by Drs. Lyndon Irwin and Arbindra Rimal and is maintained by Missouri Farm Bureau.

Please address questions to Diane Olson at Missouri Farm Bureau or Dr. Lyndon Irwin at Missouri State University.

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©2006 Missouri Farm Bureau, All Rights Reserved!

Last revised on July 12, 2006