Part of Lesson Plan: Exploration of SAE possibilities

Activity Overview / Details

Sometimes we quickly limit our understanding of SAEs to the usual topics (reference the more "traditional" SAEs on the board). However, there are a number of SAE options that may very well prove to be interesting and within our reach. They fit into the categories of placement and entrepreneurship- terms we're familiar with already. We've also talked about SAEs in agribusiness, horticulture and production. Today we're going to see other SAE categories chock full of options. (Before class, place the rubberbanded SAE cards from National FFA at various locations throughout the classroom. Make sure to prescreen the cards first and remove any SAE suggestions that aren't practical for your students.) Throughout this room you'll see sets of colored cards. Each set of colored cards corresponds with an SAE area you could potentially have a project in. Pull out a blank sheet of lined paper. Write your name, date and period at the top. Title it, "SAE GALLERY". At each station, you'll first write down the name and color of the SAE area. For example, at the brown cards, write "Animal Science" and "Brown". Then, look through the various SAE titles and select a minimum of three in that area which meet our established criteria. What are you interested in? and what will match the resources you have available? When you've completed your work with one SAE area, move to another one and follow the same procedure. Repeat this process until you've examined each SAE area. At the end of this, you'll have a collection of dozens of SAE ideas that may be suitable for your SAE plan. Clarify for questions. Start by sending roughly equal numbers of kids to specific SAE areas so they don't cluster around one area. Monitor their movement throughout the classroom so they don't cluster around one and waste time jockeying for spots at the table. Give time updates so they know how long they have. At the conclusion (roughly 40 minutes) have them return to their seats. Next, have students put stars by the top 5 choices on their paper. If time permits, have students share with their peers and with the entire class a few of their top choices and why they chose them. Excellent! As we can see from the choices we came up with, many SAEs are not the traditional options we think of. There are a wide array of choices available to us! To purchase the SAE idea cards, do the following: 1. Go to www.ffaunlimited.org; 2. Click "SAE" under the red "Core" category on the left hand side. Click "SAE idea cards" and purchase from there.