Unit 7 — March: Agricultural Mechanics and Structures
Description
This unit introduces agricultural mechanics principles through practical design and construction. Students learn about safety, basic carpentry, electricity, machinery, and precision farming. The primary project involves designing a chicken coop and run using knowledge gained from the chicken habitat webquest. Students calculate square footage, determine material needs, and research lumber and supply costs online. After exploring the campus chicken coop to observe real construction choices and improvements, students build scale models using popsicle sticks, allowing them to test design concepts and reflect on modifications.
Essential Questions
- What basic carpentry and building principles apply to agricultural structures?
- How do we design structures that meet both functional and economic goals?
- What can we learn by observing existing structures?
Learning Objectives
- Apply basic carpentry and construction safety principles.
- Calculate materials needed for a building project.
- Design functional agricultural structures.
- Estimate costs and make economic decisions.
- Evaluate and modify designs based on observation and feedback.
- Construct scale models to test design ideas.
- Reflect on design choices and improvements.
Supplemental Resources
- Graph paper for design drawings and calculations
- Markers and poster paper for design presentations
- Colored pencils for labeling diagrams
- Glue sticks and popsicle sticks for model construction
- Rulers for accurate measurements and scale drawings
Crosscutting Concepts
Disciplinary Core Ideas
Earth and Space Sciences
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Life Sciences
Science and Engineering Practices
Students read and analyze informational texts about agriculture, food science, natural resources, and animal science topics throughout the year. They write argumentative and informative pieces, including blog posts, portfolio updates, and project reports, to communicate findings and support claims with evidence. Students engage in collaborative discussions, present research to peers, and develop vocabulary specific to agricultural science domains.
Students apply mathematical reasoning across units, including calculating feed amounts, fertilizer ratios, percent loss, square footage for chicken coops, costs of food using grocery ads, carrying capacity using graphs, acreage and supply calculations for agribusiness planning, and unit conversions in food science measurements.
Students conduct investigations and laboratory experiments aligned to life science, earth science, and engineering standards throughout the year. Topics include plant cell structure and function, photosynthesis and cellular respiration, genetics and heredity, ecosystem dynamics and food webs, water chemistry and macroinvertebrate biology, natural resource management, and engineering design applied to agricultural structures.
Career readiness, financial literacy, and 21st century life skills are embedded throughout the curriculum. Students explore careers in agriculture, food science, veterinary science, natural resource management, and agribusiness. They develop personal finance skills through grocery budgeting and agribusiness planning activities, and practice workplace readiness skills including teamwork, communication, and problem-solving across all units.
Formative Assessments
- Observations during design and model-building activities
- Journals documenting design decisions and reflections
- Exit tickets on carpentry and mechanics concepts
- Group discussions on structure observation and improvements
- Self-evaluations of design processes
Summative Assessment
Projects including chicken coop design drawings, material cost calculations, and popsicle stick model construction with documentation
Benchmark Assessment
— not configured —
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through a simplified design template with visual supports, such as labeled diagrams or picture cards for materials and safety steps, completed with teacher or peer support. Alternatively, students may build a scale model with pre-cut materials and provide an oral explanation of their design choices and safety practices in place of written documentation.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students may benefit from chunked, sequenced directions during the design and construction process, with visual models or completed examples of scale drawings and cost calculation layouts provided for reference. Oral or dictated responses should be accepted for journal reflections and design documentation, reducing the writing demand while still capturing student thinking. Scaffold the material calculation steps by breaking the process into smaller numbered tasks, and allow use of a calculator to support the math without penalty. Check in frequently during hands-on building phases to provide feedback and help students stay on track with the overall project goal.
Section 504
Provide extended time for the design drawing, cost calculation, and model construction phases, as the multi-step nature of this project benefits from flexible pacing. Preferential seating during direct instruction on carpentry and mechanics concepts supports focus, and a printed copy of any board-displayed diagrams or measurement guides should be available. Minimize distractions during calculation and reflection tasks by offering a quieter workspace when needed.
ELL / MLL
Pre-teach key vocabulary from the agricultural mechanics and construction domain — such as terms related to structure, materials, measurement, and cost — using visual supports like labeled diagrams and illustrated word walls. Provide simplified, step-by-step written directions for the design and model-building process alongside visual examples of what each stage should look like. Allow students to discuss design ideas or journal reflections with a partner or in their home language before producing a written or verbal English response, supporting both comprehension and participation.
At Risk (RTI)
Connect the unit's design and construction concepts to familiar real-world structures students have seen or interacted with, building confidence and prior knowledge before introducing technical vocabulary and calculations. Offer a simplified version of the cost estimation task that focuses on a reduced number of materials or a partially completed template, allowing students to experience success with the core concept before adding complexity. Hands-on phases like model building are natural entry points — use these moments to reinforce measurement, planning, and decision-making skills in a concrete, low-stakes context.
Gifted & Talented
Encourage students to extend their design work by researching sustainable or energy-efficient construction materials and incorporating those choices into a revised cost analysis that compares conventional and alternative options. Students may investigate how precision farming technologies — such as sensors or automated systems — could be integrated into their chicken coop design, presenting a rationale for their choices. Deepening the reflection component by analyzing trade-offs between cost, durability, animal welfare, and environmental impact pushes thinking into the realms of systems analysis and engineering design.