Basic Agriculture

Mrs. Nancy Williams

Wheeler High School
375 Holt Road
Marietta, GA 30068
E-mail: nancy.williams@cobbk12.org
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Welcome back to the new school year 2016/2017. It is my pleasure to
have your son/daughter in my Basic Agriculture class. I anticipate a
very productive and enjoyable school year and an opportunity to provide
the students with some exciting, unique, and truly hands-on science
activities.
Please take a few minutes to review the attached information (a course
syllabus with classroom expectations) with your child, sign the
classroom expectations and return them to me by Friday, August 12th,
2016.
I look forward to working with you and your child this school year.
Please remember that I will be readily available to assist your child and
if there are any concerns or questions, feel free to contact me by e-mail.
*As described within my enclosed syllabus, I am trying to create an
easily accessible way to assist with communication with your student;
PLEASE feel free parents to follow @greenthumbcats (Wheeler
Agriculture on Twitter so you can see what the classes are doing each
day and please also view your students grades in Synergy and view
my website (Linked on Wheeler home page) to have access to my
reminders that I will occasionally send via your students!
Respectfully yours,
Mrs. Nancy Williams

Plant Science/ Horticulture Career Cluster

Basic Agriculture
Course Description:
Basic Agriculture is designed as the foundational course for pathways related to
Horticulture. The course introduces the student to the diverse careers and foundations
of the Agricultural industries. Classroom and lab instruction are supplemented through
the students participation (voluntary but encouraged) in FFA and their semester long
SAE project.
This course will include the following standards:
Employability Skills
FFA
SAE
Human Needs: Past/ Present/ Future
Lab and workplace Safety
Soils
Physics in Agriculture
Areas of Agriscience and related Careers
Animal Industry
Natural Resource Management
Food Processing
Environmental Science
Media and Agriculture
Plant Science Principles
Students will do various projects including but not limited to:
Canning/ Food preservation
On Campus beautification projects
Literary project (We will be reading the classroom version of The Martian and
working on a STEAM project for the symposium linked to the book
Unique and individual out of class SAE project
Fall Pansy Sale
Poinsettia Sale
Floral Design projects
Animal projects
We will have guest speakers, hands-on labs/ practicums, access to live related
animals, and field trips to supplement standards.

Class Materials Needed DAILY:- 3 Ring Binder (This is needed to keep all
classroom work and will also serve as the notebook/ binder to turn in for the required
SAE)
-Paper
-Pen/Pencils
-Highlighter
-Positive Attitude

Attendance / Tardies:
You are expected to attend class every day and be on time. This is a career readiness
aligned course and I assure you in the workplace this area WILL definitely identify you
as a weak or strong employee. Mindfully, I will follow the guidelines outlined in your
student handbook regarding attendance policies and procedures. If you come late to
class you will be marked tardy.

Behavior in the classroom:

Mature behavior is expected and required in this course. Each student is expected to
actively participate during class discussions, presentations and labs. Unrulely or
unprofessional conduct will NOT be tolerated for any reason. Every student within this
class has the RIGHT to a safe and conducive learning environment. Safety is also
especially key; I will provide clear directives/ directions prior to equipment use and or
activities such as labs/ practicums and animal care. Horseplay, misuse of materials or
equipment, and mistreatment of animals will not be tolerated and contact with parents/
administrative referral will follow immediately. Other consequences include 0s being
recorded in gradebook for activities/ work during which such serious misbehavior took
place. *Just like in the REAL working/ career world, positive reinforcement of
appropriate behaviors/ participation do exist in the forms of advancement opportunities/
raises; therefore I believe it to be important to provide raises or extra credit linked to
the category of Employability Skills in my class.

Hall Passes: All personal business should be taken care of before or after class;
instructional time is very valuable. Per Wheeler policy; no one will be allowed to leave
the classroom during the first and last 15 minutes of the block.

Cell Phones:Per student handbook guidelines: You are NOT allowed to make phone
calls, send texts, play games, or use the internet on your phone during instructional time or in the
hallways. Absolutely NO phones/ electronics should be taken into lab areas during my class for
any reason; they should be left with/ in personal belongings in classroom during labs/ practicums
and I WILL lock the classroom. *Other than just being an unnecessary distraction, there really is
more chance of safety issues or damage potential for these items in this class. Water damage/
loss and breakages have been common in the past while completing typical class activities.
Failure to comply with this will result in an administrative referral.
Communicating reminders with students/ parents involved with my classes. I am
utilizing Twitter @greenthumbcats to post daily/ weekly photos of work in class. Please
also, look at my web blog for updates as necessary.

Grading Scale:
Daily classwork and H. W.
Literary Project / Steam Project
Quizzes
Tests
S.A.E Projects
Labs/ Practicums
Final Exam (comprehensive)
Total

15 %
15%
5%
15%
20%
20%
10%
100%

*Please note that I will update grades weekly, (many times daily) depending upon
the activities/ type of assignment. Please get a synergy passcode if you do not
already have one, to access your students grades on a regular basis. If students do
not complete an assignment OR they are absent and are allowed to make up the
assignment, the grade in the gradebook will be a ZERO until the student makes up
the assignment. *** The student must follow the handbook for the length of time
to make up an assignment. If the student receives an X in the gradebook I have
excused them from the assignment (In some cases this is simply because by nature
of the beast some of our labs are time sensitive and cannot be made up. When he
lants are all planted its impossible to have another planting lab.) Attendance each
day is crucial.

Basic Agriculture : Syllabus return slip

I have read and understand the underlying items listed/ described in the Basic Agriculture
syllabus for Fall 2016. By signing I agree to abide by the classroom expectations and procedures
and understand the details concerning this class listed within the document.
Student Signature: -------------------------------------Date:------Student Name: PRINT _____________________________

I have read the above expectations:

Parent Signature:--------------------------------------Date:--------Should Mrs. Williams be in need to contact you via phone during the instructional day for
disciplinary concerns what telephone number should I use:________________________
Should Mrs. Williams need to touch base with you over any other concern about your
student or set up a conference, what is your email? ______________________________