Pennsylvania

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Pennsylvania Supervised Agricultural Experience
Practicum Skills
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What are Practicum Skills?
Practicum Skills Enterprises allow students to
gain knowledge through
School related skill development activities.
Non-experimental research
Exploring various areas of agriculture
Exploring agricultural careers.
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School related practicum skills example

• Keep records of what you do each day in your
  agriculture class, ag mechanics shop, greenhouse,
  floral shop, land lab, etc.
• Work in the school greenhouse or land lab
• Serve as a school lab assistant.
• Develop and or maintain the FFA chapter website.
• Develop and/or participate in a recycling or
  litter pick up program
• Plant a butterfly garden at an elementary school

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Creative Practicum Skills Examples

• Develop a marketing plan for an agricultural
  commodity
• Write a series of newspaper articles about the
  environment
• Design a land use plan for your school district
• Develop a landscape design for a community
  facility
• Design an advertising campaign for an
  agribusiness
• Attend a county or state conservation camp

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More practicum skills examples

• Observe and/or assist a florist
• Grow plants in a milk jug "greenhouse"
• Assist on a horse farm for a day
• Interview an agricultural loan officer in a bank
• Prepare a scrapbook on the work of a veterinarian
• Attend an agricultural career day
• Volunteer at a zoo

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The Agreement Page
Every Practicum Skills Record Book begins with
Your enterprise name and number should be the
same as you entered in the second column on your
common pages title page.
This page should be completed at the beginning of
the project year in blue or black ink.
Ag Shop
1
1st
20XX
Jan.
Joseph Scholar
Andrew Educator
Your School High School
Enter the date you and your teacher agree that
you will begin your practicum skills project.
(If you are doing a school based enterprise, you
may elect to keep your records on a school year
basis.)
Enter your name the same way as on the Common
pages cover page.
Enter your teachers name and your school name.
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This page should be completed at the beginning of
the project year in blue or black ink
The Agreement Page
Continuing with
31st
Jan.
20XX
1st
Dec.
20XX
Enter the date of the last day you will enter
data into your record book. This date should
also be determined in conference with your
teacher.
Enter the date of the first day you will enter
data into your record book. This date should be
determined in conference with your teacher.
(Practicum skills enterprises conducted at school
are often kept on a school year basis rather than
a calendar year basis.)
The next section explains the expectations of
each person listed on the agreement.
Student will provide his/her own safety glasses,
coveralls and safety shoes.
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The Agreement Page
Give a brief but complete description of the
agricultural laboratory.
Use complete sentences and proper grammar.
The agriculture shop consists of an area
approximately 1500 square feet. It includes 10
electric arc stick welders, 3 MIG welders and a
TIG welder as well as a plasma cutter, a four
station oxy-acetylene welding station as well as
various metal working and bending jigs. There is
also a weld testing station and two drill
presses. Woodworking equipment includes a table
saw, band saw, radial arm saw, belt and disk
sander, planer, miter box saw, wood lathe and
various hand and small power tools. We have
stations for electricity and wiring, concrete and
masonry, small gas engines and hydraulics. There
is a safety cabinet, fire extinguishers and a
cabinet to sterilize safety glasses. There is a
fume exhaust system for the welders and small
engines and a dust collecting system for the
woodworking equipment.
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The Agreement Page
Finally, sign the agreement yourself and secure
the signature of your parent. Signatures should
be in blue or black ink.
Joseph Scholar
January 30, 20XX
Elizabeth Scholar
March 30, 20XX
Andrew Educator
January 30, 20XX
It is important to have your parent sign the
agreement to verify that you have discussed this
project with them.
Your teacher will most likely sign the form only
after you have secured your parental signature
(and signed the page yourself, of course.)
Any successful SAE has the support of all parties
involved in the project.
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Your name, your enterprise name and number should
be the same as you entered on your common pages
title page. Enter this information on every page
of this record book.
Page 2
Ag Shop
1
Joseph Scholar
Welding safety
Flat position, fillet weld
Construct a saw horse
Striking an arc running a bead
Construct a parallel circuit
Horizontal up weld
Flat position, butt weld
Woodworking safety
Properly use a micrometer
Everything you do for this project MUST be
assigned to a summary area.
You enter your TASK AREAS on this page. A task
area is a general description of a skill. For
example welding bedding plant production
animal health. You may add task areas during the
enterprise.
There is room for fifty task areas on this page,
but you may use as few or as many spaces as you
need for your particular practicum skills
enterprise.
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While ag mechanics practicum skill projects are
very common, this record book is useful for many
other agricultural areas. Another example is
Page 2
Greenhouse production
1
Joseph Scholar
Properly ID 25 greenhouse plants
Do a soft pinch on a plant
Plant plugs
Properly water plants
Transplant greenhouse plants
Read seed containers follow
Mix fertilizer and apply
Prepare a marketing plan
Properly operate greenhouse controls
Everything you do for this project MUST be
assigned to a summary area.
See additional examples of tasks lists at the end
of this power point
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Another example is
Page 2
Animal care
1
Joseph Scholar
Animal lab safety
Clean and sanitize lab pens
Keep animal lab records
Properly handle small animals
Prepare use a breeding plan
Properly groom small animals
Calculate balanced rations
Clip nails on small animals
Prepare a marketing plan
Everything you do for this project MUST be
assigned to a summary area.
See additional examples of task lists at the end
of this power point
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Page 2
This record book is designed as a tool for
student and teacher to evaluate the work done on
the project. They may or may not agree on the
rating recorded.
This evaluation may be done at the end of the
year or when recording summary information.
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Enterprise name, student name and enterprise
number must be entered the same as on the common
pages cover page.
Diary page 3
Be consistent with time units. Use the same
minute or hour unit throughout your diary
entries. If using the computer template, you
MUST use hours.
Enter the summary area number (from page 2).
Everything you do for this project MUST be
assigned to a summary area.
If you use minutes, you MUST convert the minutes
to hours before entering your total time on the
summary page 7 and 8.
Ag Shop
1
Joseph Scholar
Good diary entry.
1/27/20XX
Mr. Educator demonstrated how to strike an arc
and run a bead. Then we spent the rest of the
class period practicing.
0.75
4
Use Other than required column for work done
outside of regular class time. This can include
time before and after school, during lunch or
study hall.
Bad Example.
Worked in shop
0.75
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Everything you enter on your diary pages MUST be
assigned to a summary area listed on page 2.
Diary page 3
Your entries must be reasonable experiences and
specific. Entries should be sentences. Entries
should show a progression of skills not
repetition of the same activity for long periods
An example of a diary (task performed) for a
welding task area would be
An example of a diary entry for a bedding plant
production task area would be
I learned to spot weld today. I could see my
skills improve as I practiced.
30
40
1
I also came to the ag shop during study hall to
practice.
Welding could be the task area name entered on
page 2.
30
Our begonia plugs arrived today so we spent the
entire class planting begonias into four inch
pots.
2
Bedding plant production could be the task area
name entered on page 2.
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Everything you enter on your diary pages MUST be
assigned to a summary area listed on page 2.
Diary page 3
You may need to do multiple entries for each
class period.
1-5
I learned to spot weld today. I could see my
skills improve as I practiced.
30
40
1
I also came to the ag shop during study hall to
practice.
Welding could be the task area name entered on
page 2.
1-5
30
I constructed a wooden frame to hold pipes for a
new hydroponics system..
2
Woodworking could be the task area name entered
on page 2.
1-5
5
I updated my record book and took photos of
several projects.
20
SAE record book could be the task area name
entered on page 2.
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Everything you enter on your diary pages MUST be
assigned to a summary area listed on page 2.
Diary page 3
Another example
Remember, all of these diary entries occurred on
the same day.
1-5
I repaired the tire on the wheel barrow so I
could use it, during study hall.
40
1
.
Tool maintenance could be the task area name
entered on page 2.
1-5
40
I added mulch to two flower beds and raked leaves
from several paths.
2
Landscape maintenance could be the task area
name entered on page 2.
1-5
5
I updated my record book and took photos of
several projects.
20
SAE record book could be the task area name
entered on page 2.
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Continue entering your diary data when a page
is filled,
Diary page 6
make sure you carry the totals forward to the
next page.
120
120
Animal care
1
Joseph Scholar
120
120
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On the summary pages, you have the opportunity to
combine all summary areas so that you and your
teacher can see how much time you spent on each
summary area (from page 2).
Summary Pages 7 8
List all task areas in the same order as on page
2.
Be sure to match summary code numbers
with areas from page 2.
Total ALL summary code 1 time from your diary
pages as you complete the tasks in the summary
areas and enter that amount in these spaces. BE
SURE TO CONVERT YOUR TIME TO HOURS IF YOU USED
MINUTES IN YOUR DIARY.
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Ag Shop
Joseph Scholar
FINALLY, evaluate yourself on a scale of 1-4
and have your teacher evaluate your work also.
2
3
4
4
Welding safety
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Flat position butt welding
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4
3
Horizontal up weld
0
10
3
2
Construct a saw horse using power tools
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3
4
2
Layout and test a parallel circuit with 1 switch
1
4
4
Layout a circuit with 3 way switches
4
10
4
3
Trouble shoot a small gas engines following
procedcures
20
12
4
3
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Joseph Scholar
Its important to keep a photographic record of
your practicum skills project.
Insert pictures here that document your practicum
skills project.
Your School High School
1/6/XX
Enter the date the picture was taken and the
location.
Insert a picture no larger than 4 inches by 6
inches.
Finally describe the photo in fifty words or less.
Make sure the picture is well focused and all
safety practices are being followed.
Today I passed the safety test for the band saw
and was allowed to use the saw for the first
time. I was sure to wear safety glasses, because
if I had forgotten I would have failed the final
part of the safety test.
In this example, passing the band saw safety test
should also be documented in the students diary
entries
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Practicum Skills Scorecard
The scorecard will help you understand what we
are looking for when practicum skills records are
judged at the state FFA record book competition.
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Keystone Degree Notes

• Data from your practicum skills enterprises is
  entered on page 6 of your Keystone degree
  application.
• To qualify for the Keystone degree with practicum
  skills enterprises you must accumulate at least
  600 hours at least 300 of these hours must be
  other than required lab hours. This MUST be
  shown in your record book.

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This concludes the presentation on the
practicum skills record book. You may want to go
back and review this presentation at the end of
the project year for help in closing out your
record book.
Well be looking for your record book at the
Pennsylvania Record Book CDE in February.
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Additional Example of a task list
This list is used in an Agriculture Department in
a Pennsylvania high school.

• Project Book
• Ag Mechanics
• Ag Resources
• Agriculture Technology
• Animal Science
• Aquaculture
• Bedding Plants
• Chrysanthemum
• Easter Lily
• Environmental Science
• Food Science
• Fresh Floral Designs
• Greenhouse Maintenance
• Grounds Maintenance
• Hanging Baskets
• Hydroponics
• Intern Management
• Planning Landscapes
• Landscape Drawings.

• 22. FFA Activities
• 23. Growing Woody Plants
• 24. Miscellaneous Floral Designs
• 25. Miscellaneous Potted Plants
• 26. Geraniums, Hibiscus, Impatiens, etc.
• 27. Pesticide Application
• 28. Plant and Soil Science
• 29. Farm Crops
• 30. Fruits Vegetables
• 31. Soil Testing
• 32. Plant Tissue Culture
• 33. Poinsettia Production
• 34. Silk Floral Designs
• 35. Spring Bulbs
• 36. Sympathy Designs
• 37. Trial Gardens
• 38. Turf grass Management
• 39. Mowing, Fertilizing, etc.
• 40. Water Gardening

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Additional Example of a task list
This list is used in a Career and Technology
Agriculture Department in PA

• Occupational orientation
• Plant names, parts and functions
• Environmental requirements of plants
• Plant growth stimulants
• Diseases that affect plants
• Biological controls
• Use pesticides safely
• Insecticides, herbicides, etc
• Shop Safety
• Maintain shop tools
• Electric arc welding
• Oxy-acetylene welding
• Wood construction
• Masonry construction
• Small engines
• Tractor safely
• Greenhouse structures
• Grow cut mums
• Grow snapdragons

• 26. Force bulb crops
• Grow other crops
• Landscape establishment
• Landscape maintenance
• Read a landscape plan
• Animal feeds and nutrition
• Trees, plants and shrubs
• Garden store advise
• Customer services
• ID florist items
• Construct corsages
• Construct floral designs
• Holiday designs
• Floral wire services
• Merchandising
• Use the computer
• Construct floral displays
• Leadership in horticulture
• FFA activities