Source - http://www.bewellbarroncounty.

org/get-the-most-out-of-yourvegetables/
NOBODY WANTS TO PLANT THE CORN!
A WebQuest for 12th Grade Agricultural Science
Designed by DEREK RAMDATT
buffer751@gmail.com

Introduction

Task

Process

Resources

Assessment

Conclusion

Introduction
Nobody wants to plant the corn; everybody wants to raid the barn. Who you
gonna blame it on when is a next man you depend on? sings Anthony B
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-NRq8bNBOI)
In todays world, very few people want to get involved in food production; most
people prefer other jobs than farming. This does not bode well for an increasing
worlds population since everybody needs to eat! Since your study of supply and
demand you have seen the opportunity to fill a market and you have decided to
become a farmer and produce vegetable crops for sale because you know this will
bring in the money!
So your land is available for planting and youre all ready to go but how do you
start? Which crop type will you plant? What steps do you need to follow to
produce your crop? Does your crop need any special care? What factors can affect
the success of your crop?

The Scenario

You have been hired by an agricultural cooperative that provides services

to member farmers as an expert in your field. At its Annual General
Meeting, the membership mandates you and three other hired experts
involved in crop production (leafy vegetable, fruit vegetable, root
vegetable and cereals) to share their knowledge at the next General
Meeting so that the members can benefit from your advice. Each expert
on your team will make a presentation based on their area of expertise on
the production of a named crop from each crop group.
The Tasks
ROLES ASSIGNED TO THE WEBQUEST

1. Agronomist as an agronomist you are familiar with the practices

involved in growing crops. You are required to share your knowledge
of how to grow a named crop from each of the four categories i.e.
leafy vegetables, fruit vegetables, root vegetables and cereals
under the following headings;
i.
Varieties and cultivars
ii.
Land preparation
iii.
Planting and spacing
iv.
Cultural practices
You will be discussing the growing of; pak choi, tomatoes, cassava and
rice. You will liaise with your fellow experts and produce a PowerPoint or a
digital story that shares your information with the cooperative farmers in
such a way that the information is clearly and concisely depicted.

2. Plant Pathologist having studied plant diseases you are required

to share your knowledge of the pests and diseases that affect a
named crop from each of the four categories i.e. leafy vegetables,
fruit vegetables, root vegetables and cereals under the following
headings;
i.
Name of pest/ disease
ii.
Causative disease agent e.g. bacteria, virus, fungi,
nematode etc
iii.
Symptoms of attack / disease
iv.
Prevention
v.
Treatment
You will be discussing the growing of; pak choi, tomatoes, cassava and
rice. You will liaise with your fellow experts and produce a PowerPoint or a
digital story that shares your information with the cooperative farmers in
such a way that the information is clearly and concisely depicted.

3. Extension officer you are an Extension Officer attached to the

Soil Testing and Evaluation Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture. You
are asked to share your knowledge on the use of fertilizers for a
named crop from each of the four categories i.e. leafy vegetables,
fruit vegetables, root vegetables and cereals under the following
headings;
i.
Signs of malnutrition
ii.
Determining fertilizing needs

iii.
iv.

Determining the amount of fertilizer to use

Methods of fertilizer application

You will be discussing the growing of; pak choi, tomatoes, cassava and
rice. You will liaise with your fellow experts and produce a PowerPoint or a
digital story that shares your information with the cooperative farmers in
such a way that the information is clearly and concisely depicted.

4. Post harvest technologist As a post harvest technologist you

have studied how to harvest crops and how the produce is to be
dealt with after harvesting in preparation for market. You are to
share your information on harvesting for a named crop from each of
the four categories i.e. leafy vegetables, fruit vegetables, root
vegetables and cereals under the following headings;
i.
Signs of maturity / harvest index
ii.
Method of harvesting
iii.
Post harvest treatment
iv.
Packaging for market
You will be discussing the growing of; pak choi, tomatoes, cassava and
rice. You will liaise with your fellow experts and produce a PowerPoint or a digital
story that shares your information with the cooperative farmers in such a way
that the information is clearly and concisely depicted.
The Process
1. Identify the headings under which you are required to give your expert advice
2. For each crop identified, access the links offered in the Resources section and
collect information to complete each heading under your task.
3. Use the template provided to fill in the information you collected.
4. Collaborate with your group to pool your information together to present a
report on each crop so that for each crop, the same headings are used each time
5. Decide as a group on which technique of presentation you would use to give
your information to the farmers. You may use the storyboard template if a
PowerPoint presentation is your choice
6. Discuss with your teacher if any materials or equipment are required for your
presentation
7. Produce your presentation
8. Present your findings to the farmers
Resources
You could list the resources separately before or after the Process, but it is
preferable to integrate the resources with the process instructions. You will notice
how this is dealt with in different examples.
List the web resources in this table (optional)

Resources other than

web resources.

http://www.agriculture.gov.tt/
http://old.iita.org/cms/details/trn_mat/irg60/irg60.html
http://www.cardi.org/cardi-publications/factsheets/crops/

Agricultural Science for CSEC

Examinations - Ronald
Ramharacksingh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV9dATdt3hE

CXC Agriculture Sahadeo

Ragoonanan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6-NuHdpC4Q
http://courseweb.lis.illinois.edu/~jevogel2/lis506/howto.html
http://office.microsoft.com/en-001/powerpoint-help/basictasks-for-creating-a-powerpoint-2013-presentationHA102809627.aspx
STUDENT SUPPORT DOCUMENTS
..\..\Public\Documents\Student support
documents\DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES.dotx
..\..\Public\Documents\Student support
documents\CROP COMPARISON CHECKLIST.dotx
..\..\Public\Documents\Student support
documents\DATA ON GROWTH RATE OF CROPS.xltx

Assessment

Beginning
1
The topic
rambles and
does not present
much
information

Developing
2
Briefly mentions
a topic but gives
few details

Accomplished
3
Describes the
topic in general

Excellent
4
Clearly
defines topic
with great
detail

Gives information
from several of
the sites

Does not use

any of the
information in
the sites

Uses only one

site

Uses at least two

sites

Uses several
sites

Completeness of
assignment

Report on crops
are not
attempted/few
topics covered

Less than 50%

of the crop
topics are
presented

75% of the crop

topics are
presented

All crop topics

for all the
selected crops
are presented

Organisation

No logical
sequence of
information

Some topics are

organised but
still does not
present a logical
sequence

There is a
recognisable
organisation of
topics but some
topics are out of
sequence

The
information is
completely
organised by
crop type and
follows a
logical
sesequence

Maintains Topic

Score
a

Clear and
Understandable

Very difficult to
follow

Mostly difficult
to follow and
understand

Mostly easy to
understand

Easy to read
and follow the
information

Correct spelling
and grammar

Frequent
grammar and
spelling errors

A few grammar
and spelling
errors

One or two
grammar or
spelling errors

All grammar
and spelling
are correct

Aesthetics

Presentation is
poorly
displayed, lack
of formatting,
no use of
graphics

Presentation
uses some
graphics, colour
and formats

Presentation
makes use of
graphics,
formats and
colour but is not
properly
coordinated

Presentation is
very
attractive,
uses colour,
graphics and
formats,
information
catches the eye

Group work

No group work
evident

An attempt is
made to work as
a group but not
to completion of
the quest

Group work is
evident most of
the time

Group work is
evident up to
presentation

Assessment rubric for webquest.xlsx

Conclusion
Congratulations on a job well done! The members of the cooperative thank you
for being able to present such valuable information. They have learned how to
produce these four crops successfully, following your teams expert advice from
land preparation to harvesting and are eager to begin practicing what they have
learnt. Since the presentation was a success, you have been invited back to the
cooperative for future sessions. Which crops will you discuss with the membership
then? What are the possibilities that the farmers can grow crops that are not
usually cultivated in their area? Perhaps your team can hire additional experts in
agro processing and discuss processing and food preservation. You can even look
at fruit cultivation and horticulture that can be integrated into regular crop
farming. Whatever the topic, the farmers are waiting!