Rigor/Relevance
Framework
LESSON PLAN
Knowledge
Area and/or Course: Agricultural Science - Dairy Industry
Lesson Title: Dairy Cattle Selection
No. Periods:
1-2
Teacher Goal(s):
1. Teach Forked-Road Problem-Solving Techniques
2. Provide input to a student in the class regarding a
decision.
3. Make a general observation about how this problem
solving structure can be used in other applications.
6
5
4
3
2
1
C
D
Assimilation
Adaptation
___X___
A
B
Acquisition
Application
1
2
3
4
Application
Objectives:
The student will be able to (TSWBT). (OR Skill Set numbers in parentheses at the end of the
objective statement.)
1. Identify specific traits associated with making a decision regarding dairy cattle selection.
(AGS03.01.01)
2. Evaluate dairy cattle and make selections. (AGS03.01.02.01)
3. Synthesize a written recommendation of a dairy cattle selection. (AGS02.01.02.02)
State Standards met by Objectives:
Category
Subject
Common
Curr. Goal
Benchmark
& Number
1.
CRLS
Communication
Effect Comm
Criteria-1,3,4,6
2.
CRLS
Problem Solving
Apply Dec Making
Criteria-1,2,3,4
3.
English
Communication
Interp Info
Materials, Equipment, Audio-visual aids:
1. PowerPoint Presentation
2. Overheads (parts of dairy cow)
3. Hoard’s Dairyman Magazine
PASS
References:
A. Hoard’s Dairyman
B. University of Missouri – Columbia
(Instructional Material – Introduction to
Dairy Production)
C. Dairy Breeds and Selection – Sherri
Wiggs
Knowledge: 1=awareness; 2=comprehension; 3=application; 4=analysis; 5=synthesis; 6=evaluation
Application: 1=knowledge in one discipline; 2=apply knowledge in one discipline; 3=apply knowledge across disciplines; 4=apply knowledge to real-world predictable situations; 5=apply
knowledge to real-world unpredictable situations
5
Anticipatory Set/Introduction/Motivation/Interest Approach:
Review Yesterday’s Lesson:
Review:
Parts of a Dairy Cow (using overhead and handout).
It’s important to know the parts of a dairy animal before learning to select
dairy cattle.
Ask five different students to name the five areas to look at in dairy
judging.
-Body Capacity, Frame , Feet and Legs, Dairy Character, Udder
Set:
“DECISION TIME”
I am going to give you $1500 to buy a dairy cow. You have to buy it from my neighbor
and he only has two cows for sale. They both have very good pedigree, but one has
better traits and therefore will milk more, which in return will make you more money. If
you buy the wrong one you will earn less money. It is critical that you evaluate and
weigh your decision correctly!
Transition (Use Obj):
The other day we identified the 6 dairy breeds and learned characteristics of each. In this
class we will be going a step further and identifying ways to evaluate and recommend the
best dairy animal.
1. Identify parts of a dairy animal.
2. Identify traits associated with making a decision regarding dairy cattle selection.
3. Evaluate dairy cattle and make selections.
4. Synthesize a written recommendation of a dairy cattle selection.
Use the PowerPoint to show diagrams for each desired trait (1-13). The diagrams give
examples of good and bad dairy traits. Discuss each of the thirteen traits as you go
through the lesson.
Strategy – includes Teacher Activity,
Student Activity, Questions/Answers
and Objectives
Teacher: Using PowerPoint work
through the lesson.
Student Activities: Take good notes,
will need the notes for the class
activity.
What are five traits that you think are
important when considering which
dairy cow is better than the other?
Frame
15%
Dairy Character
20%
Body Capacity
10%
Feet and Legs
15%
Udder
40%
Subject Matter Outline/Problem and Solution
(Application Points lace in throughout lesson)
(Modeling, Guided Practice, and Content)
Key areas to consider when scoring dairy animals.
(These five areas were discussed during the previous
lesson. They will take it a step farther today.)
Main areas to consider / General Characteristics





Body Capacity
Frame
Feet and Legs
Dairy Character
Udder
10%
15%
15%
20%
40%
Why are they important?
-Good Characteristics = Productive
and Functional Cows
Hand out Forked-Road Problem
solving sheet. (Students need to fill
out 1-13 so they will know how to
make the proper decision when the
have to purchase their Guernsey cow.)
Key areas broken down even more…(specific traits)
Identify good traits associated with making a decision
regarding dairy cattle selection. (Show a PowerPoint
diagram for each). 1-13 are traits that fall into the
above five areas.
Using the PowerPoint show diagrams
1. Stature (Measured at withers) - Body Capacity
for all the traits (1-13). The diagrams
2. Chest and Body (depth) - Body Capacity
show ideal and bad characteristics of
3. Dairy Character (Clean)- free from fat
each trait. Discuss each of the 13
4. Foot and Shape (Intermediate foot angle)
traits.
5. Rear legs (Slight set in hock)
Objective #1
What would you consider important in
6. Pelvic angle (Nearly Level)
making this decision?
7. Rump width (Intermediate width)
1. Intermediate fore and rear udder
8. Fore udder attachment (Intermediate Strength)
attachments.
9. Rear udder width at attachment
2. Strong feet and legs
(Intermediate width)
3. etc.
10. Rear udder height at attachment
(Intermediate)
Why?
-These traits allow a dairy cow to be
11. Teat placement (rearview)- centrally placed
productive and functional!
12. Suspensory Ligament (cleft)
13. Udder depth (udder floor at hock)
Objective #2
Student Activities:
“Use what you have learned.”
Discuss the 2 black and white
diagrams on PowerPoint in teams
(these slides have 2 cows on each).
Have them use the 13 characteristics
to explain which dairy cow is better
than the other.
Note: Divide class into groups of
three and have them discuss the two
group discussion slides (there are two
black and white cows on each slide
and they each have discussion
questions.)
Using the correct terminology, each
group needs to answer the questions
and write out 2-3 sentences on which
dairy animal they recommend (First
for the first pair followed by the
second pair). Students will have two
different group recommendations.
Evaluating dairy cattle and making selections.
As a group answer the following questions for the two
slides with drawings of cows. Each slide has a pair of
cows.
1. Which animal would be considered desirable?
Why?
2. What terms would you use to describe the
differences?
3. Which shows more dairy character? What are
the indicators?
4. What about the udder?
Objective #3
Make a recommendation:
Student Activities: Write an
individual recommendation at the
bottom of your forked-road chart.
Students will do just like they did in
their groups and answer the questions
to the right, but this time they will do
it independently with two Guernsey
cows.
Now, individually answer the following questions for
the 2 Guernsey’s mentioned at the beginning of class.
Note: Students will share these at the
end of the period, in front of the class.
The Forked-Road hand out will be
filled out for the Guernsey class, and
it will be turned in before leaving
class
_____________________________
What if there were more than two
cows to select from and not all were
the same-breeds. How would you
come to your conclusion?
-Possibilities and Factors
1. Which animal would be considered desirable?
2. What terms would you use to describe the
differences?
3. Which shows more dairy character? What are
the indicators?
4. What about the udder?
Recommendation: COW-B
Cow A:
Good stature, Great depth of Rib, nice long body.
Cow B:
Dairy character, good feet and legs, good pelvic angle
and rump width, Very nice fore and rear udder
attachment. Good rear udder height at attachment.
Nice square teat placement. Good udder depth as well
as nice suspensory ligament.
Closure/Summary/Conclusion (Tie in objectives)
After having gone through each trait and spending time learning about them, you should be able
to look at several different dairy cattle pictures and see what is good or bad about them. This
will allow you to look at two different cows and decide which one is better. Once you can tell
which one you like better, you will recommend the best one. Recommendations are simply you
telling others why you would pick one animal over the other.
Evaluation: (Authentic forms of Evaluation, Quizzes, Written Exam?)
1. Grade student’s Forked-Road Problem-Solving recommendation. (Worksheet)
2. Grade student participation in discussion. (Participation)
3. Quiz over objectives at the beginning of the following period. (Quiz)
Assignments: (Student Activities involved in lesson/designed to meet objectives.)
1. Team Participation: Group discussion time while identifying common traits.
2. Decision Making Activity- handout A (hand out 2 of these worksheets at the beginning
of class. Students will fill them out as you go through the characteristics. In the end
they will be able to make a decision by the 13 factors that were given to help them select
a dairy cow. There will be a shorthorn pair that we will do together and a Guernsey
pair they will do by themselves. The Guernsey pair was introduced during the set. ).
Lesson Reflection:
I feel really confident that the lesson was a success. The PowerPoint slides of each desirable trait
really helped the students visualize what was ideal and what wasn’t. I walked through all
thirteen traits in a row. Next time after each trait slide, I need to show an actual cow picture with
the proper trait demonstrated. This will allow students to see ideal characteristics and then apply
it several times to different cow photos. By doing this, students will begin to train their eyes to
select dairy cattle. Students filled out a handout on the thirteen traits as I did the lesson, this
helped them focus and follow along. They also have handouts to refer back to when writing
reasons for dairy selection in the future.