Biology/Agriculture Science is the State Science Core Curriculum for Biology. In order for a student to be a FFA member, they must be enrolled in an Agriculture Education course. Adding the words Ag Science at the ends allows for this section of Biology to count towards FFA membership.
Biology Core Curriculum: The Biology Core Curriculum has two primary goals: (1) students will value and use science as a process of obtaining knowledge based on observable evidence, and (2) students’ curiosity will be sustained as they develop and refine the abilities associated with scientific inquiry.
Theme: The Biology Core has three major concepts for the focus of instruction: (1) the structures in all living things occur as a result of necessary functions. (2) Interactions of organisms in an environment are determined by the biotic and abiotic components of the environment. (3) Evolution of species occurs over time and is related to the environment in which the species live.
The Most Important Goal: Science instruction should cultivate and build on students’ curiosity and sense of wonder. Effective science instruction engages students in enjoyable learning experiences. Science instruction should be as thrilling an experience for a student as opening a rock and seeing a fossil, tracing and interpreting a pedigree, or observing the affects of some chemical on the heartbeat of Daphna. Science is not just for those who have traditionally succeeded in the subject, and it is not just for those who will choose science-related careers. In a world of rapidly expanding knowledge and technology, all students must gain the skills they will need to understand and function responsibly and successfully in the world. The Core provides skills in a context that enables students to experience the joy of doing science.