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Day 2: Farm to Table — Brainstorm + Sketch

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Read the H&L Farm to Table scenario; brainstorm an infographic about a chosen crop; sketch the infographic layout on paper before building in Canva tomorrow
TEKS d(1)(C)
Deliverable Completed Farm to Table brainstorm sheet + paper sketch of infographic
Materials H&L Workbook Ch 2 (pp. 24-25), printed brainstorm sheet, plain paper for sketching, colored pencils or markers, projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: Imagine you bought a strawberry at the grocery store. List the steps that strawberry took to get from the field to your hand. How many steps can you name?

Take 4-5 student responses and write them on the board. The class should land on something like: planted → grown → harvested → packaged → trucked → distributed → stocked → bought. This primes the Farm to Table activity perfectly.

Activity 1: Read the Farm to Table Scenario (10 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 2, p. 24, "Farm to Table" (Career Climb activity)

Read aloud the workbook background (Ch 2, p. 24): A small farm called Sunny Fields Farm needs help showing customers how their fresh fruits and vegetables go from the fields to the table. Students will play the role of an Agricultural Communications Specialist: someone who combines agriculture knowledge with design and marketing skills.

The workbook (p. 24) frames the role: "An Agricultural Communications Specialist combines expertise in agriculture with design skills to help small agricultural businesses." The challenge: create an infographic that explains the farm-to-table process, using pictures, labels, and fun facts.

[H&L PLATFORM] Students do not need to use the H&L app for this activity, the entire scenario lives in the workbook. They will, however, refer back to the H&L Plant Science pathway careers from Day 1 to think about which specialists are involved at each step.

Facilitation Tip

Show one example infographic on the projector before students brainstorm — the USDA "MyPlate" infographic or an existing farm-to-table graphic from the FDA or a state ag department. Students need to SEE what an infographic looks like before they can plan one. Caution: the model is for inspiration only, students should NOT copy it.

Activity 2: Brainstorm — Choose Your Crop (15 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 2, p. 24, "Step 1: Brainstorm Ideas"

Sunny Fields Farm grows four crops (from the workbook): strawberries, grapes, bell peppers, cucumbers. Each student picks ONE crop and completes the brainstorm sheet:

  • What crop will your infographic be about? (one of the four)
  • What information do you think consumers most want to see? (e.g., where it's grown, how long it takes to grow, what's healthy about it, how it's harvested)
  • How will this infographic help Sunny Fields Farm? (e.g., builds trust, shows freshness, makes the farm stand out from grocery store competitors)

Students write 1-2 sentences in each box on the brainstorm sheet (provided by the teacher).

After brainstorming, partners do a think-pair-share: explain your crop and what info you'll include. Listen to your partner and offer one suggestion to make their infographic stronger.

Activity 3: Paper Sketch — Layout Plan (15 min)

Before opening Canva tomorrow, students plan their layout on paper. This step prevents students from wasting class time tomorrow scrolling through Canva templates without a plan.

The sketch must include:

  • Title (e.g., "From Sunny Fields to Your Table. Strawberries")
  • At least 4 numbered steps (planting → growing → harvesting → selling)
  • Space for one fun fact
  • One picture or icon spot per step (rough drawings, they'll add real images in Canva tomorrow)
  • A logo spot for Sunny Fields Farm

The sketch can be done in pencil or marker. It's a planning document, not a final product.

DOK 2: Why is a "Farm to Table" infographic more useful for a small farm than a giant grocery store like Kroger? What does a small farm get from showing the journey?

Connection to Career

The students are doing the actual work of an Agricultural Communications Specialist today. This is one of the emerging careers within the Agriculture Business, Leadership, and Communications pathway, combining ag knowledge with design and marketing.

Exit Ticket (5 min)

EXIT TICKET (Mini-Case / Scenario Application) · Printable PDF:

Scenario: A new client calls Sunny Fields Farm: a DFW elementary school wants an infographic to show KINDERGARTENERS (age 5-6) where their lunch food comes from.

  1. Which crop from the workbook list (strawberries, grapes, bell peppers, cucumbers) fits kindergarteners BEST, and why?

My pick: _____

Why: ____________

  1. What is ONE design choice you would CHANGE from YOUR Day 2 sketch to make it kindergarten-friendly? (Shorter text? Bigger pictures? Fewer steps?)
  1. What is the MOST interesting fact about your crop that a 5-year-old would remember?

(d(1)(C))

Submit your brainstorm sheet and paper sketch with this ticket.

Differentiation

  • Support: Pre-fill the brainstorm sheet with the crop selected (e.g., assign strawberries) and one info point already written as an example. Provide a pre-printed sketch grid with the title bar and 4 step boxes already drawn.
  • Extension: Sketch TWO infographics, one for the same crop targeting kids, and one targeting adult shoppers. How does the design change for each audience?
  • ELL: Pre-teach: Crop = Cultivo, Step = Paso, Harvest = Cosecha, Customer = Cliente. The infographic can be designed with bilingual labels in Canva tomorrow.