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Day 2: Pest Patrol — Read the Field Notes

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Read the H&L Pest Patrol scenario; analyze 3 sets of field notes from a Plant Scientist, a Farmer, and an Engineer; identify the design constraints for the drone
TEKS d(1)(C)
Deliverable Field notes summary worksheet (key findings from each of the 3 sets)
Materials H&L Workbook Ch 2, pp. 28-32; printed Field Notes packet (3 sets); printed summary worksheet; projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: A farmer in Texas has 50 acres of tomatoes. Tiny insects are eating the leaves but the farmer can't spot them by walking the field, the pests are hiding under leaves, and the field is too big. What technology could help?

Take 3-4 student responses. The class should land on something like drones, cameras, or sensors. Bridge: today students step into the role of an Agricultural Engineer designing exactly that drone.

Activity 1: Set the Scenario (8 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 2, pp. 28-29, "Ag-Tech Pest Patrol" Background and Project Goal

Read aloud the workbook background (Ch 2, p. 28): A Texas tomato farmer is losing crops to pests. Walking the field by hand is slow and tiring. Heavy pesticide use harms the environment. The farmer needs a way to spot pests early before they spread.

Project the Project Goal from the workbook (p. 28):

Design a drone that helps farmers detect pests early. The drone will fly over fields, take pictures, and use sensors to find out where pests are hiding and causing damage. With this information, farmers can act quickly and save their crops.

Frame the activity for students: this is a real engineering problem. Real ag drones from companies like DJI and Hylio do exactly this work for Texas farms today. Students will design their own version this week.

Activity 2: Read the 3 Sets of Field Notes (25 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 2, pp. 29-31, Field Notes from Plant Scientist (Set 1), Farmer (Set 2), and Engineer (Set 3)

Distribute the printed Field Notes packet, three separate sets of notes from three different perspectives on the SAME tomato farm. Each set has different information the drone designer needs.

Set 1: Field Notes from Evelyn Carter, Plant Scientist (Ch 2, p. 29) - Records what kinds of pests appeared each week (flea beetles, spider mites, tomato hornworms) - Notes how the damage progressed over 3 weeks - Identifies tiny white eggs, fine webbing, and curled leaves as pest indicators

Set 2: Field Notes from Dale Jimenez, Farmer (Ch 2, p. 30) - Reports the FRUSTRATION of walking the rows by hand - Notes that hornworms blend in too well to spot easily - Mentions interest in beneficial insects (ladybugs) but lack of time to research - Notes equipment maintenance and other tasks competing for attention

Set 3: Field Notes from Rowan Lindstrum, Engineer (Ch 2, p. 31) - Lists the FARM SIZE (50 acres), row spacing (4 ft apart), and irrigation type - Reports environmental conditions: temperature 75-95°F, wind 5-20 mph, humidity 30-50% - Lists pest spread patterns (eastern rows near wooded area) - Lists engineering considerations: high-resolution imaging, multispectral sensors, flight stability for windy conditions

Students read each set silently (plan 4–6 minutes per set, slower readers can skim Set 3 using the bullets above as a guide and still complete the summary). Students may start filling in the Field Notes Summary worksheet as they read rather than only after:

Source Top 3 Facts What the Drone Must Do Because of This
Plant Scientist (Set 1)
Farmer (Set 2)
Engineer (Set 3)

Facilitation Tip

Reading 3 sets of field notes is a lot for 6th-7th graders. Break it up: read Set 1 → discuss as a class for 1 minute → read Set 2 → discuss → read Set 3 → discuss. This jigsaw-style chunking keeps comprehension high.

Activity 3: Constraints List (10 min)

After the summary, students translate the field notes into an Engineering Constraints List: the rules their drone must follow because of what the field notes told them.

Examples of constraints students should identify:

  • Must fly over a 50-acre field (so it needs long flight time and battery range)
  • Must handle Texas wind (5-20 mph, sometimes higher)
  • Must operate in temperatures up to 95°F
  • Must detect tiny pests like flea beetles and spider mites (so it needs a high-resolution camera)
  • Must spot heat or color differences in plants (so it needs multispectral imaging)
  • Must alert the farmer where the pests are (so it needs mapping software or an app)

Students write the constraints in a numbered list on the back of the summary sheet. Tomorrow they will design a drone that meets these constraints.

DOK 3: Why is reading the engineer's field notes (Set 3) different from reading the farmer's notes (Set 2)? What does each professional bring to the project?

Exit Ticket (2 min)

EXIT TICKET (Ranked Justification) · Printable PDF:

Rank these 4 drone constraints (from your Day 2 list) by IMPORTANCE for the Texas tomato farm, 1 = most important, 4 = least.

  • Long battery life (must cover 50 acres): rank ____
  • Handle Texas wind (5-20 mph): rank ____
  • Detect tiny pests (high-resolution or multispectral camera): rank ____
  • Send data to farmer's phone/app: rank ____

For EACH rank, write ONE specific sentence from the field notes (Set 1 / Set 2 / Set 3) that backs it.

  • Rank 1 (most important): _____________

  • Rank 4 (least critical but still needed): _____________

Bottom line: WHICH field-note writer (Plant Scientist / Farmer / Engineer) did I use MOST to decide my rankings, and why? (d(1)(C))

Differentiation

  • Support: Pre-fill the summary worksheet with 1 fact in each row as a model. Highlight the key sentences in the field notes packet for students who need help finding them.
  • Extension: Add a 4th constraint of your own, something the field notes hint at but don't say outright (e.g., "must not damage the tomato plants if it lands accidentally").
  • ELL: Pre-teach: Field Notes = Notas de Campo, Constraint = Limitación, Pest = Plaga, Sensor = Sensor. Provide the field notes packet with key vocabulary highlighted in both languages.