Advanced Animal Science

(1) Career and technical education instruction provides content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills for students to further their education and succeed in current or emerging professions.

(2) The Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Career Cluster focuses on the production, processing, marketing, distribution, financing, and development of agricultural commodities and resources, including food, fiber, wood products, natural resources, horticulture, and other plant and animal products/resources.

(3) Advanced Animal Science examines the interrelatedness of human, scientific, and technological dimensions of livestock production. Instruction is designed to allow for the application of scientific and technological aspects of animal science through field and laboratory experiences. To prepare for careers in the field of animal science, students must attain academic skills and knowledge, acquire knowledge and skills related to animal systems, and develop knowledge and skills regarding career opportunities, entry requirements, and industry standards. To prepare for success, students need opportunities to learn, reinforce, apply, and transfer their knowledge and skills in a variety of settings.

(4) Science, as defined by the National Academy of Sciences, is the "use of evidence to construct testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena, as well as the knowledge generated through this process." This vast body of changing and increasing knowledge is described by physical, mathematical, and conceptual models. Students should know that some questions are outside the realm of science because they deal with phenomena that are not scientifically testable.

(5) Scientific inquiry is the planned and deliberate investigation of the natural world. Scientific methods of investigation are experimental, descriptive, or comparative. The method chosen should be appropriate to the question being asked.

(6) Scientific decision making is a way of answering questions about the natural world. Students should be able to distinguish between scientific decision-making methods (scientific methods) and ethical and social decisions that involve science (the application of scientific information).

(7) A system is a collection of cycles, structures, and processes that interact. All systems have basic properties that can be described in space, time, energy, and matter. Change and constancy occur in systems as patterns and can be observed, measured, and modeled. These patterns help to make predictions that can be scientifically tested. Students should analyze a system in terms of its components and how these components relate to each other, to the whole, and to the external environment.

(8) Students are encouraged to participate in extended learning experiences such as career and technical student organizations and other leadership or extracurricular organizations.

Unit 01: Professional Standards/Employability Skills

(5 classes for the entire unit)

Students will begin the course by discussing professional standards and employability skills, including identifying career and entrepreneurship opportunities related to animal systems, applying competencies related to resources, information, interpersonal skills, and systems of operation in animal systems, and identifying employers’ expectations, including appropriate work habits, ethical conduct and legal responsibilities. Students will develop these skills and demonstrate these skills and attributes throughout the course. In small groups and/or in other classroom activities, students will demonstrate employers’ expectations and appropriate work habits, demonstrate characteristics of good citizenship such as stewardship, advocacy and community leadership. Students will use appropriate technology to research career topics.

TEKS in this unit: AS1.A, AS1.B, AS1.C, AS1.D, AS1.E, AS1.F

Unit 02: Field and Laboratory Investigations

(this unit will be incorporated into most other units)

Students will utilize 40% of instructional time to conduct field and laboratory investigations This field and laboratory investigations unit provides an enhancement opportunity for students to develop and demonstrate safe, environmentally appropriate, and ethical practices. Students will also demonstrate conservation of resources and proper disposal or recycling of materials. This is not a stand-alone unit. Classroom activities and allotted course time should be modified/adjusted to allow students sufficient time to master. Students will begin this course by discussing the expectations of this unit and needed documentation. In small groups and/or in other classroom activities, students will summarize field and laboratory investigations to ensure safe, environmentally appropriate, and ethical practices are being used.

TEKS in this unit: AS2.A, AS2.B

Unit 03: Scientific Methods and Equipment

(20 classes for the entire unit)

Students will use appropriate technology and/or assigned materials to learn scientific methods and equipment for laboratory and field investigations. Students will also learn the definition of science and the limitations, that hypotheses and tentative and testable statements, scientific theories are based on natural and physical phenomena and are capable of being tested, distinguish between scientific hypotheses and scientific theories, plan and implement descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations, collect and organize qualitative and quantitative data and make measurements with accuracy and precision, analyze, evaluate, and make inferences, and predict trends from data. As a cumulating activity for this unit, students will prepare valid conclusions supported by the data through methods such as lab reports, labeled drawings, graphic organizers, journals, summaries, oral reports, and technology-based reports.

TEKS in this unit: AS3.A, AS3.B, AS3.C, AS3.D, AS3.E, AS3.F, AS3.G, AS3.H

Unit 04: Academic Skills

(10 classes for the entire unit)

Students will employ critical thinking, scientific reason, and problem solving skills to make informed decision within and outside the classroom. In small groups and/or in other classroom activities, students will analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, communicate and apply scientific information extracted from various sources, draw inferences based on data related to promotional materials for products and services, evaluate the impact of scientific research on society and the environment, and evaluate models according to their limitations in representing biological objects or events. As a culminating activity for this unit, students will research and describe the history of biology and contributions of scientists.

TEKS in this unit: AS4.A, AS4.B, AS4.C, AS4.D, AS4.E, AS4.F

Unit 05: Policies and Issues

(10 classes for the entire unit)

Students will demonstrate an understanding of policies and issues in animal science. In small groups and/or other classroom activities, students will discuss the effects of biotechnology such as cloning, artificial insemination, and freezing of semen and embryos on the production of livestock, analyze the issues surrounding animal welfare and the humane treatment of livestock, apply principles of nutrition to maximize feed efficiency for livestock, and analyze the issues surrounding the impact of livestock production on the environment. As a culminating activity for this unit, students will design, conduct, and complete research to solve a self-identified problem in scientific animal agriculture.

TEKS in this unit: AS13.A, AS13.B, AS13.C, AS13.D, AS13.E

Unit 06: Principles - Human, Scientific, and Technological Dimensions

(15 classes for the entire unit)

Students will use appropriate technology and/or materials to learn and/or review principles related to the human, scientific, and technological dimensions of animal agriculture and the resources necessary for producing domesticated animals. Students will also learn how to evaluate market classes and grades of livestock, identify animal products such as organic and farm-raised and consumption patterns relative to human diet and health issues, and describe the growth and development of livestock as a global commodity.

TEKS in this unit: AS6.A, AS6.B, AS6.C

Unit 07: Principles – Reproduction and Breeding

(15 classes for the entire unit)

Students will use appropriate technology and/or materials to learn and/or review principles related to reproduction and breeding to livestock improvement. Students will also learn how to describe reproductive cycles and relate them to breeding systems, recognize the significance of meiosis to sexual reproduction, and explain the embryo transfer process and how it can impact livestock industries, evaluate animal behavior and its relationship to livestock management.

TEKS in this unit: AS7.A, AS7.B, AS7.C, AS7.D

Unit 08: Principles – Molecular Genetics and Heredity

(20 classes for the entire unit)

Students will use appropriate technology and/or materials to learn and/or review principles related to molecular genetics and heredity. Students will learn how to explain Mendel's laws of inheritance by predicting genotypes and phenotypes of offspring using the Punnett square, predict genotypes and phenotypes of animal offspring using Mendelian or non-Mendelian patterns of inheritance in various forms of livestock and use Punnett Square and assign alleles to justify all predictions, identify the parts of the nucleotide and the difference between the nucleotides found in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) versus ribonucleic acid (RNA), explain the functions of DNA and RNA, describe how heredity is used in the selection of livestock, and explain how traits are passed from parent to offspring.

TEKS in this unit: AS8.A, AS8.B, AS8.C, AS8.D, AS8.E, AS8.F

Unit 09: Anatomy and Physiology

(10 classes for the entire unit)

Students will use appropriate technology and/or assigned materials to examine and compare animal anatomy and physiology in livestock species. In small groups and/or other classroom activities, students will identify and compare the external anatomy of livestock species, compare the anatomy and physiology of the skeletal, muscular, reproductive, digestive, circulatory, genito-urinary, respiratory, nervous, immune, and endocrine systems of animals, describe interactions among various body systems such as circulatory, respiratory, and muscular systems, and identify and describe the functions of epithelial, nervous, connective, and muscular tissue.

TEKS in this unit: AS9.A, AS9.B, AS9.C, AS9.D

Unit 10: Nutritional Requirements of Ruminant and Non-Ruminant

(10 classes for the entire unit)

Students will use appropriate technology and/or assigned materials to determine the nutritional requirement of ruminant and non-ruminant animals. In small groups and/or other classroom activities, students will describe the structures and functions of the digestive system of ruminant animals, including cattle, and non-ruminant animals, including poultry, identify and describe sources of nutrients and classes of feeds and relate them to ruminant and non-ruminant animals, identify and describe vitamins, minerals, and feed additives and how they relate to the nutritional requirements of ruminant and non-ruminant animals, formulate rations based on different nutritional requirements, analyze feeding practices in relation to nutritional requirements of animals, and analyze feed quality issues and determine their effect on animal health.

TEKS in this unit: AS10.A, AS10.B, AS10.C, AS10.D, AS10.E, AS10.F

Unit 11: Animal Diseases and Parasites

(15 classes for the entire unit)

Students will use appropriate technology and/or assigned materials to evaluate disease and parasites. In small groups and/or other classroom activities, students will identify factors that influence the health of animals such as geographic location, age, genetic composition, and inherited diseases for a particular species, identify pathogens and describe the effects that diseases have on various body systems, explain the methods of prevention, control, and treatment for diseases, describe the process of immunity and disease transmission, explain how external and internal parasites are transmitted and the effect they have on the host, explain the methods of prevention, control, and treatment of internal and external parasites, and describe the life cycles of various parasites and relate them to animal health issues. As a culminating activity for this unit, students will conduct parasite diagnostic tests.

TEKS in this unit: AS11.A, AS11.B, AS11.C, AS11.D, AS11.E, AS11.F, AS11.G, AS11.H

Unit 12: Growth of Organisms

(10 classes for the entire unit)

Students will use appropriate technology and/or assigned materials to define how an organism grows and how specialized cells, tissues, and organs develop. In small groups and/or other classroom activities, students will compare cells from different parts of animals, including epithelia, muscles, and bones, to show specialization of structure and function, describe and explain cell differentiation in the development of organisms, and sequence the levels of organization in animals and relate the parts to each other and to the whole.

TEKS in this unit: AS12.A, AS12.B, AS12.C

Unit 13: Livestock Harvesting Operations

(10 classes for the entire unit)

Students will use appropriate technology and/or assigned materials to discuss livestock harvesting operations. In small groups and/or other classroom activities, students will map the stages of animal growth and development and how they relate to market readiness, describe the harvesting process, describe federal and state meat inspection standards such as safety, hygiene, and quality control standards, and identify retail and wholesale cuts of meat and meat by-products and correlate to major muscle groups.

TEKS in this unit: AS14.A, AS14.B, AS14.C, AS14.D

Unit 14: Marketing Livestock

(10 classes for the entire unit)

Students will use appropriate technology and/or assigned materials to explore methods of marketing livestock. In small groups and/or other classroom activities, students will compare various methods of marketing livestock, and describe methods of marketing meat and meat products.

TEKS in this unit: AS15.A, AS15.B

Unit 15: Supervised Agriculture Experience Program

(10 classes for the entire unit)

Students will discuss and develop all components of a supervised agriculture experience. Through a variety of classroom activities, students will utilize appropriate technology to plan, propose, conduct, document and evaluate their supervised agriculture experience program, apply appropriate record-keeping skills, and participate in leadership opportunities. As a culminating activity for this unit, students will produce and participate in a local program of activities using a strategic planning process.

TEKS in this unit: AS5.A, AS5.B, AS5.C, AS5.D

Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS)

TEKS - CTE - Adv Animal Science.pdf

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