AIM/ GOALS
This project aimed to expand Indilea’s interest in entrepreneurship, animal husbandry and veterinary care. We also aimed for it to lead to increased math skills, writing skills and oral presentations through her sales and business goals.
BACKGROUND
Indilea has always had an intense interest in animals and is thinking she would like to go to University to become a veterinarian. In the area where we lived in the United States, there was not an animal husbandry program for her. She decided to partner with a rabbitry in Southern Oregon and to learn from that breeder all about rabbit care, rabbit anatomy, basic veterinary skills, and creating an animal-based business.
Indilea soon recognized that she needed to sell the baby rabbits and that she couldn’t just keep them. She needed to create a viable sales business. She focused on selling a rare type of rabbit, the English Lop. She became one of only two breeders in the state.
She focused on writing Facebook ads, connecting to 4H groups, and connecting to preschools that might want animals in their classrooms.
METHOD
We helped Indilea learn about cost ratios, loans, managing expenses and looking at gross profit. She had to decide who she could sell to and how she could reach out to them.
- She made signs.
- She set up a Facebook page.
- She signed up to work a booth at our local Saturday Market.
- She made presentations about rabbits at grade schools.
- She handled customers and meeting with the public
This project incorporated using math for running her business and calculating the ongoing expenses of food, upkeep and maintenance of the rabbits. She had to calculate how many bunnies to sell to cover costs or make a profit. She had to accept payment and make change. She had to pay bills to her suppliers.
This Topic Plan led Indilea to many learning experiences and resources including:
- introducing her to new investigative methods
- conducting further study on Animal husbandry, veterinary care, maintenence, account management, money handling, paying bills, taking in money, creating ad pages, going to fairs and schools.
- going to the library for reading materials
- visiting a vet clinic and the rabbitry in Southern Oregon
- getting mentored and being guided on how to give medication
- raising the kits
- identifying correct anatomy and care for animals
- searching for appropriate online sources of information on animal care, animal husbandry and business.
- planning a booth at market
- reviewing IXL to learn math components, percentages, fractions and currency.
We talked with Indilea about different ways to organise this information so that she could make sense of it.
EVALUATION
We evaluated Indilea’s use of her Topic Plan by assessing the degree to which she made measurable growth in every part of her curriculum.
Reading Literacy:
- comprehending of material read
Writing and Oral Literacy:
- writing and presentation skills
- communicating with mentors and customers and teachers
Listening Literacy:
- listening attentively to mentors and veterinarians
Math:
- calculating cost of materials purchased, money taken in and change made, managing ad costs, labor and booth prices.
Science:
- understanding animal husbandry and life science
Animal anatomy
- hypothesising about breeding, health of the animal, feed and care to create ideal conditions.
- testing hypotheses by speaking to mentors and vets, and changing breeding, feeding and housing techniques to find better outcome
- Learning about regional rabbits, history of English Lop Breed, history of rabbits and humans and domestication.
Technology:
- using online technology to find information
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