On a Monday morning in July, a fan as tall as a refrigerator churned noisily in the cavernous classroom. As the outdoor temperature crept higher, teenage girls wearing hardhats and safety glasses wiped perspiration and sawdust from their faces. This was not a field trip. This was the second hour of camp at Ranken Technical College in St. Louis,…

The tiny town of Niangua, Missouri, made national headlines in 2008 when a rare cluster of winter tornadoes tore across the state on an unseasonably warm January night. The twisters killed a Niangua woman in her trailer home and destroyed numerous other structures. News photos of the trailer debris were a sobering reminder of the vulnerability of…

One of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in the history of the United States ripped through the southeast Missouri town of Joplin on May 22, 2011. As it traveled along a 13-mile path it claimed 161 lives and caused more than $151 million in damages. Ten schools were damaged or destroyed and Joplin High School was a total loss. Just 48…

Research has shown that certain ways of teaching can make a difference in whether students learn standards-based content. Many strategies have proven to be effective in teaching literacy, mathematics, science and social studies. These strategies have facilitated blending academic and career/technical subjects to make learning more meaningful for…

This guide is intended to support a high school specialization course in materials and processing technology. The document contains three sections: (1) information on using the material; (2) a set of instructor guides for eight instructional units; (3) 15 technological activity modules and teacher and student instructions for their use; and (4)…

This packet contains 25 single-page plans for agricultural mechanics projects. Each plan consists of a one-page set of drawings of the object to be made with a list of needed materials, a cut list, and step-by-step construction procedures on the back of the page. Plans for the following wood projects are included: bluebird house, lawn seat, dog…

This index was developed to help building trades instructors in Missouri use existing instructional materials and keep track of student progress on the VAMS system. The list was compiled by a committee of instructors who selected appropriate references and identified areas that pertained to Missouri competencies. The index lists competencies in…

This document is a curriculum unit in agricultural structures designed to expand the curriculum materials available in vocational agriculture in Missouri. The guide consists of three units on constructing farm buildings, planning farm water systems, and building fences. Each unit contains 10-15 lessons on various aspects of the unit's topic. Each…

This test item bank on welding contains test questions based upon competencies found in the Missouri Welding Competency Profile. Some test items are keyed for multiple competencies. These criterion-referenced test items are designed to work with the Vocational Instructional Management System. Questions have been statistically sampled and validated…

The curriculum outline is designed to aid the instructor in developing a more complete course of study in woods and wood technology for intermediate and secondary school students. The guide is introduced by a discussion of objectives fundamental to a sound program of industrial arts education, followed by an outline and objectives for the content…

This test item bank is intended to help instructors construct criterion-referenced tests for secondary-level courses in building trades. The bank is keyed to the Missouri Building Trades Competency Profile, which was developed by industry and education professionals in Missouri, and is designed to be used in conjunction with the Vocational…

This guide to a curriculum unit in agricultural structures is designed to expand the curriculum materials available in vocational agriculture in Missouri. It and Agricultural Structures I (see note) provide reference materials to systematize the curriculum. The six units cover working with concrete (19 lessons, 2 laboratory exercises), drawing and…