Snook Site Visit Lindsay Woodcock

SNOOK SECONDARY SCHOOL

VISITED FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2016

LINDSAY WOODCOCK

Snook Site Visit Lindsay Woodcock

On Friday April 22, I visited Snook ISD to observe the classrooms of Mrs. Conn and Mr.
Steenken. Snook ISD is a small school district with a population of 2,934 and a median age of
41.2. (Proximity) There are 517 students with 155 of them (30%) enrolled in vocational
programs. (Har) It was interesting to see such a small program compared to the larger ones that I
am familiar with.
I was able to witness Agricultural Power Systems, Wildlife and Fisheries and Ecology
Management, Advanced Fabrication, and Agricultural Facilities Design and Fabrication with Mr.
Steenken. I was also able to witness Advanced Animal Science in Mrs. Conns room.
In Agricultural Power Systems the students were to watch a video concerning electrical
safety and fill in a worksheet about the video. Throughout the video the it was paused and the
students were asked questions and asked to explain some concepts. A few students had problems
in concentrating on the video and so they were asked more questions, to prompt them to pay
more attention.
In Wildlife and Fisheries and Ecology the students were shown a video explaining how to
construct a trot line, and were told that in a following class they would be able to make their
own. Before, after, and during the video, different components of the trot line were explained
based on their importance, effectiveness, and use. They were asked to look up laws, rules, and
regulations concerning trot lines up in their Texas Parks and Wildlife 2015-2016 law books.
In Advanced Fabrication each student had a project that they were working on. Each
student was in a different stage in their production. Some students were still developing their
plan to begin their project, one student was modifying drawings of a stock trailer as to have a
unique build, and a few students were working on fabricating their builds.

Snook Site Visit Lindsay Woodcock

In Agricultural Facilities Design and Fabrication, one of the students had brought in a
boat trailer on which the tongue had been broken off. Mr. Steenken had the students develop a
plan, split into pairs, and begin repairing the trailer.
I sat in on Mrs. Conns Advanced Animal Science class, but they were not doing much.
Mrs. Conn had a few of the students making invitations for the FFA Banquet. She had assigned
vocabulary work and the students were done with that work.
Many students raised livestock and worked for agricultural businesses. There was
obvious parent involvement, as one dad brought a trailer, that he had planned to get rid of, to use
as a project for Agricultural Facilities and Fabrication.
It was clear that many students were involved in the chapter and large community
involvement. Mrs. Conn spent much time inviting members of the community who either had
children in the chapter or had donated either money or other resources through the year. One of
the challenges I did see Mrs. Conn and Mr. Steenken struggling with was trying to decide where
tasks should be delegated to their chapter officers and when things should be done by the advisor.
It was clear, however that they had great cooperation from their chapter.
I was unsure about how the visit would go because once I got there I was informed that,
because many students were out of class that day for a UIL competition and a track meet, a large
portion of the day would be spent watching videos. I had always associated watching videos with
hitting play, turning off the lights, and the teacher sitting in the back of the room. This was
different, however. I enjoy the way instruction was delivered along with the videos, and learned
that videos can actually be used as a educational tool in the classroom. The lights were kept on,
students were prompted to pay attention, supplemental instruction was paired with the video,
questions were asked, explanations were given, and there was a clear connection between the

Snook Site Visit Lindsay Woodcock

video and the material currently being covered in each class. I took a lot away from this visit and
now have a new understanding of how to properly use videos in the classroom.

Snook Site Visit Lindsay Woodcock

References
Har. (n.d.).
Proximity Online. (n.d.).
Snook ISD. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2016, from http://www.arkitex.com/mobile/Education/
snookisd.html