Tennessee is lucky to be one of the few states that welcome 4-H clubs within the school day. This partnership works because 4-H Extension Agents across the state work hard to develop meaningful, exciting, standard-aligned lessons for in-school clubs. Davidson County 4-H Clubs are offered during the school day to students at no cost.
In-school 4-H clubs meet for 45-60 minutes, once a month, typically as a recurring day of the month set in advance (ie. 2nd Thursday of the month). Clubs typically run for 7-8 meetings, from September through April. Ideally, we would schedule in-school clubs where the 4-H Agent would be able to work with multiple clubs (classes) in a row. A teacher or volunteer leader is needed during the club meetings to assist the 4-H Agent with class management.
While the content and lessons delivered are continually changing, Davidson County 4-H clubs all have several aspects in common. All clubs engage in service learning in order to build the youths’ capacities for compassion and leadership. Community or school-service can be in the form of a year-long project, or several smaller ones throughout the year.
Davidson County 4-H clubs participate in several county, regional, and state 4-H competitions each year. 4-H programming is guided by an experiential learning process that includes goal setting, cognition, practice, and performance. The performance stage is when members demonstrate what they have learned through various 4-H activities and events, including competitions. School-based 4-H clubs compete in the Poster Art, Public Speaking, and Interactive Exhibit projects. Opportunities for other competitions, as well as local judging teams, project groups, and camps, will be shared with youth throughout the year.
Since we have a small 4-H team, our availability to lead clubs fills up quickly. Teachers and administrators are encouraged to contact us early regarding your interest in working together to make 4-H a reality at your school.
See below for specifics of each grade level.
4-H’ers in Explorer clubs are just beginning to “explore” this great new club they can join. They have a fun project book and learn all sorts of new things. They don’t choose a particular project area, though — that comes in 5th grade. So how can they learn through service? Easy! They can still follow the service learning cycle: plan, serve, reflect, and celebrate. As they learn about being 4-H’ers, they can also learn about becoming good citizens, and part of being a good citizen is helping people in the community.
Throughout the 7-8 club meetings, varieties of Tennessee state standards are addressed. Below is an overview of each monthly 4-H club meeting, and the standards they align with.
September
Introduction to 4-H
Enrollment Forms
Club Officer roles
Social Studies 4.59, 4.65
October
Intro to Public Speaking
Club Officer Election + Inauguration
ELA Standards practice
November
Public Speaking competition
Spaghetti & Marshmallow Towers
4-H Club Awards Ceremony
Intro to Science/FCS Project Groups
ELA Standards practice
Engineering 4.ETS1-2
December
Intro to Poster Contest
Community Service Project
ELA Standards practice
January
Poster Contest competition
Summer Camp opportunities/video
ELA Standards practice
February
Intro to Demonstration Project
Hands on Nutrition/Fraction lesson
ELA Standards practice
Math 4.NF.A.1-3
March
Demonstration Project competition
Hands on Photosynthesis lesson
ELA Standards practice
Science 4.LS2, 1
April
4-H Club Awards Ceremony
Intro to Science/FCS Project Groups
There are two content options available for middle school 4-H clubs in Davidson County. All of our 4-H Club lessons align with the Tennessee State Standards. Ask for the full description for the content option that you select. While the topics vary, both options adhere to the core tenets of 4-H positive youth development:
STEM
Explore electronics, junk drawer engineering, robotics, and nature studies in this exciting option! Youth will come away from this club with stronger critical thinking skills and a better sense of the nature of scientific inquiry.
Healthy Living
Learn what it means to make the best better by exploring how to live a healthy life! Topics will include nutrition, exercise, relationships, self-esteem, anti-bullying, and lessons related to physical and mental health.
Lesson topics within these options are not exhaustive. We can work with you to design programming that best fits the needs of your kids.