Overview

Activities

Evaluation

Teaching People Plant Collecting

A series of activities from
"Investigating A Desert Study Site"

By Dick Barber

Collecting, preserving and naming plants is a great "hands on" way to introduce students to field biology. By applying the five activities presented here, students will become real scientists. They will use all the steps field-biologists use when making a scientific plant collection.

Activity #1 shows how to make a quick and easy plant identification notebook from a spiral binder and clear tape. This plant identification notebook makes it easy for students to collect reference specimens and learn the names of plants they collect. Plant identification is also easier on the teacher since students can refer to the notebook for plant names.

In Activity #2 students design their own system for identifying 15 common plants. By making drawings and writing descriptions of the plants, students begin to learn basic plant identification vocabulary, observe the differences and similarities among plants and also learn their names.

Activity #3 guides students through the steps of constructing a plant press. They are also instructed how to collect good specimens for pressing and how to make sure specimens dry.

When plants are collected and pressed, it is very important that information about the collection site be included with each plant. Activity #4 discusses all the data that needs to be included with each pressed plant, and provides a collection data form for students to use.

When pressed plants are dry, they are ready to mount as permanent specimens. Activity #5 lists all the steps needed to mount a preserved specimen for permanent storage. Also included in this activity is a reproducible specimen label and a plant collection evaluation form.


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http://biology.arizona.edu/sciconn/lessons2/lessons.html
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