Herbaria, collections of preserved plant specimens, have existed for 500 years as repositories of information about plants. Many of these collections are now being digitized, making them available to a much broader audience including students and teachers. Specimens can be used in a variety of different contexts in teaching biology, including from…

This curriculum kit provides students with accurate and up-to-date information on California's forests, forest issues, and forest products in an entertaining and easy to comprehend format. The material in this unit is organized around six lessons, each addressing a different aspect of forest education. Lessons include: (1) "The Web of…

Describes a high school botany course in which the students must collect plant specimens, prepare herbarium cards and identify the specimens. (LS)

Makes recommendations to help students collaborate with classmates to make decisions, grapple with problems, reflect on ethical dilemmas, and maintain relations with customers or business partners to develop social skills and flourish self-esteem. (KHR)

Schoolyard greening is an excellent way to promote hands-on, interdisciplinary learning about the environment through projects that benefit schools and increase green space and biodiversity in communities. This book features step-by-step instructions for numerous schoolyard projects from tree nurseries to school composting to native plant gardens,…

Seychelles Integrated Science (SIS), a 3-year laboratory-based science program for students (ages 11-15) in upper primary grades 7, 8, and 9, was developed from an extensive evaluation and modification of previous P7-P9 materials. This P8 SIS unit focuses on reproduction in animals and in flowering plants. Particular topics examined include the…

Reviews rationale, purposes, challenges, and relevance of hands-on, plant biology curricula that have been developed in response to the limited use of plants in biology education. Discusses methods to maintain both instructional rigor and student interest in the following topics: cut flowers, container-growing media, fertilizers, hydroponics,…

Inquiry has been used to promote activity-oriented learning that reflects scientific investigation, specifically the observation, experimentation, and reasoning used by scientists. Understanding the roles of content and process in school science helps educators better understand and practice inquiry-based instruction. The relationship between…

Seychelles Integrated Science (SIS), a 3-year laboratory-based science program for students (ages 11-15) in upper primary grades 7, 8, and 9, was developed from an extensive evaluation and modification of previous P7-P9 materials. This P7 SIS unit focuses on: (1) the structure of the two main soil types in Seychelles; (2) the role of roots in…

Describes the four major phases of a science project to create a school-site native plant habitat: (1) planning the habitat area; (2) constructing the habitat; (3) writing the related curriculum; and (4) providing inservice programs to other interested science teachers. (MDH)