Taxonomic education and botany are increasingly neglected in schools and universities, leading to a "missed generation" of adults that cannot identify organisms, especially plants. This study pilots three methods for teaching identification of native plant species to forty-three adults engaged in the participatory science project…

Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Project Green Reach (PGR) is a children's program that has offered garden-based youth education since 1990. PGR focuses on Grade K-8 students and teachers from local Title I schools who work in teams on garden and science projects. In this exploratory study, the authors used field observations, document analysis, and past…

Historical uses of Arum maculatum (L.) are summarized. Temperature changes during spadix maturation, spathe uncurling in the presence of flower tissue, indol-3-y1 acetic acid, and gibberellic acid are investigated in the laboratory. Dilute solutions of both phytohormones cause significant spathe uncurling. Further investigations are suggested.…

Methods of investigating plant root growth developed for research purposes can be adopted for student use. Investigations of the effect of water table level and of ethylene concentration are described, and techniques of measuring root growth are explained. (Author/ML)

Using many different media, students can turn leaves into images which can be used for study, bulletin boards, collections, and identification. The simple techniques described include pastel printing, smoke prints, ink or tempura printing, bleach printing on t-shirts, ditto machine printing using carbon paper, and making cutouts. (DH)

Describes a project by secondary-level students of constructing a rain forest in a 14-by-14-by-8 meter space in a shopping mall. (PR)

This book for high school students presents 20 different science fair projects that provide an opportunity to learn how plants are affected by natural and man-made influences on their environments. Many experiments in the book were adapted from original International Science and Engineering Fair projects. Each project includes in-depth background…

Describes six different plants which will respond to various artificial stimuli. (SL)

Tips are given for collecting and identifying diatoms for use in secondary school biology classes. Collecting sites described vary from freshwater to terrestrial habitats. (SA)

Presents an account of the making of a wildlife garden. Reviews the problems and outlines the plans and methods that succeeded in the project. Includes 21 illustrations of vegetation as well as descriptions of pond, marsh, meadow, and woodland areas. (ML)

Deals with a fungus that plays an important role in the forests of Asia as a decomposer of recently dead trees and in agriculture as an important edible mushroom. Describes how to culture these mushrooms including materials, conditions, and troubleshooting. Gives ideas for classroom activities. (CW)

The Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--investigated the ideas and interests children have about flowering plants (in particular whether these plants have a life cycle). Data were obtained from: individual interviews with children, ages 7- to 14-year-old (10 students for each age level), using the "interview-about-instances"…

In this unit students examine Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Sanctuary on Lake Erie to study the characteristics and importance of estuaries in general. Activities include the analysis of a pictured plankton sample, a transect study using computer data, a consideration of the ecological roles of various estuarine species, and a discussion of…

This teacher's guide suggests activities that provide a wide range of opportunities for children in grades 1-7 to plan, direct, and carry out experiments with seeds and the growth of plants. Photographs are provided and methods discussed for guiding students in exploring the growth of seeds, the effect of dark on growth, factors causing plants to…

This is a National Trial Print of a unit on plants produced as a part of the Australian Science Education Project. The unit consists of an information booklet for students, a booklet for recording student data, and a teacher's guide. The material, designed for use with students in the upper elementary grades, takes from 15 to 20 forty-minute…