High school biology students are provided few classroom opportunities to learn natural history or to see themselves as scientists. This poses a risk to their gaining the basic knowledge needed to play a positive role in the biodiversity crisis. However, science-as-practice in the classroom introduces the opportunity to equip students with knowledge of the natural world while they cultivate the practices and mindsets of science. Collaborations between teachers and local researchers can support students in becoming the scientifically literate citizens society will need to address threats to our environment and biodiversity. In this article, we present a semester-long science-as-practice plant biodiversity unit we have developed as collaborating scientists and educators. The unit entails three components: (1) a strong, even-handed collaboration between teachers and researchers; (2) an open-ended, science-as-practice approach; and (3) a local biotic community, which serves as an empirical study system. The project melds student-guided research with targeted instruction and research mentorship. Through their work, students see themselves as scientists.