Jessica Hanson
July 2010
Riverwatch Boot Camp Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan Title: Plant Identification
Target Learners: This unit is designed to be used in the middle school age group and more specifically in grade 7
life science. The 7th graders in my classroom are a study in diversity, and run from motivated high achievers to
low functioning special educations students. They come into my classroom from a variety of backgrounds and
with that comes a variety of challenges to motivate and engage them. This unit plan is designed to allow
students discover in small groups, participate in large group discussions and games, and to create a final project
in a small group to demonstrate the knowledge gained during the unit.
Minnesota Standards:
7.1.1.2.1 Generate and refine a variety of scientific questions and match them with appropriate methods of
investigation, such as field studies, controlled experiments, reviews of existing works, and development
of models
7.1.1.2.4 Evaluate explanations proposed by others by examining and comparing evidence, identifying faulty
reasoning, and suggesting alternative explanations.
7.4.2.1.1 Identify a variety of populations and communities in an ecosystem and describe the relationships
among the populations and communities in a stable ecosystem.
7.4.2.1.3 Explain how the number of populations an ecosystem can support depends on the biotic resources
available as well as abiotic factors such as amount of light and water, temperature range and soil
composition.
7.4.2.2.2 Describe the roles and relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in changing
energy form one form to another in a food web within an ecosystem.
7.4.2.2.3 Explain that the total amount of matter in an ecosystem remains the same as it is transferred between
organisms and their physical environment, even though its form and location change.
7.4.4.1.2 Describe ways that human activities can change the populations and communities in an ecosystem.
Topic: This unit is created to assist my 7th grade students to better understand parts of the ecosystem in the
Crookston, Minnesota area. The students will learn how to indentify some important plants that are native to
the Crookston area. As a final assessment, the students will create their own dichotomous key to identify 5
unknown prairie plants. Part of this unit is based upon Tracey Brewer and Tara Fisher from Animals and Range
Sciences at Montana State University. The entirety of their activity can be found at
http://www.animalrangeextension.montana.edu/amazgraze/pdf/lesson3.pdf.
Curriculum Links: This unit can be part of several larger curriculum units. In 7th grade, ecosystem study,
populations, and communities play a large role in MN standards. This unit would fit perfectly into any of those
units. Before using this unit plan, the students should already be familiar with dichotomous keys and how to use
them. This unit would lead seamlessly into a unit or lesson about rain gardens or prairie ecosystems.
Objectives:
 Students will be able to make detailed observations of prairie plants and record them clearly in their
science notebooks.
 Students will be able to communicate with group members throughout the unit.
 Students will be able to identify major anatomical parts of a flowering plant and leaf of prairie plants of
the Crookston area.
 Students will be able to use a dichotomous key to identify prairie plants.
 Students will be able to construct a dichotomous key to categorize 5 unknown prairie plants.
Materials:
Day one:
Science notebooks
Crayons/colored pencils
Inquiry Box (string, magnifying glasses, graduated cylinders, rulers, etc)
Copies of Plant Anatomy! Notesheet
Prairie Plant for each table group (can be reused from class period to class period, but be sure to add extras for
those destroyed during class)
Transparency of notesheets ( or whiteboard and drawings of plant parts)
Day Two:
Science notebooks
Pencils/pens
Plants with flowers and leaves (4-5 different plants per table group, can be reused from class period to class
period)
Copies of Leaf and Flower Anatomy! Notesheets
Transparency of the notesheet or picture on whiteboard
Day Three:
Scratch paper for Pictionary
Word cards for Pictionary
Key for prairie plant identification
Day Four and Five:
Final project assessment rubric
Materials for projects (markers, colored pencils, poster paper, rules, etc.)
Time: This unit is planned to take approximately four to five days of instruction time given 50 minutes per class
period. It could take a longer time if the students are struggling with identification or with their key
construction. This unit could be shortened and rearranged to take less time.
Scope and Sequence (based on 50 minute class periods per day):
Day One:
1. Bellringer Activity (This will be a long bellringer activity, and more of an introduction to the unit. I would
budget at least 25 minutes to complete). Students will need their science notebooks, pencils, and crayons or
colored pencils. Pass out a prairie plant (or a plant that is native to your area, and try to include the root if
possible) for each table group of two or three students. Their directions:
A) Only using their paper and pencils, write 20 observations about their plant.
o Discussion: What things did you notice? Allow students to share their observations with
the class.
B) Once every group has had the opportunity to share, tell them to add 10 more observations of their
plant. They can use the items in the inquiry box to help them make more observations of their
plants.
o Discussion: Tell the groups to pick their two favorite observations to share with the rest of
the class and allow the teams time to share.
C) Next, the students should sketch their plants in their science notebooks next to their observations.
The more detailed their drawings the better! The students should use colored pencils or crayons to
add color where appropriate.
D) Finally, the teams should pick out their favorite characteristics of their plants and circle them. Then,
next to the observation they should write about what they would want to know more about. This
could be more observations or questions they would like to know the answer to.
2. Since the students had a chance to look at some plants first, they will be able to participate in the following
discussion more actively than if they hadn’t.
A) Pass out the Plant Anatomy! Worksheet.
B) Direct the students to work in their table groups to fill in the parts of the flowers based on the
definitions given. Allow them 10 minutes or less to work.
C) Read through each vocabulary word and show the students where the correct placement of the
word should be on their diagrams. (This could be done using a transparency and an overhead or on
the white board). Tell students to correct the words they put in the wrong spot because it will help
them out later.
D) The students will need to save these sheets for future use, so they could keep them in their folders
or a safe place in the classroom.
E) Collect plants in good condition to use for the next class period.
Day Two:
1. Bellringer Activity:
A) Draw a picture of a plant on the board and draw arrows to the parts of the plant that you would like
the students to label in their science notebooks. (You could have them draw the whole picture or
just label the arrows)
B) The students should check to see if they remember any of the parts on their own, then after 2-3
minutes, allow them to use the note sheets and drawings from the previous day to finish their
labeling. Allow them another 2-3 minutes to finish.
C) Discuss the pictures and labels to review a bit of yesterday’s notes and vocabulary.
2. Pass out a plant to each table group. (These should be as simple a flower and leaf as possible to begin with.)
3. Pass out the next notesheet called Leaf and Flower Anatomy! To each student.
4. Discussion as follows:
A) Direct the student to read the vocabulary words and descriptions and label their pictures on their
notesheets. (Allow them 10 minutes or less to complete this)
B) Next, read through each vocabulary word and description. Record on a transparency or whiteboard
where each word belongs on the picture. Tell the students to change their answers where needed.
This sheet will serve as a resource for them in the future.
5. Ask the students to compare their flowers and leaves to those on their pictures. Are they same or different?
Ask them to record similarities and differences in a chart in their science notebooks.
6. Discuss their similarities and allow each group to provide a name of a structure on their flowers or leaves. Go
around the room until a group cannot provide a new label. Point out any labels that the students have missed.
Go around and discuss the differences in the flowers from the pictures.
7. Repeat with other flowers and leaves until the end of the hour.
Day Three:
1. Bellringer Activity
A) Students should pick up some scratch paper from the front table as they walk into the room.
B) Break students up into groups of 4, or join table groups together to make about 4 students per
group.
C) Make sure each group has scratch paper and something to write with and that they have all their
class materials packed away. ( You could allow them to use their notesheets to get started if you
think that they may need extra time to review before packing them away)
2. Plant Anatomy Pictionary
A) Each group will need to choose a drawer to start. The drawer will come up to the front and one will
draw a word card from a bucket. Each drawer will go back to their groups and wait until I give the
signal to start drawing. The drawer will have 60 seconds to draw and their groups to guess the plant
vocabulary.
B) The teacher can monitor their progress and give hints if needed to get started on the right track.
C) The student in group who guessed the correct anatomical part will be the next drawer.
D) Allow about 20-25 minutes for all words to be used. It may also be a good idea to allow the groups
to show each other their pictures to see if they are the same. It may also be a good opportunity for
re-teaching if needed before continuing to the next activity.
3. Plant identification
A) Provide each table group with 5 different plants and a dichotomous key for identifying those plants.
I would choose 5 plants that should be fairly easy to identify to avoid frustration at first, you could
add more complicated flowers during the next activity.
B) Choose a plant to start with, and review how to use a dichotomous key and use it to identify the first
plant.
C) Allow the groups the rest of the classtime to identify the rest of the plants. Groups that may finish
early could help those groups that are struggling with the identification.
Day Four:
1. Bellringer Activity: Start with a short game of plant Pictionary from the day before. Review important plant
parts that help with identifying the plants. Play the game for 15 minutes before continuing to the next activity.
2. Plant Identification Key Creation: Categorize 5 unknown prairie plants. Allow students to work on this
project for the day. The details of the assessment activity can be found in the Assessment of the Students
section.
Day Five:
1. Bellringer Activity: Allow students 5 minutes to finalize the keys they created yesterday and hand in their
final projects. Monitor students to make sure that they have had enough time to create a well constructed key,
allow extra time if needed.
Supplemental Materials:
The following notesheets and answer sheets are found at this website:
http://www.animalrangeextension.montana.edu/amazgraze/pdf/lesson3.pdf.
Pictionary Cards (words from the notesheets, there are extra words that describe leaf types, roots, leaf venation,
leaf shapes, leaf arrangement, and leaf margins from the extra information sheets that could be added if you
need extra words)
Axil
Axillary bud
flower
flower stalk
internode
lateral shoot
leaf
node
petiole
root
root cap
stem
taproot
terminal bud
lamina
leaf apex
midrib
vein
anther
filament
ovary
petal
sepal
stigma
style
pistil
carpel
stamen
blade
simple leaf
compound leaf
leaflet
fibrous root
tuberous root
palmately veined
pinnately veined
parallel veined
opposite
alternate
whorled
fasicled
imbricate
entire margin
serrate
lobed
double serrate
incised
cleft
ovate
obovate
peltate
There are several great identification keys to use while teaching your students to identify prairie plants. This
website provides a guide to making a dichotomous key and also a simple one to use for identification. Field
guides for your area can also provide a good key to use to identify plants in your area. Here are links to several
prairie plant identification keys.
How to Construct and Use a Dichotomous Key by Stephen L. Timme from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg,
Kansas (accessed July 19, 2010)
http://www.ableweb.org/volumes/vol-12/7-timme/7-timme.htm
Prairie Plant List as a part of a Prairie Restoration Guide by Mr. Lawrence C. Cwik, Madison Junior High School,
Naperville, Illinois (this website has good pictures of prairie plants)
http://ed.fnal.gov/help/prairie/Prairie_Res/index.html
Resources for Learning and Teaching Plant Identification by Kansas Native Plant Society. This website has a good
amount of information!
http://www.kansasnativeplantsociety.org/documents/PlantIdentificationResources.pdf
North Dakota State University has an extensive list of prairie plants and their pictures at
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/range/eb69-2.htm#INDEX
The following three pages are extra information to help identify plants found at
http://www.animalrangeextension.montana.edu/amazgraze/pdf/lesson3.pdf.
Assessment of the Students:
Science Notebooks: These are a log of the students’ learning during a lesson or unit and are used as a reference
for the students. I would grade these for completion points or for effort only.
Pictionary Game: The game is for reinforcing the names of plant parts only, so I would give participation points
for those students actively participating in the activity.
Identification of plants using a key: I would award points for answers justified with the decisions made to get to
the identification the students found. I want the students to know how and be able to use the key to identify a
plant, but do not want to punish them for arriving at the incorrect answer. Sometimes a process is more
important than the solution!
Key Creation Rubric: The students will create an identification key of their own using 5 unknown plants. (This
could also be done with plants already used during class, but not during the identification activity) . The
students will be required to create a dichotomous key with pictures of the plants at the point of identification. I
would use the following rubric to grade the final products.
Making A Poster : Plant Identification Key
Teacher Name: Mrs. Hanson
Student Name:
CATEGORY
________________________________________
4
3
2
1
Content - Accuracy All plants are
found in their own
species and the
descriptions
leading to the
species name are
correct.
3-4 plants are
found in the
species level and
have correct
descriptions
leading to the
correct species
name.
2 plants are
correctly identified
to the species
level using correct
descriptions.
There are no
plants correctly
identified or there
are errors in all of
the descriptions.
Use of Class Time
Used time well
during each class
period. Usually
focused on getting
the project done
and never
distracted others.
Used some of the
time well during
each class period.
There was some
focus on getting
the project done
but occasionally
distracted others.
Did not use class
time to focus on
the project OR
often distracted
others.
Used time well
during each class
period. Focused on
getting the project
done. Never
distracted others.
Graphics -Clarity
Graphics are all in
focus and the
content easily
viewed and
identified. The
pictures are well
done and easy to
match to the real
plants.
Most graphics are
in focus and the
content easily
viewed and
identified. One of
the pictures is
incomplete or not
accurate.
Most graphics are Graphics are not
in focus and the
easy to identify
content is easily
and are messy.
viewed and
identified more
than 1 of the
pictures is not
accurate.
Attractiveness
The key is
exceptionally
attractive in terms
of design, layout,
and neatness.
The key is
attractive in terms
of design, layout
and neatness.
The key is
acceptably
attractive though
it may be a bit
messy or hard to
follow.
The key is
distractingly messy
or very poorly
designed. It is not
attractive.
Date Created: Jul 20, 2010 06:42 pm (UTC)
Evaluation of the Lesson:
By looking that the students’ science notebooks and observing them during the Pictionary game, I will
be able to determine if the students are able to do all of the objectives. I will be able to better evaluate the
students’ learning if I look at the notebooks during the course of the unit and can add addition time to
accomplish the goals of the unit. I might also consider adding a short quiz to have data to support which
students are able to name the plant parts and do the identification of the plants. The use of the rubric to grade
the final project will allow me to be more objective and to let the students know what they need to include in
the project.