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8.03 Junior Environmental Activities On File TM Tough Growing An Exploration of Weed Adaptations Part 1, INTRODUCTION A weed is a plant that grows where it is not wanted, and without help from people. Weeds are tough. They often grow in places where other plants would not survive, such as sidewalk cracks or hard, dried-out soil. In this activity, you will look for features that help weeds grow, and survive, in their habitats. These features are called adaptations. TIME NEEDED 30 minutes WHAT YOU NEED • drawing materials (colored markers, or crayons) • Observation Record (following pages; photocopy or copy it by hand into your field log) • pencil or pen • field log (Activity 1.01) or notebook • outdoor gloves (optional) • hand lens (optional) • plant press (Activity 1.02, optional) Safety Precautions Please click on the checkmark to view the safety guidelines. Ask an adult for permission before going out to collect plants. Find out if there are poisonous plants in your area that you should avoid, such as poison oak or poison ivy. Make sure you know what they look like, and don’t touch them if you see them. Be sure to take a friend with you on your collecting trip; never go out alone. ©Victoria Chapman & Associates, Inc. 8.03 Junior Environmental Activities On File TM Environmental Precautions Never remove plants or plant parts without permission, and only remove plants if you leave several untouched nearby. Ask adults if there are rare or endangered plants in your area that should not be picked. WHAT YOU DO 1. Look around the school or neighborhood for a study area where there are lots of weed plants. Good places to look are in vacant lots and abandoned or untended gardens. 2. Working with a partner, choose a plant to study. 3. Draw a picture of the plant in your field log. 4. Make notes about your plant by answering as many Data Record questions as you can. If you have a hand lens, you can take a closer look at the plant and its features. 5. Pick a sample weed to take home and save in your Earth Journal or press in a plant press (see Activity 1.02). 6. If you have time, study another plant. Compare your observations of the two plants. How are the plants you have observed different from each other? Similar or the same? MILKWEED DANDELION THISTLE SKUNK CABBAGE OBSERVATIONS & CONCLUSIONS Study your drawings and notes. Conclusions, based on observation: a. What adaptations seem to help your plant survive on its own? b. How does it seem to protect itself? c. Did you observe anything about how the plant might store or get water? Questions I still have: Often, an experiment or activity answers some questions and raises others. What questions do you have about how your plant survives where it does? How could you find answers to these questions? ©Victoria Chapman & Associates, Inc. 8.03 Junior Environmental Activities On File TM Tough Growing Obser vation Record (MAKE ONE COPY FOR EACH WEED YOU STUDY) Date: Time of Day: WEED # Location: WEED # : DESCRIPTION OF ITS HABITAT 1. The plant’s location (where it lives): 2. Other plants nearby: 3. How wind or weather seem to affect its growth: (Describe evidence that supports your answer.) TAPE OR DRAW PLANT LEAF HERE WEED DESCRIPTION 4. How much sun does the plant get? Does this limit where it grows? (Again, describe evidence.) 5. What is the soil like? (Hard? Sandy? Soft? Wet? Dry?) 6. Other observations (use back of page): Further observation hints and suggestions: • Plants can’t run away from predators. Look for ways in which the plant protects itself. For example, does the plant have a way to keep animals from eating it? (Thorns, spines, bad taste, or?) • Are there hairs on the leaves? Fine hairs act as insulation. • What other adaptations (traits or qualities) seem to help your plant survive? HINT: Think “Roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds,” and let those words help you think of plant traits. Example, “Flowers” might make you wonder what time of year it flowers, or what time of day its flowers open. Ask yourself: How do these qualities affect this plant’s success at survival? ©Victoria Chapman & Associates, Inc. 8.03 Junior Environmental Activities On File TM Part 2, INTRODUCTION After you have collected a number of different kinds of weeds, you can first classify them, and then identify them. Scientists use visual clues and verbal descriptions to help identify plants. In this activity, you will classify weeds and then make a key. Then you’ll make a list of each plant’s characteristics and you will have your own identification key. TIME NEEDED 30 minutes WHAT YOU NEED • plants from Part 1 • field guide to weeds (optional) • hand lens (optional) • Earth Journal (Activity 1.01), notebook, or note paper • pen or pencil Safety Precaution Please click on the checkmark to view the safety guidelines. WHAT YOU DO One Stem 1. Return to the weed study area you found when doing Part 1 of this activity. Pick samples of a dozen or more different kinds of weeds to take home or back to class. 2. Find a table or an open space on the floor where you can spread out your butcher paper. Place your weeds on the paper. Then begin to classify your weeds into categories. To classify More T h plants you’ll sort them according to their basic a One St n em structures—stems, leaves, flowers, roots, and seeds. Start with two general categories, such as “one stem” and “more than one stem.” 3. Next create two groups from each of your first two categories—for example, “smoothedged leaves” and “rough-edged leaves.” (Some possible classification categories are on the last page of this activity.) ©Victoria Chapman & Associates, Inc. 8.03 Junior Environmental Activities On File TM 4. Continue to divide the groups until each weed is in its own category. At each step, write down the feature you used to name each group. (For Smoot h example: one stem, smooth leaves, Leave s Rough pointed leaf tip, fine hairs on leaf, Leave Smoot s etc.) Leave h s 5. Use a field guide to find the name of Rough L e a v es each weed. Record the name in your One St em Earth Journal or notebook. 6. Use the weed’s features and its name More T han O to make a key for each plant. (For ne Ste m example: Dandelion—yellow petals, composite flower, single stem, etc.) Record each plant’s key, too. 7. Combine all the weed keys into one key showing each trait (something like the one on the next page). Copy this weed key into your field log for future use. OUR FINDINGS Click on the above link to see what we found. Follow-Up Start a collection of the weeds that you study. Use your portable plant press (Activity 1.02) to preserve the plants. (If you plan to do Part 2 of this activity, do so before you dry your plants.) Place each dried plant on a separate piece of paper and laminate it with clear, self-adhesive plastic. Label the plant parts and write a description of the plant’s habitat and adaptations. You may wish to use a field guide to help in your identification. After the plants have dried, you might display your collection in your own natural history center (Activity 1.06). Words to Know adaptation habitat key composite ©Victoria Chapman & Associates, Inc. 8.03 Junior Environmental Activities On File TM KEY: SOME OF OUR WEED CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES stems hollow (more than 1 foot) tall solid less than 1 foot leaves basic types: simple opposite compound alternate whorled arrangement: with hairs additions: shape: oval entire (smooth) margins ©Victoria Chapman & Associates, Inc. without hairs shovel-like lobed circular toothed: toothed: double serrated serrated SAFETY Junior Environmental Activities On File TM Safe Science Procedures IMPORTANT: It is both fun and educational to learn science by doing science—but experiments and field trips are no fun if you get hurt. Read and follow the safety tips on this page and the next. Then copy these two pages. • Post them in your science activity area. • Keep them in your science journal or log. Smart scientists are safe scientists. Special Safety Note to Experimenters Each experiment includes a short list of special safety precautions that are relevant to that particular project. However, these do not include all of the basic safety precautions that are necessary whenever you are working on a scientific experiment. For this reason, it is absolutely necessary that you read, copy, and remain mindful of the General Safety Precautions that follow this note. Good experimental procedure always includes carefully following basic safety rules. Things can happen very quickly while you are performing an experiment. Things can spill, break, even catch fire. There will be no time after the fact to protect yourself. Always prepare for unexpected dangers by following basic safety guidelines the entire time you are performing the experiment, whether or not something seems dangerous to you at a given moment. We assume you will read the safety precautions that follow, as well as the ones that appear with each activity and that you will remember them and follow the recommendations. You must use good judgment and pay attention when you are doing your experiment. If you have any questions about whether or not a procedure or material is dangerous, wait until you find out for sure that it is safe. ©Victoria Chapman & Associates, Inc. SAFETY Junior Environmental Activities On File TM Safe Science Procedures (continued) BEFORE YOU BEGIN: • Read the entire experiment before you begin. • Clear a workspace. Protect yourself: • Follow the directions, step-by-step. • Make sure you know where there is a first-aid kit and eyewash. • Concentrate on what you are doing; do not roughhouse. • Wear something to protect your clothes, like a smock or apron. • Clean up spills immediately. • Tie back your hair; do not wear loose clothing or open-toed shoes. • Keep your workspace neat and dry. • Do not eat or drink in your workspace. • Do not light matches. • Do not eat or drink any experimental substances without express permission from a responsible adult. • Wear goggles or protective eyewear when working with sand, etc. USE EQUIPMENT WITH CARE • Use caution when working with scissors, knives, or other sharp objects. • Set up your experiments far away from the edge of your work surface as practicable. • Use care when working with glass. • Clean up broken glass immediately. • Be careful when using stepstools, chairs, or ladders. GOING ON FIELD TRIPS • Never go on a field trip by yourself; use the buddy system. • Tell a responsible adult where you are going. • Know where you are going and gather information about any danger, such as poisonous plants, that may be present there. • Dress appropriately for the weather (rain, sun, etc.). • Bring along a first aid kit. • Never eat or drink anything you find in the wild. FINISHING UP • Thoroughly clean your work area and equipment. • Don’t dispose of materials down the sink, unless you are told to do so by a responsible adult. • Wash your hands. ©Victoria Chapman & Associates, Inc. SAFETY Junior Environmental Activities On File TM Animals & Plants to Look Out For SCORPION FIRE ANT AFRICAN BEE BLACK WIDOW BROWN RECLUSE POISON IVY ©Victoria Chapman & Associates, Inc. POISON SUMAC POISON OAK (COPY & PASTE IN YOUR FIELD LOG)