Download Student Workbook 3

Plants of the Rogue Valley
An Activity Book for Grades 3-5
Name ____________________________
Welcome! You are about
to embark on a journey
where you will explore the
Plants of the Rogue Valley.
Your adventure begins at
school and continues at
North Mountain Park.
You will learn how to
create a journal page,
like this one.
There is a practice page
that you’ll work on in class
and another page that
you’ll create at the park.
Drawing plants is easy and fun!
Journal page by Irene Brady from
Nature Observation, A Journal Sketching Guide
North Mountain Park Nature Center
620 N Mountain Ave ~ Ashland, OR 541.488.6606
Pre-visit Activity
The Plants On Your Street
All of these Ashland streets are named after plants. Many were named after native
plants that were common when settlers founded the town. Other names reflect
-native plants that were introduced from other places around the world.
Directions: Circle the street names that you think are plants NATIVE to our region.
Use the North Mountain Park plant cards to help you. (Hint: There are eight.)
Alder Ln.
Chestnut St.
Orange Ave.
Almond St
Heather St.
Orchard St.
Apple Wy.
Holly St.
Palm Av.
Black Oak Wy.
Manzanita St.
Pine St.
Blackberry Ln.
Ivy Ln.
Thimbleberry Ln.
Cedar Wy
Lilac Cr.
Walnut St.
Cherry Ln.
Oak St.
Willow St.
Do you know of any other streets in Ashland that are named after a plant?
Extra credit:
With an adult helper, visit
one of the streets listed
above. Try to find the plant
growing somewhere along
the street.
If you find the plant, do a
sketch of the leaf! If you
can’t find it:, why do you
think that might be?
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Pre-Visit Activity
Nature Sketching and Journaling
Sketching and journaling are fun ways to record your experiences in nature.
Directions: Follow your teacher’s instructions to sketch a plant sample and
journal about your plant.
Name:
Date:
Location:
Subject:
Things to Think About:
d
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Don’t forget to zoom in for the detail!
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Where does this plant grow?
How tall does it grow?
What might eat this?
Can you describe other parts:
seeds, flowers, textures, colors?
Pre-Visit Activity
Native American Plants — Matching Game
Native Americans of our region are familiar with these plants and gather them for
a variety of uses. Start by getting out your set of North Mountain Park plant cards
and finding the card for each of these plants.
Willow
Milkweed
Camas
Elderberry
Ponderosa Pine
Oregon Grape
Mugwort
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Choose a plant on the left to match each one of these descriptions.
Use each plant only once. Write the name of the plant in the space provided.
(Remember to use your North Mountain Park plant cards.)
Native people hollowed out this tall, straight
conifer to make canoes.
This plant is a natural form of aspirin, and its
branches can be bent into baskets.
Native cultures used this plant in purification
and protection rituals.
This flowering plant has many uses, and its
hollow stems can be made into flutes.
The berries of this prickly native plant can be
used to make jams or jellies.
These underground bulbs were an important
food source for Native Americans.
This plant, loved by monarch caterpillars,
can be made into chewing gum.
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Pre-visit Activity
Ponderosa Pine Trees - Reproduction
What do you think of when you hear the words “Pine Tree?”
If you are like most people, you probably think of a big tree with dark green needles and
pine cones. But did you know that Ponderosa Pine trees (like all pine trees) actually have
two different kinds of pine cones? The bigger cones, the ones that we are used to seeing
on the ground, are the female cones and they contain the seeds that grow into new pine
trees. But before they can grow, these seeds must be pollinated by a male cone.
Male
Female
The male cone is smaller than the female cone and
grows in a cluster at the end of a branch. Pollen from
these cones can sometimes be seen blowing through
the air during the summer. If this pollen reaches the
female cone, it will take a full year until the seeds are
ripe. When they are ready, the female cones will open
up and the seeds, which are attached to a “wing,” will
be released into the air where they can begin to find
their own place to start growing.
The next time you are in the woods, look for a Ponderosa Pine tree. Try to find a cluster of
the small male cones and a larger female cone with the winged seeds attached inside.
Directions: Across the bottom of these two pages, number the stages of the life cycle so that they
are in order.
#
#
_____
#
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#
_____
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Pre-visit Activity
Ponderosa Pine Trees - Reproduction
Coloring
directions:
Color the young
female cones and the
female cone that just
dropped its seed
BROWN.
Color the cluster of
male cones
RED.
Color the needles
GREEN.
Color the winged seed
YELLOW.
#
#
_____
#
_____
7
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NMP Activity
Plant Communities
White Oak (leaf rubbing)
Black Oak (leaf rubbing)
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NMP Activity
Plant Communities
Circle the things you find in the soil:
Describe this plant community.
rocks
sand
bugs/worms
sticks
Soil Moisture: _____________________
leaves
Humidity: ________________________
Anything else? Write it here:
Temperature: _____________________
____________________________
Oak Savanna Plant Community
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NMP Activity
Plant Communities
Community # 2: Chaparral
Describe this plant community.
Circle the things you find in the soil:
rocks
sand
bugs/worms
sticks
Soil Moisture: _____________________
leaves
Humidity: ________________________
Anything else? Write it here:
Temperature: _____________________
____________________________
Chaparral Plant Community
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NMP Activity
Nature Sketching and Journaling
Subject:
Name:
Date:
Location:
Zoom in to capture details. Remember to ask questions and make notes.
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NMP Activity
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NMP Activity
Ponderosa Pine Tree Monitoring
Adopted by:
_______________________________________________________ class, Fall 2009
Circumference:
___________________________________________________
DBH (C/pi):
___________________________________________________
Estimated height::
Upside down: ________________________________
Stick: ________________________________________
People stacking: ______________________________
Shadow: _____________________________________
Service performed (Tree lovin’):
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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Post-visit Activity
What was special about your field trip?
1st line: a noun, your subject (1 word)
2nd line: 2 adjectives to describe the subject (2 words)
3rd line: an action statement to describe the noun (3 words)
4th line: how the subject makes you feel (4 words)
5th line: a noun, restating the subject in a new way (1 word)
Here are two examples:
Berry
purple, juicy
ripening in sunlight
makes me feel tempted
seed
Garden
lush, beautiful
buzzing with pollinators
makes me feel peaceful
home
Now you try:
___________________________
_____________________
_____________________
_________________ _________________ _________________
__________________ __________________ __________________ __________________
___________________________
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Post-visit Activity
Dream with a Tree — at school or at home!
Visit a tree that you find beautiful or interesting.
Look at it from far away, and very close up. Now lie on the ground or sit with
your back against the trunk, and spend time looking up into the branches. Let
your imagination run free. Then consider the following ideas.
What name would you call your tree? _____________________________________
Can you imagine a story about this tree?
What has your tree seen in its lifetime? Was it ever in danger?
Is your tree friends with any animals, plants, or people?
What would happen in your tree’s story? Write your story on the lines below.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Use another sheet if needed...
Is there something that your tree would like to tell you?
_______________________________________________________________________
Does your tree need anything from you? Weeding, watering, mulching,
friendship, or perhaps something even more interesting?
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Plants I saw on my field trip to NMP
FORBS & GRASSES:
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 Dogbane 
 Duckweed 
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 Yarrow
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Oregano
Rose
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Oregon Grape
Rabbitbrush
Wild Grape
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Douglas Fir
Hawthorn
Incense Cedar
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SHRUBS:
 Buckbrush
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 Elderberry
 Manzanita  
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TREES:
 Black Oak
 Cottonwood
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 Coyote Willow
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Ponderosa Pine
White Oak
My favorite plant was ___________________________________________________
because__________________________________________________________________
How many plants have an animal in their
name? ___________________________
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