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The Science of Plants
Diversity: The Spice of Life
Teacher’s Guide
Grade Level: 6–8
Curriculum Focus: Science
Lesson Duration: 2–3 class periods
Program Description
Diversity: The Spice of Life—Plants are such a common sight that it’s easy to forget the crucial role they
play in our existence. Explore the wondrously diverse species that inhabit our blue planet.
Onscreen Questions
•
What role do plants play in your daily life?
•
What is taxonomy?
•
What are the four major groups of plants and the defining features of each?
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives
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Identify the seven categories of taxonomy
•
Draw a physical description of a specific plant
•
Identify the taxonomy information for a specific plant
Materials
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Diversity: The Spice of Life video
•
White construction paper
•
Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
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Writing paper
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Pencils and erasers
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Encyclopedias, gardening, botany books, and other plant classification resources
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Computer with Internet access (optional)
The Science of Plants
Diversity: The Spice of Life
Teacher’s Guide
2
Procedures
1. After Diversity: The Spice of Life, talk about taxonomy and the four major plant groups. What are
the seven categories used to classify organisms? How do botanists classify plants? Why is it
necessary to be able to classify plants? What are the four major plant groups? How do they
differ?
2. Tell students that they are going to research specific plants and use what they learn to draw a
picture of their plant and identify its taxonomy information. Explain to students that their
drawings should be realistic and include details such as the shape of leaves and the look and
color of the flower.
3. Assign a specific angiosperm, fern or fern ally, gymnosperm, or bryophyte to each student,
making sure all of the four plant groups are represented. Have students research their plant in
encyclopedias, gardening books, and other plant classification resources and draw a picture of
their plant on a piece of construction paper. Remind them to pay careful attention to the shape
and color of the plant’s leaves, flowers, and any other defining details.
4. Once students have completed their drawings, have them identify and write the taxonomy for
their plant on a piece of paper and attach the paper to their drawing. Remind them to identify
all seven categories: kingdom, division, class, order, family, genus, and species descriptor.
Students can use encyclopedias, gardening or botany books, and other plant classification
resources to research their plant’s taxonomy. If the Internet is available the following Web site
may also prove helpful:
http://plants.usda.gov/classification.html
5. When students have finished their assignment, have the class walk around and look at the
different plants researched and discuss them. Are any of these plants similar? How? How many
of the plants are angiosperms? Are there any fern or fern allies? How about bryophytes or
gymnosperms? Are there any plants with similar taxonomic classifications? Why do we need to
classify plants with such detail?
6. Display the finished drawings with their taxonomy charts in the classroom.
Assessment
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson.
•
3 points: Students easily and clearly identified the seven categories of taxonomy; drew
realistic illustrations of a specific plant that included accurate defining characteristics such
as leaf shape and color; and correctly identified the taxonomy information for a specific
plant.
•
2 points: Students identified four of the seven categories of taxonomy; drew somewhat
realistic illustrations of a specific plant that included mostly accurate defining characteristics
such as leaf shape and color; and correctly identified most of the taxonomy information for a
specific plant.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2006. All rights reserved.
The Science of Plants
Diversity: The Spice of Life
Teacher’s Guide
•
3
1 point: Students identified three or fewer of the seven categories of taxonomy; drew an
incomplete or incorrect illustration of a plant that included inaccurate defining
characteristics or no defining characteristics; and correctly identified little to none of the
taxonomy information for a specific plant.
Vocabulary
epithet
Definition: A word in the scientific name of an animal or plant following the name of the genus
and denoting a species, variety, or other division of the genus
Context: This plant is given the epithet acuminata, which means long and drawn-out like a
banana.
genus
Definition: A taxonomic category ranking below a family and above a species and generally
consisting of a group of species exhibiting similar characteristics
Context: To avoid confusion, all scientists identify organisms using Linnaeus’ two-term method,
the genus name and the species descriptor.
species
Definition: A kind, variety, or type; a fundamental category of taxonomic classification, ranking
below a genus and consisting of related organisms capable of interbreeding
Context: The word “plant” represents more than 300,000 different species in the Kingdom
Plantae.
taxonomy
Definition: The classification of organisms in an ordered system that indicates natural
relationships
Context: Botanists use taxonomy to identify plants.
vascular
Definition: Characterized by containing vessels that carry or circulate fluids, such as blood,
water, or sap, through the body of an animal or plant
Context: Unlike ferns and mosses, gymnosperms a vascular system that transports of water all
the way up to the highest leaves.
Academic Standards
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
McREL’s Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K–12 Education
addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2006. All rights reserved.
The Science of Plants
Diversity: The Spice of Life
Teacher’s Guide
4
This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:
•
Geography: Physical Systems—Understands the characteristics of ecosystems on Earth’s
surface
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Geography: Environment and Society—Understands how physical systems affect human
systems
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Science: Nature of Science—Understands the nature of scientific knowledge; Understands
the nature of scientific inquiry; Understands the scientific enterprise
•
Science: Life Sciences—Understands the relationships among organisms and their physical
environment; Understands biological evolution and the diversity of life
•
Agricultural Education: Science in Agriculture—Understands basic principles of life science
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences provides guidelines for teaching science in grades K-12 to
promote scientific literacy. To view the standards, visit this Web site:
http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/html/overview.html#content.
This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:
•
Science as Inquiry: Understanding about scientific inquiry
•
Life Science: Characteristics of organisms; Organisms and environments; Populations and
ecosystems; Behavior of organisms
•
History and Nature of Science: Science as a human endeavor; Nature of scientific knowledge
DVD Content
This program is available in an interactive DVD format. The following information and activities are
specific to the DVD version.
How To Use the DVD
The DVD starting screen has the following options:
Play Video—This plays the video from start to finish. There are no programmed stops, except by
using a remote control. With a computer, depending on the particular software player, a pause
button is included with the other video controls.
Video Index—Here the video is divided into parts, indicated by video thumbnail icons. Watching
all parts in sequence is similar to watching the video from start to finish. Brief descriptions and total
running times are noted for each part. To play a particular segment, press Enter on the remote for
TV playback; on a computer, click once to highlight a thumbnail and read the accompanying text
description and click again to start the video.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2006. All rights reserved.
The Science of Plants
Diversity: The Spice of Life
Teacher’s Guide
5
Standards Link—Selecting this option displays a single screen that lists the national academic
standards the video addresses.
Teacher Resources—This screen gives the technical support number and Web site address.
Video Index
I. Producers and Consumers (2 min.)
Discuss the role of plants as producers and examine how plants affect your daily life.
Pre-viewing question
Q: What plant-related products do you use at school?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question:
Q: What parts of Kelsey’s daily activities would be impossible without plant products?
A: Answers will vary.
II. Plant Taxonomy (1 min.)
Examine plant taxonomy and see how it helps us organize the vast number of plants in our world.
Pre-viewing question
Q: What plants grow in your neighborhood?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What taxonomy categories are used to identify organisms?
A: There are seven different categories used to identify organisms: kingdom, division, class,
order, family, genus, and species descriptor.
III. Classifying Plants Into Four Major Groups (9 min.)
Take a closer looks at the characteristics and properties of four major plant groups: bryophytes,
ferns and fern allies, gymnosperms, and angiosperms.
Pre-viewing question
Q: What are some plants that have seeds?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: How do mosses differ from most other plants?
A: Mosses lack a vascular system so they cannot get water to tissues that are very far from the
ground. And unlike plants that have true roots, mosses have root-like structures called rhizoids
that help anchor them to the ground. Rhizoids are only one cell thick. When mosses reproduce
they produce a stem-like stalk called a seta. At the end of the seta is a capsule that contains the
spores for reproduction. Mosses require a thin layer of water to reproduce.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2006. All rights reserved.
The Science of Plants
Diversity: The Spice of Life
Teacher’s Guide
6
IV. Flowering Plants (2 min.)
Learn more about angiosperms and their flowers, and see how to tell the difference between
monocots and dicots.
Pre-viewing question
Q: How do flowering plants reproduce?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What is the difference between monocots and dicots?
A: Monocots have one cotyledon, or seed leaf, and dicots have two cotyledons. Additionally,
you can tell the difference between a monocot and a dicot by looking at their petals. A monocot
will have flowers with petals in multiples of three. A dicot will have flower petals in multiples
of five. And when you look at the leaves, a monocot will have veins running parallel down the
leaf surface, but a dicot has veins that branch.
V. Unique Plants of the World (5 min.)
Identify some interesting and unusual plant species, including an unlikely candidate for the state
vegetable of Vermont and the world’s oldest living trees.
Pre-viewing question
Q: Describe the most unusual plant you have seen.
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What makes the ostrich fern different from other ferns?
A: While all ferns have fiddleheads—the tightly coiled new leaves of the fern—the fiddleheads
of the ostrich fern are considered very gourmet. They are used in a variety of recipes and are the
state vegetable of Vermont.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2006. All rights reserved.