Creating A Plant Identification Notebook

OBJECTIVE:
We will learn to recognize and name plants growing in our area each season by making a Plant Identification Notebook to be used for recording findings throughout the year.

This notebook will be an essential tool in helping identify plants and will

The notebook is simply a spiral notebook with a roll of tape attached to it with a string. On each trip out into the field you can introduce record several new plants by taping a small piece of the plant in the identification notebook.

The plant's name should be written next to it, as well as the date, a brief description of the plant and details of the collection site.

A rough sketch is given below:

IMPORTANT NOTE: During your first field trips in the Fall there are several important points to keep in mind:

This is THE TIME to set standards of acceptable field research behavior.

A Constructivist discussion based on the rules developed in Activity Discussion Review unit located at: http://www.rain.org/campinternet/homeschool/plant.activity.html - will be a good idea before going outside.

This will help students "buy into" some rules. Suggestions should include the following:

Stay together. Do not wonder off.
Respect all living things (lizards, snakes, plants, etc., are not to be hurt).
Plants are not to be unnecessarily damaged when specimens are taken.
Do not throw rocks.
No clowning around.
No pushing, shoving, etc.
Wear the proper clothing for being outside.
Be helpful to everyone.