Overview
Following background study and completion of an experimental design
(see Special #2) to understand the costly effects of invasive, exotic
plants, students create computer generated visual materials - Books,
Web Pages, Posters - that inform and educate about this ecological
issue. Students display and describe their investigative results to
peers, younger children, and elders at several forums and special
events. |
For more about Special #3 from
Pay
Attention to our Earth!
e-mail Gabriell
DeBear Paye, author and AT&T Teacher Disseminator. |
Learning
Standards
Make effective presentations.
Use focused, coherent and well organized writing.
Use proper technologies to present information effectively.
Communicate observation results through models, illustrations,
narratives and oral presentations.
Employ arts to communicate beliefs.
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Classroom
Activities
Using field notes, data from experimental designs, and samples of
seeds and cuttings, students draw or photograph invasive as well as
native plant species. They collect information about these species
and organize the images and text into meaningful products. These include
computer generated |
posters, web pages, digital slide shows, and/or books
that describe invasive plants and tell:
Why they are a problem.
What can be done about them.
How to encourage native and rare species.
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Community
Activities
Students share products with:
E-pals through an Internet web page
Kids at learning festivals and science fairs
Local newspaper, senior center, and library
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Careers
Students learn about Biological Illustrators and Photographers who
help people understand the natural world and living things through
accurate and informative images. |
Materials
Invasive Plants edited by John Randall and Janet Marinelli,
1996: Brooklyn Botanical Garden; The Art of Botanical Illustration:
An Illustrated History by Wilfred Blunt, 1994: Dover Publications;
art supplies, seeds and plants specimens |
Technology
Students use scanner, computer, digital camera and photo enhancing
(Adobe Photoshop), web authoring (ClarisHomepage) software to create
a Web Page for their products. |
Assessment
Student products are evaluated on:
1. Quality of photographs and/or drawings.
2. Information accuracy.
3. Textual accuracy.
4. Neatness and attractiveness of product.
5. Presentation skills.
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Web Sites
Students continue to research at: http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/worst.html
and http://www.invasivespecies.gov/
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