Mentor Tip Sheet - Pollen and Pollination

30 Aug 2018

The purpose of this tip sheet is to help you as a scientist mentor anticipate and respond to students as they post online about their pollen and pollinator investigations.

Class Overview Template

03 Jan 2017

Please use this template to provide information to potential mentors for your classroom. Answer the prompts in this template, then copy and paste the whole text into the group overview. This will help mentors you invite to your group (i.e., invite to mentor one of your project...

Student Roster Template

03 Jan 2017

This is the template for teachers to complete and upload to the website - in the "Students" tab, in the "Projects" tab, in the classroom group.Please be aware:Only input students' first names, passwords and team assignments (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.).All passwords can be...

Primary literature!! Blackawton Bees Paper

12 Jul 2016 | Teacher Resources

Hi all! Attached is the link to the peer reviewed literature article that I discussed briefly this morning! I'm also including a link to a TED talk by the scientist who spearheaded the project to give you some context. It makes science way less scary for a lot of kids. Enjoy! :)  

Foundation of Genetics - Mentor Tip Sheet

16 Jun 2016 | Mentor Resources

The purpose of this tip sheet is to help you as a scientist mentor anticipate and respond to students as they post online about their investigations on a Brassica rapa population.

Foundation of Genetics - Glossary and Appendices

16 Jun 2016 | Teacher Resources

Foundation of Genetics - Plants, Genetics, Environment

16 Jun 2016 | Teacher Resources

This section is dedicated to carrying out data collection, analysis, and sense-making throughout the lifecycle of Brassica rapa. As a reminder, the parent lines, the F1 generation, and the F2 generation (whichstudents are growing) are shown below in diagram with their respective phenotypes...

Foundation of Genetics - Growing System Logistics

16 Jun 2016 | Teacher Resources

The EnvironmentHere we focus on setting up your growing system, including light, and soil / nutrition, and water system.This is also a perfect opportunity to explore with your students the environmental needs of plants.Plants need light, air, water, appropriate temperature, and nutrition...

Foundation of Genetics - Table of Contents

16 Jun 2016 | Teacher Resources

See what is covered in this module through the Table of Contents.

Foundation of Genetics - Overview and Planning

16 Jun 2016 | Teacher Resources

Abstract: Designed as a whole‐class experiment, students work in teams to grow a selected strain of Brassica rapa plants from seed to seed, and monitor plant traits as they develop over the course of a life cycle. Observations and measurements are made, pooled with data from other...

Pollen Module - Table of Contents

16 Jun 2016 | Teacher Resources

Please review the topics covered in this module via the Table of Contents.

Pollen Module Overview

16 Jun 2016 | Teacher Resources

Abstract: This module provides great flexibility. You can choose some or all of the activities. Each section is posted in separate pdf files on the PlantingScience website, on the Plant Themes / Pollen page. Activity Set A is a basic orientation to plant anatomy in relation to where pollen is...

Activity Set C: Field Study of Flowers and Pollinators

24 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

Summary: In outdoor field settings, students investigate animal pollinators, most likely insects and hummingbirds. Student inquiry questions will be explored by collecting data on pollinator visits to flowers. Students count the number of pollinator visits to flowers during timed observation...

Activity Set B: Exploring Pollen in the Atmosphere

24 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

Summary: Students explore wind-pollination through investigating pollen in the atmosphere. They construct simple pollen traps and set them outdoors. Using a staining technique to distinguish pollen from other material on microscope slides, students conduct pollen counts from the collected...

Activity Set A: Background for Inquiries Investigating Pollen in Plant Reproduction

24 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

Summary: Students gain background knowledge for inquiry investigations through dissecting flowers and/or cones and observing pollen grains through compound microscopes. In addition, students conduct either a guided or open inquiry investigation by growing pollen tubes. Through these activities,...

PlantingScience College Consent Form

19 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

This form needs to be completed for each college-age participant in a PlantingScience module. Signing this form grants PlantingScience the ability to use images and videos from student projects.

PlantingScience K-12 Consent Form

19 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

This form needs to be completed for each student participating in the PlantingScience online community.****Parental consent MUST be obtained for students 13 years of age and under.**Parental consent is NOT necessary for students over 13 years of age, and the students will need to...

Letter for School Authority to Sign

19 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

**For schools in the United States ONLY**Containing information on the PlantingScience online community, this letter is to be sent to main authority for your school or school district. In this letter we describe how secondary school teachers, students, and plant scientists work together in...

Teacher Handbook

09 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

Use this handbook to learn about PlantingScience and how to use it most effectively. Further, a review of this FREE resource from the National Academy of Sciences - Decoding Science - is a fantastic review of what science IS and what it means to DO science.

Storyboard

09 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

Storyboarding consolidates evidence so students can consider how their data fits into their models. By sharing their stories and allowing others to question their conclusions, students learn to reconcile evidence as scientists do. This is sometimes referred to as scientific thinking.

Using Microscopes

09 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

Using MicroscopesOne of the ways that technology has boosted science is by helping researchers observe objects that are normally too small or too far away to see. You won’t be using telescopes or binoculars to study plants, but microscopes can help you explore the cellular world. You...

Imaging Technology

09 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

Imaging TechnologyIt is easy to know what to write in your lab notebook when making quantitative measurements. For instance, you simply record the reading from a balance when measuring plant mass. Still, science also involves collecting qualitative data. What is the best way to describe data...

Field Research

09 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

Field ResearchSome science is best carried out in nature. Studies where you need to identify all the different plant species in a habitat, count the number of pollinators that come and go from a certain kind of plant, or track changes in the color of autumn leaves might require outdoor...

Lab Research

09 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

Lab ResearchStep out of the science hallway into a room with beakers on the benches, machines that go whiz-bang, and safety shower in the corner. You will immediately recognize that you are in a lab! A science lab is more than a place with ritualized protocols and specialized – often...

Investigating Safely

09 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

Investigating SafelyLab Safety is Everyone’s Job!Before you begin any experiment, you and your team should consider safety issues. Always identify the specific materials, chemicals, equipment, and plants you will be using before you start. It is your responsibility to then use...