The Tree-mendous Benefits of Trees - Teacher Guide

16 Oct 2020

Trees are a critical component of our ecosystem: They can produce the food we eat, oxygen that we breathe, shade from the sun, and so much more. Trees are an important and recognizable part of landscapes and forests, but most people don't think about the importance of trees and their value to the...

The Tree-mendous Benefits of Trees - Mentor Guide

16 Oct 2020

Trees are a critical component of our ecosystem: They can produce the food we eat, oxygen that we breathe, shade from the sun, and so much more. Trees are an important and recognizable part of landscapes and forests, but most people don't think about the importance of trees and their value to the...

Agronomy Feeds the World - Mentor's Guide

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 agronomy-related investigations. After initial inquiries – such as watching purple Kool-Aid run through 3+ types of soil, evaluating water-holding capacity of...

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...

Agronomy Feeds the World - Experimental Design for Guided Inquiry

27 Dec 2016

This guide will help teachers walk their students through the guided inquiry that is part of the Agronomy Feeds the World module.

Agronomy Feeds the World - Soil Nutrition and Fertility Resources

27 Dec 2016

Goals, purposes and objectives centered around a core concept (big idea):The goal of this project is to allow students to understand the roles of soil nutrients and how they affect plant growth and plant nutritional status.Objectives:Understand the roles of macronutrients...

Agronomy Feeds the World - Field to Table Discussion Items

27 Dec 2016

Goals, purposes and objectives centered around a core concept (big idea):Where exactly does my food come from: Field to table?Objectives:Understand the connection between our food and farmsDetermine the infrastructure necessary to transport foodUnderstand the costs...

Agronomy Feeds the World - Plant Stresses

27 Dec 2016

OverviewThis investigation introduces students to sources/types of plant stress and how plants deal/combat with stress.Also include emphasis on how plant stresses reduce yield quantity/quality; how does this affect the food supply?Talk about how growers help plants...

Agronomy Feeds the World - Plant Measurements

27 Dec 2016

This is a brief resource to assist students in deciding how best to measure plants and record data in their experiments. 

Agronomy Feeds the World - Geography and Water

27 Dec 2016

Goal: To understand how geography and water quantity and quality impact food and fiber production.Objectives:To understand what an ecoregion is and how crops are impacted by weather, climate, and geography among various ecoregions.To understand how water stress impacts crop production.To conduct...

Agronomy Feeds the World - Teacher's Guide

27 Dec 2016

Premise: One in nine people in the world are hungry, and as the population expands to 9 billion by 2050, food production must rapidly rise to the challenge to reduce hunger. Although food is a basic need for mankind, fewer citizens today are aware of the process of food production and its...

PlantingScience College Consent Form

19 May 2016

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

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

**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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

Plant Care

09 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

Plant Care You cannot conduct experiments with plants if you cannot first keep plants alive. Review this article to learn essential tips on how to grow plants under "normal" conditions. Once basic plant growth principles are understood, then treatments can be applied. Thinking Like a...

Using Math in Plant Science Studies

09 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

Using MathThis file provides the essential background necessary when starting a project in the plant sciences. Basic information includes data collection - what will be measured? How often will it be measured? This file contains information on simple data analysis, basic statistics,...

PlantingScience Plant Investigations Toolkit

09 May 2016 | Teacher Resources

    Download these supplemental materials to assist students in developing and assessing their research projects.Topics covered include:Using MathPlant CareInvestigating SafelyLab ResearchField ResearchImaging Technology