Download and use these teaching materials and classroom activities designed for each grade level to effectively implement Project BudBurst in the K-12 classroom setting. General descriptions of selected classroom activities are provided below.
Classroom Activities |
Grades K-4 |
Grades 5-8 |
Grades 9-12 |
|
Implementation Guide |
Implementation Guide |
Implementation Guide |
Plant Parts/Physiology |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
Why We Care About Plants |
Coming Soon |
Coming Soon |
Coming Soon |
Ecosystems and Biomes |
Coming Soon |
Coming Soon |
Coming Soon |
Plants and Climate |
Coming Soon |
Coming Soon |
Coming Soon |
Plant Observation |
|||
Nature Journals |
Coming Soon |
Coming Soon |
Coming Soon |
Data Analysis |
Coming Soon |
Coming Soon |
Coming Soon |
General descriptions of selected classroom activities are provided below:
 Plant Parts/Physiology (K-4) Anticipated release - September 2009
Learn all about the parts of a plant – roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds. Each of these parts performs important jobs for the plant, and these classroom activities will give students the chance to experiment with plant parts and learn all about their functions.
|
 Plant Parts/Physiology (5-8) Anticipated release - September 2009 Cold Consequences – Plants encounter different extremes in the environment, including freezing temperatures. This activity, students will learn about how plants have adapted to survive the cold. Plant Part Adaptation Charades – Lights, camera, action! Use this charades game as a review after your students have learned about the parts of a plant and how plants adapt to their surroundings. |
 Plant Parts/Physiology (9-12) Anticipated release - September 2009 Investigating Invasives – Invasive plants can crowd out native species, reducing biodiversity and disrupting how an ecosystem functions. Students will learn all about invasives and why they are harmful; they will also investigate some species that have become established in their local community. |
 Plant Observation (K-4) Anticipated release - September 2009 Colors in Nature – Students will create colorful bead bracelets to wear outside while searching for matching colors in the plants they see. They’ll be surprised at the variety of colors nature provides! Leafy Combo – Not all leaves are alike! Students will create a wheel to help them look for leaves with different shapes, colors, textures and edges. |
 Plant Observation (5-8) Anticipated release - September 2009 Mystery Plant Identification – In this activity, students will get creative and create field guides for plants they are observing for the first time. After making their field guides, they will look at published field guides to learn all about the plant they have observed. Botanical Scavenger Hunt – Send students on a scavenger hunt to seek out various botanical features of plants. Students will document their findings with a digital camera and present what they found to the rest of the class. Happy hunting! |
 Plant Observation (9-12) Anticipated release - September 2009 Using a Key to Classify Plants – Students will learn all about classification and dichotomous keys, first by making a key for their classmates, and then by making one for nearby plants. Botanical Scavenger Hunt – Send students on a scavenger hunt to seek out various botanical features of plants. Students will document their findings with a digital camera and present what they found to the rest of the class. Happy hunting! |
Photographs courtesy of Denver Botanic Gardens.
Other resources on phenology and climate change:
- (ECOS) K-12 Ecological Inquiries from the University of Montana's Ecologist, Educators and Schools (ECOS) Program.
- Climate Discovery Teacher' Guide - This teacher's guide was produced by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) as a companion to the Climate Discovery exhibit at our Boulder, Colorado laboratory. Each unit contains lessons appropriate for grades 5-9 on a variety of Earth system science topics that facilitate student learning about our planet's climate system.
- Blooming Thermometers* - A Climate Discovery activity from the NCAR's Climate Discovery Teacher's Guide.
- Climate and Global Change resources from Windows to the Universe.
- UCSB Phenology Stewardship Program Official Handbook - A guide for the Phenology Stewardship Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, a growing network of professional & citizen scientists, outdoor enthusiasts, and educators & students who are dedicated to observing seasonal biological events.
*All downloadable materials require the free Adobe Reader.
