ThePlantTeacher

Sit Spot is the best project I do with my students all year. The deep nature connection it fosters is the most valuable thing I can give them. It is always their favorite part of my class. *** There is a growing understanding that spending time in nature-even if it's just sitting under a tree-has all sorts of wonderful benefits. This curriculum makes it easy for teachers to give this gift to their students. I found that having them d

Increase the biodiversity of your schoolyard as a part of an NGSS-aligned COMPLETE ECOSYSTEM UNIT with everything you need to teach for 6 -8 weeks.THE BEST WAY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS UNIT IS ABOUT IS TO WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE!Your middle school science students will take on the role of restoration ecologists to answer a driving question: How can we increase the biodiversity of our schoolyard? Through hands-on lessons, they will figure out that planting a variety of native plants restores a comp

What kind of unit is Seed to Tree?Seed to Tree is an NGSS-Aligned and phenomenon-based unit in which students discover photosynthesis while engaging in practices of science and touching on the crosscutting concepts of Energy & Matter and Structure & Function. Students take on the role of botanists as they seek to answer the driving question: how does a tiny seed grow into a big, beautiful tree? Groups choose and adopt a tree in their schoolyard that grounds their learning throughout the uni

Seed to Sunflower is a unique science unit. I designed this unit because I couldn’t find any photosynthesis curricula that set students up to experience a sense of wonder about plants: photosynthesis is mind-blowing. I wanted a unit that went beyond just memorizing the photosynthesis formula. I wanted a unit that gave every student the chance to plant a seed, grounded the relevant Next Generation Science Standards in the growing seed and the living plant world outside the classroom and incorpor

Do you know that you have magical powers? We all carry magical powers with us that allow us to fully experience the world around us, however most people never learn to use them. The Forest Game will help players discover these powers. Pairs of players follow a thread through the forest, or another natural area, encountering forest challenges as they go. They work to complete each challenge before following the thread to the next one. Each of the challenges requires players to use one of their s

NOTE: This activity is just one of 22 sit spot activities in which students adopt a tree in their schoolyard, a nearby park or at home. See "Sit Spot Scroll Project" for the complete curriculum.This is a wonderful activity to do outdoors using a leaf from a tree in your school yard (or at home). The activity has step-by-step instructions that students can follow independently and it's great for second grade and up!