Grade level: Grade 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9.
Provincial curriculum links: Alberta.
Subject: Plant Communities (Grade 4); Trees and Forests (Grade 6); Characteristics of Living Things (Grade 7); Interactions and Ecosystems (Grade 8); Species Diversity (Grade 9).
Keywords: Leaf.
To provide a focusing tool for students to explore the detail in leaves.
Specific Lesson Goals:
Awareness of unique features, functions and details of leaves
Gather together some un-used slide covers from a local photography shop, or make something similar using laminated cardstock.
Using a large leaf (preferably dead) introduce some the details contained in leaves. Discuss colour, veins, margins, shape, etc.
Distribute a leaf slide to each student and ask them to go and find a leaf, but do not collect it off a living plant.
Place the leaf into the leaf slide and hold it up to the light and observe.
Ask the group to stand in a circle facing inward.
Tell them are just like a slide carousel. Every time you say "click" they should pass their leaf slide to the right.
Continue passing the slides until everyone has their own slide back again.
Whole class completes activity as a group. Follow up could be verbal, artistic interpretation or written summary.
With the students, develop a rating scale for student participation. Use the rating scale as a self-evaluation tool.
Repeat this activity in other ecosystems or habitats to compare/contrast leaves. Review key features, vocabulary and lesson objectives with regard to leaf structures.
Submitted by: Jeff Reading <jreading@email.cbe.ab.ca>