Calendar Items:
Nov 16 – in-class field trip. DRESS WARM!!!! I’ll have hot water and herbal tea/hot chocolate, but it will be for when we get BACK from the field trip, so essentially lunch time. Unless you have worked it out with me, 2 BOOK REACTION PAPERS and 2 DOCUMENTARY REACTION PAPERS and 8 NATURE JOURNAL PAGES are due. Please turn in all your reaction papers and bring your nature journal so I can check off that you’ve completed the 8 pages. If you need an extension, email me (and CC your parents on the email) so that we can work out a new due date and all be on the same page. Here is a link to the book and documentary list if you need it again.
Winterim – Get a jump start on your 3 books and 3 documentary reaction papers and 10 nature journal pages for NEXT semester.
Beginning the second week of next semester (January 25th) we will be doing our second round of presentations. THESE PRESENTATIONS WILL BE VERY DIFFERENT THAN THOSE FROM THIS SEMESTER. You will have 20-25 minutes to TEACH the class about a specific botanical/ecological topic of your choice. This means you need to share the information, have a game or activity, include hands-on aspects to your lesson, maybe a quiz or a competition, make your lesson very interactive, but stick to your topic and focus on what you want the class to learn. NO POWER POINT PRESENTATIONS. In fact, don’t even think of this as a presentation. Think of it as leading a class activity to which you must give adequate background information. If you have a short YouTube video or article you’d like the class to watch/read before your lesson as “homework,” let me know and I’ll put it on the blog for you the appropriate week.
Possible topics could include deep dives into a specific plant or genus, the work of a famous botanist/ecologist, pretty much ANY science fair type project regarding botany/ecology, specific aspects of environmental science concepts (how humans affect nature either for better or for worse), etc. You can expand on concepts like soil health, symbiotic relationships, and every other topic we’ve discussed in class so far. Use the concepts you’ve learned from BOTH your books (Botany in a Day and How Plants Work) to come up with ideas to expand on.
Think about the OTHER books you’ve been reading and the documentaries you’ve been watching – or even things you enjoyed about botany/ecology before you ever came to class. Share with us what is fascinating to YOU about these subjects and help us understand and be excited about them the way YOU are excited about them. (If you’re not excited about your topic, then maybe keep looking until you find a topic that REALLY interests you.)
Once you’ve chosen your topic, email me (aemock@gmail.com and don’t forget to CC your mom/dad) so I can make sure we don’t have people doubling up on the same topic. So far, bees, native plants, and the Great Salt Lake are off limits as we’ll have guest speakers come and talk about those things next semester already.
Jan 18 – First day of second semester.
Homework items:
FINISH your book/documentary reaction papers and nature journal pages.
READ the chapter 9 in How Plants Work, pages 197-217.
CONTINUE plugging away at your Personal Enrichment Projects (for those of you who have opted in to that – and if you haven’t filled out a Personal Enrichment Project form yet, you are ALWAYS welcome to do so).
CONTEMPLATE your topic for the 20-25 minute lesson/game/activity you are going to lead next semester. Here’s a photo of the sign up so you can add that to your calendar now. Remember, you are TEACHING us something, not just telling us about it.
WATCH the following videos about starting fires.
If you are interested in survival skills or reading about extreme survivalist experiences, there are some of those kinds of books on the book list. This list was compiled to appeal to people with ALL different interests. If you ever need help choosing a book, or you want more information on a book to help you decide if you’d like to read it or not, ask us. We’d love to help you find something about this topic that you will find fascinating!