This activity is an investigation to determine the effect of soil type on plant growth. The students will develop an understanding of the plant as producer.

This activity encourages students to collect data to answer questions, explore the roles of individual macroinvertebrates in aquatic ecosystems, and think about the health of aquatic ecosystems relative to the macroinvertebrates found.

In this biodiversity activity, students learn how to construct their own dichotomous keys. They use either specimens they've collected or ones you bring into class, such as shells, fruit, or leaves. The one-page printable PDF includes guidelines about what students should look for and include when creating their dichotomous keys.

This is an activity where students learn about inquiry by designing an experiment on bean plants with the goal of growing the tallest plant. Students work in groups to plan the growing conditions of the control and three experimental plants. Students collect data for about three weeks and analyze their data to see if their hypothesis is correct or not. The end product can be a report presented in a number of ways.

This article, part of Biodiversity Counts, provides insight into the important task of identifying plant specimens. The article includes a list of tools that are part of a botanist's field kit.

In this Biodiversity Counts article, students learn how to preserve their plant pressings.

In this Biodiversity Counts activity, students learn how to press and preserve plant specimens. The online page includes illustrated instructions about how to layer and maintain pressings until the specimens have dried.

This online article, from Biodiversity Counts, is a general-purpose tip sheet for using a dichotomous key. The article outlines a three step process using a tree as an example.

This activity is designed for students to discover how making observations of the environment is the key to making sound predictions. Students will also learn how both positive and negative outcomes of these predictions can affect and shape future decisions.

Students will create and investigate testable questions about how basil changes based on growing conditions.

This activity is a lab activity where students grow two radish seeds, and manipulate a variable that may affect the germination time and growth of the radish seed.

This activity is a classroom investigation where students gather descriptive data on two different plants with a partner, and on other plants during a classroom discussion.They will then interpret their findings, and classify the plants, if applicable, into monocots or dicots.

In this inquiry lab, students design and conduct simple experiments using elodea and Bromothymol blue to determine whether plants consume or release carbon dioxide in the process of photosynthesis. Students will record their data which will be used to conclude whether carbon dioxide was consumed or released by the elodea.

This activity is a field investigation where students use a dichotomous key to properly identify trees in our schools nature center.

Students will observe simple plants, develop an investigable question, and form an investigation. They will document their investigation in their science notebooks.

This activity is a guided inquiry investigation where students gather data on which soil is the best for growing plants. Student will interpret their data, and develop a conclusion from the data. The student will determine which type of soil they would like to use in the next activity of making their own terrariums. The data collected could lead to further questions, which can be investigated in some extension activities.

This activity is a field investigation where students explore different types of trees and identify them using leaves and classification tools.

In this biology investigation, students will make observations of the growth of bean seeds to determine what plants need to live and grow in a healthy way.

This activity is a group activity where students investigate leaves and sort them based on established criteria.

This is a classroom activity where students will make plant rubbings and plant pressings of Minnesota plants.