Grade Level(s): 7

Subject(s):

• Science/Agriculture
• Science/Botany

Junior High Life Science curriculums are heavily focused on the animal kingdom's contributions to our lives. This activity is used to illustrate the often under appreciated plant kingdom's contributions to our lives. The students will have the opportunity to explore the plant products that they use everyday and hopefully realize that some plant products are grown outside the United States.  WARNING!  If you are planning on utilizing this activity in your classroom brush up on your economic botany!

Goals:

Students will understand that plants are not just used for food only, but used in almost everything we do or use in our daily lives.  Also, students will realize that plants are grown world wide.

Objectives:

1. Students will work in small groups and perform  a group research presentation which includes plant products, country of origin, and any company correspondence.

2. Students will be able to recall plant products, country of origin, and any company correspondence on an exam.

Background Information:

This activity would be an excellent performance assessment to finalize a unit on botany or the plant kingdom.  This activity should be practical for students to make the connections between science, technology, plant products, agriculture and the world market.  Teachers should remember that the best resources for this information is the company that actually makes these products.  Most companies have web pages on the internet.  Students should be encouraged to correspond with these companies.

Concepts covered in lesson:

1.  Plant products found in their lives in medicines, beverages, clothing and dyes, cosmetics  and perfumes, snack foods, and cafeteria food.

2. The countries of origin of these products and the companies that make these products.

Materials:

Access to school or public library.  Access to the Internet.

Procedure:

1. Place each student in one of the following groups to investigate plant products in:
 
Group 1 = medicines
Group 2 = beverages
Group 3 = clothing and dyes
Group 4 = cosmetics and perfumes
Group 5 = snack foods cafeteria food

2. Have each group list all products that they can think of that they use and then list the ingredients of each product. Also, have each group list the company that makes these products.

3.  Each group should determine which ingredients are derived from plants and list them (see example below).  Students may use library resources, agriculture agencies, company information, and Internet resources.

For example:

Group #5: Snack Foods

Product #1: Nestle Crunch Bar made by Hershey's Inc.
  Sugar- sucrose - from sugar cane from Florida
  Cocoa butter - from cacao from Ivory Coast or Brazil
  Soy lecithin - from soybeans from Midwestern United States
  Vanilla - from Vanilla orchid from Brazil
  Crisped Rice - from rice from Japan
  Peanut Traces - from peanuts from Georgia

4. Each group should document their references.

5. Have each group present their findings to the class in a small group presentation.

Assessment:

1. Oral small group research presentation which includes plant products, country of origin, and any company correspondence.

2. Students will be able to recall plant products, country of origin, and any company correspondence on an exam.

Teacher Reference: