S6 Plant Biodiversity Project

Thanks to a teacher friend in the states, our Standard 6 class has been able to participate in a global science collaboration.  We have paired up with a class in Taiwan to do research on biodiversity in our respective locations and then share our findings.  It has been a blast for our students and for me!  Not only are they learning what biodiversity is and its importance, but they are also learning about Taiwanese culture, how to communicate globally, how to research, how to work with a group, how to prepare a presentation, and so much more.  This is the kind of learning that students remember, increases their love for learning, and applies to their everyday lives.  Exciting!

We split the class into four groups and assigned a teacher to each group to serve as a guide and mentor.  I am so thankful to be one of the assigned teachers, giving me the opportunity to work more directly with students than I typically would get to.

The Science Explorers

The groups were assigned to rope off a square area of their choosing somewhere on the school campus.

Before going out to the field, the class learned about the four plant types: trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowering plants.  You can see that my group found a lush little patch with all four types of plants.

Did you happen to notice that we have a bit of a comedian in the group?!

They then had to identify the plants in their square and research their purposes and how they contribute to the biodiversity.  They're still working on the research presentation, but these are the four plants that they chose to focus on:

Tree

Grass

Shrub

Flower

I am greatly enjoying hearing their conversations about the various plants and what they are choosing to focus on to include in their presentation.  They're definitely having to learn what it means to put things in their own words instead of just copying straight from the source :)

The same week that they began their research, the whole school was studying Psalm 111.  It begins with:

Praise the Lord!

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,

in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

Great are the works of the Lord,

studied by all who delight in them.

Full of splendor and majesty is his work,

and his righteousness endures forever.

He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;

the Lord is gracious and merciful.

What a delight to see these students studying God's great work of creation with awe and wonder!