As a high school or undergraduate Biological Sciences teacher, you can use this set of computer-based tools to help you in teaching the phenology of plants, and phenological events in plants such as flowering.
This lesson plan allows students to understand phenology and phenological events in plants and animals. Further, the activities help students to determine the possible relationship between climate and phenological events such as flowering in plants. The exercises stimulate thinking about the possible impact of climate change on these periodic life-cycle events.
Thus, the use of this lesson plan allows you to integrate the teaching of a climate science topic with a core topic in the Biological Sciences.
The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:
| Grade Level | High School, Undergraduate |
| Discipline | Biological Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Botany, Phenology, Biodiversity, Phenology in Plants, Phenological Events in Plants, Life-cycle Events in Plants, Flowering of Plants |
| Climate Topic | Climate and the Biosphere |
| Location | Global, United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Access | Online / offline |
| Approximate Time Required | 90-130 mins |
| Share | |
| Resource Download |
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
Reading (20 – 30 min)
Classroom/Laboratory Activity (60 – 90 min)
Explore the possible impact of climate change on phenological events in plants through a hands-on classroom/laboratory activity, “Why fly south? How climate change alters the phenology of plants and animals”, from W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University.
This activity includes reading, data analysis, and data interpretation exercises to understand phenology and the possible impact of climate change on periodic life-cycle events in plants. The yearly first bloom date of North American lilac shrubs is examined as a case study.
Suggested questions/assignments for learning evaluation
Use the tools and the concepts learned so far to discuss and determine answers to the following questions:
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Classroom/Laboratory Activity | Several resources for classroom/laboratory activities “Signs of the Seasons: A New England Phenology Program”, from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension:
This can be accessed here. |
| 1 | Reading, “What is Phenology?” | Signs of the Seasons: A New England Phenology Program, University of Maine Cooperative Extension |
| 2 | Classroom/Laboratory Activity, “Why fly south? How climate change alters the phenology of plants and animals” | Created by GK-12 Fellows Liz Schultheis and Dustin Kincaid; hosted at W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University |
| 3 | Additional Resources | Signs of the Seasons: A New England Phenology Program, University of Maine Cooperative Extension |
| Grade Level | High school, Undergraduate |
| Discipline | Biological Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Phenology in Plants, Phenological Events in Plants, Life-cycle Events in Plants, Flowering of Plants |
| Climate Topic | Climate and the Biosphere |
| Location | Global, USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| Access | Online / offline |
| Approximate Time Required | 90-130 mins |
| Share | |
| Resource Download |
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
Reading (20 – 30 min)
Classroom/Laboratory Activity (60 – 90 min)
Explore the possible impact of climate change on phenological events in plants through a hands-on classroom/laboratory activity, “Why fly south? How climate change alters the phenology of plants and animals”, from W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University.
This activity includes reading, data analysis, and data interpretation exercises to understand phenology and the possible impact of climate change on periodic life-cycle events in plants. The yearly first bloom date of North American lilac shrubs is examined as a case study.
Suggested questions/assignments for learning evaluation
Use the tools and the concepts learned so far to discuss and determine answers to the following questions:
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Classroom/Laboratory Activity | Several resources for classroom/laboratory activities “Signs of the Seasons: A New England Phenology Program”, from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension:
This can be accessed here. |
| 1 | Reading, “What is Phenology?” | Signs of the Seasons: A New England Phenology Program, University of Maine Cooperative Extension |
| 2 | Classroom/Laboratory Activity, “Why fly south? How climate change alters the phenology of plants and animals” | Created by GK-12 Fellows Liz Schultheis and Dustin Kincaid; hosted at W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University |
| 3 | Additional Resources | Signs of the Seasons: A New England Phenology Program, University of Maine Cooperative Extension |
