Lesson Plan: Teaching Phenology in Plants (Flowering) through Climate-related Examples

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.

Questions

Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:

  1. What is Phenology?
  2. Name some phenological events in plants and animals.
  3. What are the climate-related factors that may affect the flowering of plants?
  4. Which phenological events in plants could be affected by an increase in the average global temperature?

About Lesson Plan

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
Languages English
Access Online, Offline
Approximate Time Required 90 – 130 min

Contents

Reading

(20 – 30 min)

A presentation (reading, discussion) that introduces the topic of phenology and its significance.

https://extension.umaine.edu/signs-of-the-seasons/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/08/What-is-Phenology.pptx

from the Supplemental Resources Section at https://extension.umaine.edu/signs-of-the-seasons/resources-for-educators/

Classroom/ Laboratory activity

(60 – 90 min)

A classroom/laboratory activity to discuss and understand the potential impacts of climate change on the phenology of plants (specifically, the bloom date of North American lilac shrubs).

http://kbsgk12project.kbs.msu.edu/blog/2012/11/06/why-fly-south-how-climate-change-alters-the-phenology-of-plants-and-animals/

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.

1. Introduce the topic by using a presentation/reading
2. Conduct a classroom/ laboratory activity

Mapped Sustainable Development Goal(s), apart from 4 and 13

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