Elementary Science
Unit 15:
Using outdoor spaces:
studying plants in their environment
Teacher Education
through School-based
Support in India
www.TESS-India.edu.in
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
The TESS-India project (Teacher Education through School-based Support) aims to improve
the classroom practices of elementary and secondary teachers in India through studentcentred and activity-based approaches. This has been realised through 105 teacher
development units (TDUs) available online and downloaded in printed form.
Teachers are encouraged to read the whole TDU and try out the activities in their classroom
in order to maximise their learning and enhance their practice. The TDUs are written in a
supportive manner, with a narrative that helps to establish the context and principles that
underpin the activities. The activities are written for the teacher rather than the student,
acting as a companion to textbooks.
TESS-India TDUs were co-written by Indian authors and UK subject leads to address Indian
curriculum and pedagogic targets and contexts. Originally written in English, the TDUs have
then been localised to ensure that they have relevance and resonance in each participating
Indian state’s context.
TESS-India is led by The Open University and funded by UKAID from the Department for
International Development.
Version 1.0
Except for third party materials and otherwise stated, this content is made available under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/3.0/
Contents
Introduction
1
Learning outcomes
2
1
Learning outside your classroom
3
2
Planning an outdoor lesson
6
3
Other science topics to explore outside
11
4
Visits beyond the school grounds
14
5
Summary
15
6
Resources
16
Resource 1: Some wild plants of India
Resource 2: Descriptions and photographs of local plants
16
18
Related units
23
7
References
24
Acknowledgements
25
Introduction
Introduction
The National Curriculum Framework of India (2005) states that a child is a
natural learner and that knowledge and understanding are outcomes of their
activities. It also states that children are curious, constantly ask questions
and love to explore their environment as a way of making sense of their
immediate world.
Children have a natural tendency to explore their world spontaneously. This
tendency can sometimes be stifled when they become students in the
classroom. However, some elementary science content areas lend themselves
very well to outdoor exploration.
Outdoor learning is a creative, enjoyable and engaging form of learning. It is
an integral part of good practice in all curriculum areas. The outdoor school
environment has the potential to offer real-world, hands-on experiences that
will engage and stimulate scientific thinking. It provides opportunities to
carry out authentic practical work in elementary science.
Outdoor learning can involve a visit to a local park or a journey further
afield, but exploring the school grounds and immediate surroundings can
often be equally effective.
This unit will explore how taking lessons outside the classroom can improve
students’ understanding of key scientific concepts. The main body of the unit
will develop ideas and activities related to plants and habitats. Near the end
of the unit you will look at ways to include outdoor activities in other areas
of the elementary science curriculum, and to plan for trips away from
school.
Safety warning!
Students need to know the dangers of hazards such as mains electricity
and should never investigate mains sockets, electrical equipment,
telephones or communications equipment, or explore in areas where
machinery or vehicles are likely to operate.
In addition, there may be also factors to consider regarding changeable
weather conditions and places of shelter.
1
TDU 15
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
Learning outcomes
After studying this unit, you should be able to:
2
.
recognise the scope and value of the outdoor environment in teaching
elementary science
.
draw up and implement a plan for using the outdoor environment as an
extension of the elementary science classroom.
1 Learning outside your classroom
1 Learning outside your classroom
Pause for thought
.
Have you recently used outdoor areas during a science lesson?
.
What outdoor learning takes place within your school? Do students
have opportunities to learn outside in other subject areas?
.
You could ask your colleagues if they have had any experiences of
planning and delivering lessons outside.
Activity 1: Learning outside your classroom
Task A
Thinking of your school grounds, make a list of the areas that have the
potential to provide outdoor learning opportunities to support the
elementary science curriculum. If you can, walk around the school
grounds as you do this.
As you list the areas, consider too about the kinds of topics and
activities that they might lend themselves to.
Task B
What do you think are the advantages of using the outside environment
to enhance your students’ learning of elementary science? List as many
as you can.
Discussion
Here are some possible answers to Task B. You may have thought of
others.
.
Learning is contextualised, in that it takes place in an authentic
setting.
.
Students can gain real-world, direct understanding of scientific
concepts.
.
Learning is active, rather than passive.
.
The activities can provide real opportunities for students to use
observational skills, collect evidence and draw conclusions.
.
The activities can engage all the students, and appeal to visual,
tactile and auditory learners (see TDU 3, Using explanations as a
teaching strategy: life processes).
.
There are opportunities to enhance personal and social
communication skills.
.
Students have more room to move around and undertake ‘messier’
activities.
.
Learning experiences may be more memorable.
3
TDU 15
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
.
There may be spontaneous or unexpected learning opportunities.
Activity 2 introduces you to a simple game you can play with your students
in an outside space.
Activity 2: Getting started: rules for working outside
A good place to start incorporating regular outdoor learning into your
elementary science lessons is to involve your students in agreeing some
rules for outdoor behaviour.
Organise your students into small groups and ask them to brainstorm
some rules for working outside (see TDU 1, Using brainstorming to elicit
prior knowledge: sound and musical instruments). Bring the class back
together and collectively agree a written set of rules. These rules can be
displayed in your classroom and can be referred to each time before
you take your lessons outside.
Now follow the instructions for ‘Scavenger Hunt’.
Scavenger Hunt
1 Organise your students into small groups of up to eight.
2 Give each group a bag or container.
3 Take the students to an outdoor space within the school grounds
– ideally choose an area that is secured and has no public
access. You may want to tell your students the areas they can
and cannot explore, taking account of any safety considerations
(see this unit’s introduction).
4 Find a place to stand still while you explain the task to your
students. Explain that each group needs to find six items. They
should find:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
one item that is non-living
◦
one mystery item of their choice.
one item that is non-biodegradable
one item that is man-made
one item that is natural
one item where a chemical reaction is taking place (e.g. a rusty
nail)
If necessary, you could place some small items outside before your
lesson begins.
5 Explain that the items need to fit inside their container and that
fragments of an object can be regarded as an item.
6 Allow the students enough time to collect all six items.
7 When they have finished, ask them to sit down. Then lead a
discussion about what they found.
4
1 Learning outside your classroom
8 Ask the students to leave the items they found outside, putting
any rubbish into a waste or recycling bin.
The activity can be simplified for younger students by changing the list
of items they need to find.
A whistle can be useful when you need to get your students’ attention in
outdoor spaces.
Pause for thought
After carrying out Activity 2, consider the following questions:
.
What do you feel went well?
.
How did your students respond? Did they enjoy completing an
activity in an outdoor area?
.
What would you do differently in your next outdoor session?
It can be useful to organise a data collection kit that is kept in your
classroom. You can pick it up and take it with you when you want to take
your students outside. Useful things to include could be: paper, pens,
pencils, clipboards, a small board, a whistle, a camera, a basic first aid kit
and a clock.
5
TDU 15
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
2 Planning an outdoor lesson
Case Study 1: Mrs Gita plans an outdoor lesson
When Mrs Gita asked her students to describe a habitat, she noticed
they referred to larger habitats and failed to give her examples of
smaller ones that could be found in the local area. She decided to plan
an outdoor activity so that her students would begin to identify habitats
in their immediate surroundings.
A week before I planned to carry out the activity, I took photographs of
habitats I had found around the school grounds. These included a crack
in the pavement, a large stone, a rotting tree branch and a patch of
grass. I made copies of the photographs so that each group had a set. I
prepared a data collection kit for each group that included: paper,
pencils, spoons, small paint brushes, a magnifying glass and a
specimen pot. A day before the lesson, I checked that the area I was
using was secure and free of any harmful plants or objects. The
morning of the lesson I went outside and placed four different-coloured
cones to indicate the different habitats the students needed to visit.
I introduced the activity in the classroom by asking my students to
define what a habitat was. As a class we agreed a definition. I wrote on
the board:
‘A habitat is a place where a collection of plants and animals live
and which provides them with food and shelter.’
I organised my students into groups of eight and gave them a set of
photographs. I told the students to decide whether each photograph was
of a habitat. I allowed them time to discuss this. When they had
finished, I asked them to explain how they had reached their decisions. I
invited them to share any photographs they were unsure of and tell me
if there were any disagreements within their group. My students agreed
that the stone and the pavement were not habitats. They thought that
the grass patch and tree branch were, however.
I gave each group a data collection kit. I asked them the following
questions:
.
Do you think there are any habitats in our school?
.
What evidence would you look for, and what kinds of data would you
collect, to prove it was a habitat?
I told my students that they needed to visit the areas around the four
coloured cones in the school yard. I explained that they could collect
data by making a drawing or listing the living things that they found, and
that very small samples of other evidence could be gathered by using
the paintbrush and spoon.
Once they were outside, some groups of students quickly identified the
habitats in each area while other groups needed support to find them.
6
2 Planning an outdoor lesson
Some students drew sketches of the small organisms that they found
while others added labels and notes. I took a copy of a classification
key with me and helped some of the students identify the creatures they
had found. (A classification key helps to identify plants and living
organisms through a series of branching questions until the species is
identified. An example of a classification key can be found in TDU 7,
Sorting and classifying plants and animals. )
The students collected samples of the soil and plant matter that were
found at each habitat. They were surprised when they lifted up a stone
to find small spiders and woodlice. They noted how moist the soil was
under the stone and took samples of rotten vegetation. One group
carefully observed the small plants that were growing out of the cracks
in the pavement. They used their magnifying glasses and observed ants
apparently eating small aphids that were clinging to the underside of the
plants’ leaves.
I blew my whistle and asked my students to sit on the grass in their
groups. I then asked them ‘Do you think there are any habitats in our
school?’ again. This time my students were able to identify the small
habitats that could be found around the school. They went on to identify
other habitats that I had not noticed, such as a small hole in the wall of
the school building. I asked each group to make a small presentation
about one habitat they had explored, and to present the evidence they
found that supported their claim that it was a habitat.
Once each group had presented their findings, I asked my students to
think back to the photographs we looked at in the class. I asked them to
say how their thinking had changed from the beginning of the lesson.
My students agreed that their understanding of habitats had changed
and they now realised that areas such as a small crack in the pavement
could provide a habitat.
Providing my students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience
has had a direct impact on their learning. I could have simply told them
in the classroom about the habitats I had identified in the school
grounds, but I feel that giving them the opportunity to discover the
habitats for themselves was far more motivating for them. My students’
motivation continued into the lessons that followed, where we identified
the living organisms we found and made clay models of them from our
sketches.
Continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE)
During her planning, Mrs Gita identified the assessment opportunities
that her outdoor activity could provide. She wrote them down in the form
of questions in a table, as shown below. She reflected on the activity
and noted down the initials of the students who had demonstrated
specific understanding of each concept.
7
TDU 15
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
Could my students
identify some habitats
in their immediate
surroundings?
Could they identify
living things using a
classification key?
Did they name some
organisms that lived
there?
Could they collect
evidence and justify
their conclusion?
Look at each question that Mrs Gita wrote. How did her outdoor lesson
provide opportunities for her students to demonstrate their
understanding in each of these areas? How did she encourage her
students to think about what they had learnt during the activity? What
other skills could she have assessed through the activity?
Now try Activity 3. For this activity you will think about how you might
plan a lesson that takes your students out of the classroom to a suitable
location within the school grounds.
Activity 3: Planning an outdoor lesson
Taking your lesson outside the classroom should not place any
additional demands on your planning. As students become more
accustomed to using the school grounds to explore elementary science,
outdoor learning will become a more integral part of your lessons.
Choose one activity from the three below – ‘Plant Hunters’, ‘Exploring
Camouflage’ and ‘Mystery Tree’ – and create a more detailed lesson
plan that uses an outdoor area in the grounds of your school. Consider
the following questions:
8
.
Where will you take your students?
.
What safety issues need to be addressed?
.
What equipment do you need to prepare?
.
How you will introduce the activity?
.
What questions will you ask your students?
.
What kinds of assessment opportunities does the activity present?
2 Planning an outdoor lesson
Plant Hunters
This activity will challenge the idea that plants always grow in the
ground. When working with students in the outdoor environment, it is
important to remind them to respect the plants and animals that live in
each habitat. Destroying plants and the organisms that live in them can
have a negative impact on our environment as a whole.
.
Ask your students where plants grow, noting down their responses in
order to compare these with their ideas at the end of the lesson.
.
Take your students outside and encourage them to hunt for plants.
.
Tell them to look in high and low places, in small cracks in the
ground, and on buildings and trees. What is the most unusual place
they found a plant? Is there any area where no plants are growing?
Why is this?
.
Ask them to find plants with and without flowers.
.
Ask them to name and identify the flowers.
.
Ask them to draw pictures and use labels to record their evidence.
Exploring Camouflage
This activity encourages students to identify the purpose of camouflage.
It is not recommended for a windy day!
.
In class, using books or photographs, show your students examples
of camouflage being used in the natural world. Ask them: ‘What are
the advantages of using camouflage in nature?’
.
Split the class into small groups or pairs.
.
Outside, give each group or pair of students a white butterfly shape
cut out of paper. Explain that they need to choose where to hide
their butterfly and create a camouflage for it.
.
Allow time for students to create a camouflage for the butterfly using
pens, pencils, chalks or paints.
.
Now ask your students to hide their butterflies.
.
Then allow them to find all the butterflies hidden in the outdoor area.
.
How good were the camouflages? How could they be improved?
.
Take one butterfly that was hidden in a green or brown area and
place it against a different-coloured surface. What happens to the
butterfly now? Is the camouflage still effective?
.
Allow the students to look for other organisms that they think are
using camouflage.
Mystery Tree
This activity helps students to identify variation in plant life and learn
that not all trees are the same. It is not recommended for a windy day!
.
The class will be divided into small groups or pairs.
.
Prepare a container or bag for each group or pair of students in your
class. Put leaves, twigs, bark and any other evidence that will help
identify the chosen tree inside the container. Try to use at least four
distinctly different varieties of tree.
9
TDU 15
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
.
When outside, ask your students to empty the contents of their
container onto a large piece of paper. Can they begin to sort the
evidence into leaves, twigs, and so on?
.
Encourage your students to look carefully through a magnifying
glass at the evidence they have been given.
.
Ask students to find the tree that it came from. How do they know?
What are the similarities that they noticed?
.
Ask each group to present their finding and justify why they think
they have found the right tree.
You could use this activity with other plants if you don’t have a good
variety of trees in your school. Students could make their own mystery
containers for other students to use.
Some schools do have limited outdoor spaces and may not have a wide
variety of plant life for students to explore. These activities can be taken to
nearby locations such as a park or wildlife area. Schools can make good use
of smaller outdoor spaces by creating a simple wildlife garden using pots
and old containers.
Pause for thought
After planning and delivering your lesson, make brief notes to answer
the following questions:
10
.
How does learning outside compare with classroom-based learning?
.
How did learning outside enhance your students’ learning?
.
What assessment opportunities did the activity present?
.
Did the activity change your students’ ideas and thinking?
.
If you had the chance to teach this lesson again, would you do
anything differently? What? And why?
3 Other science topics to explore outside
3 Other science topics to explore
outside
The next activity encourages you to think how outdoor spaces could be
utilised in other topic areas relevant to science, and to collaborate with your
colleagues in drawing up an ideas bank.
Activity 4: Using every opportunity to take learning
outside
The main body of this unit has explored ideas and activities related to
plants and habitats. However, outdoor activities can be integrated into
all other areas of elementary science. On your own, or with a colleague,
brainstorm a list of other activities that can be taken outside the
classroom (see TDU 1, Using brainstorming to elicit prior knowledge:
sound and musical instruments). Use your imagination and try to think of
how common classroom-based activities might be enriched by using the
resources available outside.
You may wish to group your ideas according to the following headings:
.
Humans
.
Materials
.
Physical processes.
Your ideas for activities will vary, depending on your experiences as a
teacher. You could start to collate activities so that you and your
colleagues have an ‘ideas bank’ of possible outdoor activities to adapt
and use in the future. Table 1 provides some ideas as a start.
Table 1 An ideas bank for outdoor activities.
Humans
Materials
Physical processes
Heart rates: Investigate
heart rates before and
after running an obstacle
course. Why do our
hearts beat faster when
we exercise? What
makes them slow down?
Record the students’
heart rates before and
after exercising, and put
the data into a graph so
that you can compare
the class.
Finding materials: Hunt
for materials around the
school, recording the
materials that are found.
How can the students
tell what the material is?
What properties does it
have? What is it being
used for? Have the
materials changed over
time?
Make and design a
kite: Investigate the best
materials to use, and the
best shape. Can the kite
fly without a tail? How
does a kite fly? How can
it be kept in the air?
11
TDU 15
12
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
Long jump: What
makes a good long
jumper? Is there a
connection between the
distance a person can
jump and the length of
their femur –or some
other characteristic?
Soil testing: Collect soil
samples from different
areas. Use magnifying
glasses to observe their
similarities and
differences. Use a
classification key to
identify the soil type.
Sieve the soil and
identify the different
particles.
Exploring forces: What
forces are used in
opening and closing a
door, or in playing with
toys or playground
equipment? Draw the
forces that are being
used.
Muscles and joints:
Use playground toys or
games to explore the
way that muscles and
joints work. Ask students
to explain what is
happening as their
partner runs, jumps or
catches a ball.
Natural and man-made
materials: Explore the
school to find man-made
and natural materials.
What are their
characteristics, and do
they appear to change
over time or with
exposure to sunlight or
rain?
Energy transfer:
Investigate what would
happen to a bar of
chocolate (it would be
best to keep this
wrapped), a plant, a cup
of water and a piece of
coloured paper after a
week of being left in the
sun. Make observations
over time and record
data. What would
happen at night, or if the
sun was covered by
clouds?
Food hunt: Hide
pictures of food in an
outdoor area. Each
group of students must
collect three different
pictures of foods that
contain protein,
carbohydrate, fats and
fibre. Can students use
the foods to design a
balanced meal?
Changing states: When
it has rained (or you
could pour water onto a
patch of pavement)
observe what happens
to the water over the
course of the day. Where
does the water go?
Dissolve salt or sugar in
water. What can we do
to reverse the change?
Shadows: Students in
pairs can draw around
each others’ shadows.
How do shadows differ
at the beginning and end
of the school day?
Observe and explain the
differences.
Making bubbles: Gently
mix half a cup of liquid
dishwater detergent, four
and a half cups of water,
and four tablespoons of
glycerine in a container.
Use an old coat hanger
to make the bubbles.
How does the liquid
change? Is the change
reversible or
irreversible? How could
you make the bubble
bigger?
School bell: Imagine the
school bell is broken.
Investigate which
materials would be best
to make a loud sound.
Which shape works
best? Which materials
are more effective? How
far away can you hear
the sound?
Liquids and solids: To
watch liquid turn to solid,
paint a picture outside.
Or see ice turn to liquid
water, and then
evaporate.
Light waves: Use red
and green filters to view
different coloured objects
outside. Record the
original colour and the
colour seen through the
filters. What do you
notice? Why does this
happen?
3 Other science topics to explore outside
Speedy cars:
Investigate which
surface makes toy cars
go slower or faster?
Why?
13
TDU 15
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
4 Visits beyond the school grounds
Although this unit has primarily focused on the scope for outdoor learning
within your school grounds, a school trip further afield can also be extremely
worthwhile. A well-planned trip will provide access to resources that
students would not be able to gain in the classroom or within the school
grounds. School trips provide rich and memorable experiences that expand
students’ horizons and build their self-confidence.
Your school may already have a clear policy in place that guides you
through the process of ensuring that all necessary measures have been taken
to ensure student safety when travelling further afield. However, the
following points may assist you when you are planning an excursion for
your class.
14
.
Outline the learning outcomes that you wish to achieve from the outing.
.
Identify a location that is likely to have the resources required to teach
the content (e.g. a garden, field, forest or park).
.
Seek the approval of the people in charge of the location you plan to
visit.
.
Visit the location to check its suitability and safety.
.
Obtain permission for the trip from your school authorities.
.
If necessary, ask your headteacher to arrange for another teacher or staff
member to accompany you on the outing.
.
Ask for additional adult volunteers from the students’ parents or carers.
.
Inform and gain permission from the students’ parents.
.
Arrange any transport as necessary.
.
Check on the availability and suitability of public or other conveniences
for a large group.
.
Prepare any resources you might need for the outdoor lesson, such as
checklists or worksheets with spaces for notes and drawings.
.
Prepare a small first aid kit and take a bucket on coach journeys in case a
student falls ill.
.
Decide how you will follow up the outing when you are back in the
classroom, so that students learn from one another and consolidate their
discoveries.
.
Prepare the students for the visit in advance, explaining clearly what they
will be doing, so that they can gain maximum benefit from the outing.
.
Remind them what they need to bring with them. This might include a
pen, notebook, sun lotion etc. in hot weather or waterproof clothing if it
is likely to rain.
.
Remind your students to bring lunch and plenty of water to drink if it is
a full day trip.
.
Decide how to group or pair your students. Carry out regular head counts
before, during and after the trip to ensure that no one is left behind!
5 Summary
5 Summary
Student learning does not have to take place within the confines of the
classroom. In fact, students can learn at least as much when outside and
mixing with their fellow students in less formal situations. Assuming that it
is well organised, an outdoor lesson can make learning an exciting, active,
sociable and enjoyable process where your students can experience hands-on
science.
Unlike the classroom environment, which often requires textbooks, posters
and other teaching materials, nature very often provides all the learning
resources you will need. Learning outside can therefore supplement and
enhance classrooms with limited resources. Using the immediate external
environment is particularly valuable with large classes because it gives
students more space to sit, draw, write, interact and move around.
Learning outside the classroom can happen at almost any time and almost
anywhere – in the school grounds, in the local park, in a garden or nursery,
on a farm, in zoos, by ponds, lakes and rivers, and in museums. As an
essential way of learning, it should not be restricted to the summer or take
the form of an ‘add on’ after examinations. Rather, it should be a regular
teaching activity. It is a powerful tool that raises attainment, bolsters social,
emotional and personal development, and contributes to the health and
wellbeing of students.
This unit has explored how students’ understanding of key scientific
concepts can be enriched by taking lessons outside the classroom. The
possible uses of outside spaces in elementary science are vast, and the value
associated with such learning should not be underestimated.
15
TDU 15
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
6 Resources
Resource 1: Some wild plants of India
Ornamental plants are planted in gardens mainly because of the beauty of
the flowers or leaves. However, natural vegetation comprises plants that have
not been planted but grow in the wild.
A locality may have native plants that may not be found in other areas. The
vegetation of a place depends on the climate and the physical features of the
area, such as the nature of the soil, the height above sea level and other
factors.
Why study wild plants?
Wild plants are important for our survival because of the multiple roles they
play. For example, they:
.
produce oxygen
.
collect rainfall
.
prevent the erosion of the soil by wind and flowing water
.
make the land fertile with their decaying parts
.
give shelter to birds and wild animals
.
arrest the advancement of desert areas.
They are also the source of food and other useful products. Wild plants serve
as food for cattle, and provide timber for building, wood and kindling for
fuel, and gums and resins for industrial use. Many wild plants are the source
of different kinds of medicines. Ayurveda, the Indian system of medicine,
has traditionally used wild plants. Even modern medical systems draw on
their healing properties. Wild plants are thus essential for the survival of
other wildlife, as well as human beings. In addition, many wild plants bear
attractive, colourful flowers, contributing to the beauty of a locality.
India is a vast country with varied climate and physical features, resulting in
distinctive types of vegetation in its different regions. The vegetation of the
plains is different from that found in the hills, for example. Similarly, the
vegetation in the upper ranges of the hills is not the same as those in the
foothills. The vegetation of the desert is totally different from that found in
the mangroves. Even at a local level, the difference between the vegetation
around the school and that near students’ homes may be quite noticeable.
With a growing population and expanding cities, the areas covered by
natural vegetation are receding. Lack of awareness of wild plants and their
role and importance makes their conservation much more difficult. By
learning to identify the wild plants growing in their locality, people are more
likely to value them.
The botanical names of plants are difficult to learn. However, most of the
wild plants in a particular area will also have local names. Because India has
many languages, the same plant may have different names in different areas.
16
6 Resources
Students can first be introduced to the plant by using its local name before
extending their knowledge by learning its accepted scientific name.
Types of wild plants
.
Herbs: Annual plants, such as rice or maize, grow, flower and die within
a year. However, there are some that live for two years – these are
known as ‘biennials’. Carrots and onions are examples of this type of
plant. These plants flower in the second year. Some herbs, such as basil,
live for several years and are called perennial herbs. Herbs have soft
greenish or reddish stems and branches. The stem often does not grow
tall but there are exceptions – such as the banana plant or ‘tree’, which is
actually a tall herb.
.
Shrubs: A shrub has multiple stems emerging from the base, close to the
ground. They tend to be taller than herbs but much shorter than trees.
The stem is not as thick as a tree trunk but not as tender as that of a
herb. The branches are not very thick either but the stem and the older
branches are woody and usually brown. Many small
leafy branches growing close together may give a bushy appearance to
shrubs. Shrubs are perennial. Rose, hibiscus and catharanthus (sadabahar)
are examples of shrubs.
.
Trees: A tree is usually taller with an erect, sturdy, woody trunk. The
tree usually has a crown comprising foliage and branches. Usually the
trunk and branches have bark on the surface. The roots grow deep and
wide. Trees are perennial and often live for a long time, sometimes for
hundreds of years. Mango, tamarind and neem are examples of trees.
.
Climbers: Some plants climb a supporting structure like a building, an
electricity or telegraph pole, or another tree. Some climbers are woody
while some are not, but the stem is flexible to allow bending, twisting
and coiling about the support. Plants like bougainvillea grow as shrubs
but climb when a support is available. Climbers may clamber, twine,
grasp or hook into the support. Some, like morning glory, twine their
stems about the support, while others, like ivy, grow roots into the
support. Some, like green gourd, may use tendrils to twine around or use
thorns to pierce the support, like a climbing rose.
.
Creepers: Some plants, like water melon, cucumber and pumpkin, have
weak stems and hence cannot grow erect but trail on the ground. Given
support, however, these plants can trail upwards.
Further resources
.
‘Tree, shrub, herb’ (New Jersey Pinelands Commission, undated)
.
‘Herbaceous plant’(Wikipedia, undated)
.
‘Shrub’ (Wikipedia, undated)
.
‘Tree’ (Wikipedia, undated)
.
‘Plants’ (JinguKid, 2013)
.
‘Types of plants’ (BodhaguruLearning, 2012)
17
TDU 15
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
Resource 2: Descriptions and photographs
of local plants
Table R2.1 Descriptions of wild plants.
18
Name of plant
Stem and
branches
Leaves
Flowers
Tridax
(‘Ghamara’ in
Hindi)
Short in height;
erect, soft, tender,
green, hairy stem
Long, tapering
wavy margins
Small white
flowers with
yellow centre
borne on long
stalks
Leucas
(‘Chota halkusa’
in Hindi)
Short in height;
erect, soft, tender,
green, hairy stem
Slender, linear
Small white;
without stalk;
arranged in a
circular pattern;
brown, nut-like
fruit
Datura
(‘Dhatura’ in
Hindi)
About a metre in
height; erect
Broad, with an
irregularly lobed/
toothed margin
White; trumpet
shaped; fruit spiny
ball like
Oxalis (wood
sorrel)
(‘Champamethi’/’Khatmeeth’ in Hindi)
Stem creeps
forming patches
Leaves have long
stalks and three
oval parts
Yellowish flowers
Black nightshade
(‘Makoi’ in Hindi)
Short in height
with green stem
and branches
Long, oval with
wavy outline
Small white, with
bright yellow
prominent anther;
fruits are deep
purple berries
Touch me not
(‘Chuimui’ in
Hindi)
Short in height;
prostrate, not very
hard, with many
soft branches
close to the
ground
Small leaflets that
close when
touched
Purple coloured
puffy ball like and
fruits like pods
Nettle
(‘Bichchuu buti’
in Hindi)
Short in height;
erect, stem
covered with hair
which causes
stinging sensation
on touch
Dark green, large,
spear-shaped with
pointed end,
toothed margins;
hairy surface
Tiny greenish
flowers in long
clumps
Lantana
(‘Meva ka Ped’/
‘Tulsidal’ in
Hindi)
Bushy, many
branches close to
the ground
Oval with pointed
end
Cluster of red,
yellow and orange
flowers
Prosopis
(‘Khejri’ in Hindi)
Medium-height
tree with a strong,
dark brown trunk
and branches far
above the ground;
thorny plant
Small oval leaflets
Spikes of
yellowish or
creamy white;
pod-like fruits
6 Resources
Babul
Medium height
tree with strong,
dark brown trunk
and branches far
above the ground;
the plant has
spines
Small oval leaflets
Bright yellow balllike flowers and
pod-like fruits
Neem
Tall tree with
strong trunk and
branches far
above the ground
Leaves with short
stalks and pointed
tip and serrated
margin; bitter in
taste
Small white
flowers in clusters
and light yellow
oval fruits
Illustrations of wild plants are shown in Figure R2.1.
Figure R2.1 (a) Tridax, a wild herb. (b) Leucas, a wild herb. (c) Datura, a wild
herb. (d) Oxalis, a herb (weed). (e) Black nightshade, a wild herb. (f) Touch me
not, a plant with leaves that close on being touched. (g) Nettle, a plant that
causes a burning sensation on touching the leaves or stem. (h) Lantana, a shrub.
(i) Khejri, a small tree growing in dry areas. (j) Babul, a small tree growing in dry
areas. (k) Neem, a tree with bitter leaves.
19
TDU 15
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
Table R2.2 Classification into herbs, shrubs and trees.
20
Name of
plant
Height
Nature of
stem
Branches
Colour
of stem
Type
Neem
Very tall
Woody,
hard, erect
trunk with a
crown of
foliage
Woody,
hard, thick,
much
above the
ground
Brown
Tree
Gulmohar
Very tall
Woody,
hard, erect
trunk with a
crown of
foliage
Woody,
hard, thick,
much
above the
ground
Brown
Tree
Peepal
Very tall
Woody,
hard, erect
trunk with a
crown of
foliage
Woody,
hard, thick,
much
above the
ground
Brown
Tree
Touch me not
Very tall
Woody,
hard, erect
trunk with a
crown of
foliage
Woody,
hard, thick,
much
above the
ground
Brown
Herbaceous,
creeper
Nine o’clock
(Portulaca)
Short
Soft,
prostrate
Soft,
reddish
Reddish Herb
Hibiscus
Medium
Woody,
hard,
multiple
stems
Branching
closer to
the ground;
branches
not very
thick
Brown
Shrub
Rose
Medium
Woody,
hard,
multiple
stems
Branching
closer to
the ground;
branches
not very
thick
Brown
Shrub
Bougainvillea
Take
support
of a
structure/
a tree
Woody,
hard,
multiple
stems
Branches
not very
thick
Brown
Climber
Morning glory
Take
support
of a
structure/
a tree
Woody,
hard,
multiple
stems
Trailing
Brown
Climber
Money plant
Take
support
of a
structure/
a tree
Woody,
hard,
multiple
stems
Trailing
Green
Climber
Water melon
Trailing
spread
on the
ground
Soft, weak
Soft and
thin
Green
Creeper
6 Resources
Cucumber
Trailing
spread
on the
ground
Soft, weak
None
Green
Creeper
Illustrations of herbs, shrubs, trees, climbers and creepers are shown in
Figure R2.2.
21
TDU 15
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
Figure R2.2 (a) Tender, green stem of herbs. (b) Nine o’clock, an annual herb
with soft reddish stem. (c) Hibiscus, a shrub. (d) Rose, a shrub. (e) Jackfruit, a
tree. (f) Mango, a tree. (g) Money plant, a climber. (h) Bougainvillea, a climber. (i)
A climber. (j) Cucumber, a creeper.
22
7 Related units
7 Related units
.
TDU 2, Using groupwork: floating and sinking: Floating and sinking
can also be taught as an outdoor activity. Students may be taken to a
nearby pond, lake or river, and given paper boats or lumps of clay to
place on the water. They may be shown that a stone, an iron nail or a
lump of clay sinks, while a leaf, an iron ship and a clay pot will float. In
this way, they can begin to build up their ideas of why objects float or
sink. Where there is a large expanse of water with boats and ships, the
students can be encouraged to discuss why something that is so large and
heavy can stay afloat.
.
TDU 6, Using mind maps as a teaching, learning and assessment tool:
water and the water cycle: Understanding of water can be taught through
outdoor activities. Students may be taken outdoors to observe ponds or
streams and the variety of organisms growing in the water. They may
also consider the ecosystem and the food chain that water supports.
.
TDU 8, Exploring shadows and night and day using the outside
environment: The outside environment can be used to plot the movement
and change of shape of shadows. You could do this by getting a student
to make marks on the ground each hour of the day. Alternatively, you
could get them to do this on a piece of paper laid outside on the ground.
This could then be displayed in the classroom and discussed. You could
have a group doing a day each of measuring the shadows so that over a
week or two a pattern emerges. It would only take a minute or two of
each lesson to obtain this evidence.
23
TDU 15
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
References
BodhaguruLearning [YouTube user] (2012) ‘Science – types of plants – English’
(online), YouTube, 1 June. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ODjAfDxThGU (accessed 18 December 2013).
JinguKid [YouTube user] (2013) ‘Plants’ (online), YouTube, 26 March.
Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4AkT5WDSXg
(accessed 18 December 2013).
National Council for Teacher Education (2009) National Curriculum Framework
for Teacher Education [Online], New Delhi, NCTE. Available at http://www.
ncte-india.org/publicnotice/NCFTE_2010.pdf (Accessed 16 January 2014).
New Jersey Pinelands Commission (undated) ‘Lesson 1: tree, shrub, herb’
(online), On-Line Curriculum Project. Available from: http://www.state.nj.us/
pinelands/infor/curric/pinecur/tsh.htm (accessed 18 December 2013).
Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Main_Page (accessed 18
December 2013).
24
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
The content of this teacher development unit was developed collaboratively
and incrementally by the following educators and academics from India and
The Open University (UK) who discussed various drafts, including the
feedback from Indian and UK critical readers: Sutapa Bose, Jane Devereux
and Christine James.
Except for third party materials and otherwise stated, this content is made
available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
The material acknowledged below is Proprietary and used under licence (not
subject to Creative Commons Licence). Grateful acknowledgement is made
to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this unit:
Clipart – used with permission from Microsoft
CCE logo: www.cbse.nic.in.
Figure R2.1: (a) © Widowo Djatmiki, Creative Commons AttributionShareAlike 3.0 Unported licence, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:
Tridax_procum_100228-0139_ipb.jpg; (b) courtesy of © Sajan Subedi
(Flickr); (c) David Dickerson, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike
3.0 Unported licence, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DaturaMetelplant.jpg; (d) © KENPEI, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike
3.0 Unported licence, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:
Oxalis_griffithii1.jpg; (e) © Juni from Kyoto, Japan, Creative Commons
Attribution 2.0 Generic licence, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Solanum_nigrum.jpg?uselang=en-gb; (f) © J.M. Garg, Creative
Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported licence, http://en.
wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mimosa_pudica_W2_IMG_2374.jpg; (g) T137,
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported licence,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Urtica_dioica_(1).jpg; (h) ©
Alvesgaspar, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
licence, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LantanaFlowerLeaves.jpg; (i)
© unknown, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Prosopis_caldenia.jpg; (j)
© J.M. Garg, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
licence, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_nilotica; (k) © J.M. Garg,
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported licence,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Neem_(Azadirachta_indica)
_in_Hyderabad_W_IMG_6976.jpg.
Figure R2.2: (a) © Sutapa Bose; (b) © Laogooli, http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Portulaca_grandiflora; (c) © Veli Holopainen. http://commons.
wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinese_hibiscus.jpg. Released into the public
domain for any purpose.; (d) Fir0002 (talk) (Uploads), Creative
Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported licence, http://en.
wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rosebush.jpg; (e) © Sutapa Bose; (f) © Sutapa
Bose; (g) Marek Argent (Abrimaal), Creative Commons AttributionShareAlike 3.0 Unported licence, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:
Epipremnum-aureum-poznan-palmiarnia-abrimaal.jpg; (h) © Sutapa
Bose; (i) © Sutapa Bose; (j) placed in the public domain by the Agricultural
25
TDU 15
Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment
Research Service, the research agency of the United States Department
of Agriculture, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ARS_cucumber.jpg.
Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners. If any have been
inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the
necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.
26