Outdoor School - Multnomah Education Service District
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Plants Field Study Curriculum Outline


MESD Outdoor School > For Teachers > Plants Field Study Curriculum Outline

Skip Field Study Navigation
See also: Outdoor School Curriculum
Field Study Curriculum Outline: Animals • Plants •  Soil • Water

​Field Study Tour: Animals • Plants • Soil • Water 
Next Generation Science Standards:
 Animals • Plants • Soil • Water

Theme: COMPLEXITY
​

Course Concept: ​​ADAPTATION 
​Plants have characteristics that best suit them for a specific environment. Conditions of sunlight, soil, and moisture aid in determining the species growing in an area.
​

Standards: 
  • The student will recognize the adaptations of plants to the environment. 
  • The student will describe the influence of soil, water, animals, sunlight, and disturbance on the types of plants growing in an area. 
  • The student will identify the heartwood, xylem, cambium, phloem, and outer bark of a tree and explain the function of each.
​
Course Concept: ​DISPERSAL MECHANISM 
​Plants have different dispersal mechanisms that are essential for their distribution.
​

Standards: 
  • The student will describe the process by which seeds and spores are dispersed OR dissect a flower and point out the role that each part plays in plant reproduction (site and season dependent).
​
Course Concept: ​NUTRIENT CYCLE 
​Green plants have the role of producers, while fungi are decomposers that recycle nutrients and make them available for plant growth.​
​

Standards: 
  • The student will describe nutrient cycling and energy flows in a forest habitat.
​
Course Concept: ​CLASSIFICATION 
​Plants can be identified and classified by similarities and differences.​
​
Standards: 
  • The student will use a key and reference materials to identify plant species.
​

Theme: ECOSYSTEMS
​

Course Concept: ​ENERGY FLOW 
​The sun’s energy is transferred to the animal world through photosynthesis.
​

Standards: 
  • The student will describe the process of photosynthesis.
​
Course Concept: ​SUCCESSION 
​Free from outside interference, plant communities and their environment slowly change over time.​
​

Standards: 
  • The student will define succession, describe factors affecting succession and categorize an area based on successional stage.
​
Course Concept: ​COMMUNITY 
​Plants and animals occupy specific areas and function through interrelated trophic systems.
​
Standards: 
  • The student will explain the role that specific plants play in the natural processes of an area. 
  • The student will identify interdependence between microclimate, soil characteristics, and animal and plant species present in a given successional stage. 
  • The student will develop observations as to why certain plant communities exist on site.
​

Theme: IMPORTANCE

Course Concept: ​HUMAN INFLUENCE 
​Individual and collective human behavior has profound and direct consequences for plant communities.
​

Standards: 
  • The student will discuss how human behavior affects forests and other plant communities.
​

Course Concept: ​NATURAL RESOURCES 
​Plants and plant communities are of high value to humans economically and otherwise. Oregon’s economy has historically relied upon harvest of plants.​
​

Standards: 
  • The student will list ways humans have historically and presently currently utilize plants and plant communities.
​

Course Concept: ​PRODUCERS 
​Plants have unique and important ecological roles which affect all living organisms and the environment: food and oxygen production; soil formation and stabilization; climatic regulation; water purification.​
​

Standards: 
  • The student will describe the role plants play as producers in nutrient cycling and energy flow. 
  • ​The student will describe ways plants impact wildlife, soil and water quality in an environment.
​

Course Concept: ​CAREERS 
​The study of plants offers a wide range of career opportunities.
​

Standards: 
  • The student will complete tasks that botanists and forest ecologists perform.
​

Plants Field Study Activities 
The following activities are typical of a day on Plants Field Study at Outdoor School. Actual activities will vary by site and season. 

Coniferous Trees: Students learn to identify and categorize coniferous trees and discuss their place in forest succession and in the local economy. 

Plant Adaptations: Students examine a variety of plants, their adaptations, and their niche in the forest community. 

Plant Identification Hike: Students examine a variety of plants and use field guides and other resources to identify and categorize plants and fungi. 

Dichotomous Key / Leaf Detectives: Students create a dichotomous key and use a key to identify plants. 

Primitive Plants: Students identify fungi, lichens, ferns and moss and examine their adaptations and role in the forest ecosystem. 

Flower parts: Students examine and dissect flowers and discuss the structure and function of flower parts. 

Tree Parts: Students act out the internal parts of a tree and the function of each (outer bark, xylem, phloem, cambium, heartwood). 

Succession and Disturbance: Students explore the process of forest succession, outline human and natural disturbances, and collect data to characterize a variety of sites as to their stage in succession. 

Seed and Spore Dispersal: Students collect and identify seeds and spores and describe their dispersal techniques. Dispersal is linked to forest succession. 

Tree Age: Students use a variety of techniques to determine tree age and estimate the age a forest stand. 

Tree Height / Board Foot Volume: Students use geometric triangulation and forestry tools to calculate the height of a tree and then calculate the volume of lumber contained in a tree. Students discuss human use of wood products and how activities such as paper recycling can reduce the amount of trees harvested. 

Forest Layers: Students examine and identify the various layers found in a forest ecosystem and discuss layers as a diversity of habitat for wildlife. 

Logging Tools: Students learn how to use crosscut saws and other historic logging tools and look for historical signs of the use of such tools at the site. 

Fire Ecology: Students identify signs of forest fire and discuss the impact of fire on a forest ecosystem. 

Plant associations: Students characterize forest plots in terms of plants that are usually found together and analyze reasons for particular plant associations. 

Ethnobotany: Students examine a variety of items made from plants and discuss the history of human use of plants in the Pacific Northwest. 

Photosynthesis: Students explore the process of photosynthesis and relate the process to activities they do on field study. 

Nurse Logs: Students examine decomposing logs and stumps and observe and analyze their role in a forest ecosystem.
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11611 NE Ainsworth Circle, Portland OR 97220
phone: (503) 257-1600 fax: (503) 257-1592
​outdoorschool@mesd.k12.or.us
© COPYRIGHT 2019. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  • About
    • Mission
    • Meet Our Staff
    • Session Calendar
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Merchandise
    • Partners
    • Contact
  • Programs
    • Outdoor School >
      • Program Tour
      • Field Study Tour >
        • Animals Field Study Tour
        • Plants Field Study Tour
        • Soil Field Study Tour
        • Water Field Study Tour
        • Academic Program Elements
      • Sample Daily Schedule
      • Register Your Class for ODS
      • Session Calendar
    • 4th Grade Overnight
    • StarLab >
      • Presentations
      • Space Requirements
      • Adjustments & Fees
  • Sites
    • Angelos / Sandy River >
      • ASR Location & Directions
      • ASR Facilities
      • ASR Science & Nature
      • ASR Land & History
      • ASR Meet the Staff
    • Collins >
      • CL Location & Directions
      • CL Facilities
      • CL Science & Nature
      • CL Land & History
      • CL Meet the Staff
    • Kuratli / Trestle Glen >
      • KR Location & Directions
      • KR Facilities
      • KR Science & Nature
      • KR Land & History
      • KR Meet the Staff
    • Namanu >
      • NM Location & Directions
      • NM Facilities
      • NM Science & Nature
      • NM Land & History
      • NM Meet the Staff
    • Westwind >
      • WW Location & Directions
      • WW Facilities
      • WW Science & Nature
      • WW Land & History
      • WW Meet the Staff
  • History
    • History by Decade >
      • The 1960s
      • The 1970s
      • The 1980s
      • The 1990s
      • The 2000s
      • The 2010s
      • The 2020s
    • Retired Sites >
      • Adams / Milk Creek
      • Adams / Nate Creek
      • Arrah Wanna >
        • AW Location & Directions
        • AW Facilities
        • AW Science & Nature
        • AW Land & History
        • AW Meet the Staff
      • Canby Grove >
        • CG Location & Directions
        • CG Facilities
        • CG Science & Nature
        • CG Land & History
        • CG Meet the Staff
      • Cascade >
        • CAS Location & Directions
        • CAS Facilities
        • CAS Science & Nature
        • CAS Land & History
        • CAS Meet the Staff
      • Colton
      • Crestview
      • Eagle Fern
      • Howard >
        • HO Location & Directions
        • HO Facilities
        • HO Science & Nature
        • HO Land & History
        • HO Meet the Staff
      • Kiwanis >
        • KW Location & Directions
        • KW Facilities
        • KW Land & History
        • KW Staff
      • Scouter's Mountain
      • Sports Acres
      • Trout Creek
      • Yamhill
    • Outdoor School Staff Photos
  • For Parents
    • Dear Parents and / or Guardians
    • Frequently Asked Questions >
      • English
      • Español
      • русски
      • tiếng Việt
    • Forms for Parents
    • Sample Daily Schedule
    • Sample Menu
    • Students with Specific Needs
    • Parents of Student Leaders
    • Session Calendar
  • For Teachers
    • Outdoor School Curriculum
    • Preparation & Follow-Up Ideas
    • Special Needs - Outdoor School
    • Supporting Transgender Youth
    • Forms for Teachers
    • Translated Parent Info
    • Sample Teacher Schedule
    • Ideas for Class Meetings
    • Fundraising Ideas
    • Next Gen Science Standards >
      • NGSS Alignment: Animals
      • NGSS Alignment: Plants
      • NGSS Alignment: Soil
      • NGSS Alignment: Water
    • Teacher Calendar
  • For Student Leaders
    • Criteria for Participation
    • SL Workshop Training
    • Register for Workshop
    • Makeup Workshop
    • Student Leader Recruiters
    • Student Leader Calendar
    • Bus Schedules
    • Forms for Student Leaders
    • Parents of Student Leaders
    • 10 Reasons to Participate
    • Handbook, Songbook, & Skits >
      • Beginner Handbook
      • Advanced Handbook
      • Outdoor School Songbook
    • SL Sample Weekly Schedule
    • Evaluation Rubric
    • College Credit & Scholarships >
      • PCC College Credit
      • Student Leader Scholarship
    • Jobs, Internships & Programs
    • Support Resources
    • Social Media
    • Special Needs Volunteers
  • For Staff
    • Trainings & Certifications
    • Incident Reporting
    • Wildlife Handling Guidelines
    • How to Field Instructor
    • How to Program Leader
    • Staff & Field Study Songs
    • Professional Resources
    • Seasonal Employment
    • Job Listings
    • Merchandise Payment
    • Staff Calendar
  • MESD