A Scavenger Hunt into The Maple Tree Species Diversity
Author(s): Hilton Oyamaguchi1, Richard Leonard2
1. Chestnut Hill College 2. Our Mother of Consolation School
36 total view(s), 8 download(s)
- 1_Maples Lesson Plan.pdf(PDF | 11 MB)
- 2_Final version.pdf(PDF | 867 KB)
- Sample of pressed leaves.pdf(PDF | 948 KB)
- License terms
Description
This lesson plan aims to provide students with an interactive experience with nature, focusing on maple trees' diversity and ecological importance in urban forests. It focuses on five key common species: Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum), Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Norway Maple (Acer platanoides), and Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum).
Objectives:
-
Identify the characteristics of five common maple species on the Eastern Coast.
-
Understand the ecological significance of maples in local ecosystems.
-
Understand the five maple species' phylogenetic relationships
Context: This lesson plan suits middle school, high school, and introductory undergraduate biodiversity, ecology, and conservation courses. It is also ideal for environmental education events where students can be facilitators.
This lesson plan contains:
-
Lesson plan instruction: detailed objectives, and step-by-step instructions.
-
Introduction to Maple Diversity
-
Key leaf identification traits like serration, number of lobes, and some ecological aspects
-
Evolutionary relationships among maples species and a simple phylogenetic tree diagram of the five species
3. Maple ID Card PDF Template: Space to press and glue leaves on paper (cardstock), including QR codes linking to digital resources from the iNaturalist webpage for further learning.
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
- Oyamaguchi, H., Leonard, R. (2024). A Scavenger Hunt into The Maple Tree Species Diversity. QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/ZK6R-NC49