Plant Diversity Top Ten

Use this simple activity to explore some ways that we rely on plants.
Teacher guidelines:

1. Break students into pairs or small groups.
2. Ask your students to write down the names of as many plants as they can that they have used in the past week.
3. Share the results as a class. As you compile the answers on a board, you might want to break them into different categories, such as food, medicine, clothing, cosmetics, recreation, etc.
4. Once you have shared what the students already know, pass out copies or use an overhead of the Plants and People section to help stimulate more ideas. Are there any uses for plants that the class did not mention? After looking at those pages, are there any plants they wish to add to their lists?
5. Ask your students to revise their lists and agree on a "top ten" list of beneficial plants.
6. Discuss this top ten list. Some questions you might want to ask are: What seem to be the most important benefits we derive from plants? Do you think that most people know what their clothes are made from or what is in the foods they eat? Why might that be important? What, in your opinion, are the most important reasons to save plants from extinction? Why are plants so important for the planet's health?
7. As a follow-up to this activity, instruct your students to choose one plant from their list and find out more about it. For example, they can trace the origins of their favorite foods or report on a plant's history, uses, distribution, endangerment status, and whether it is native or introduced. Here are some suggestions for plants that are native to North America:

   Food: grapes, blueberries, pecans, wild rice, cranberries, walnuts, sunflowers, cherries

   Medicines: willow (from which aspirin is derived), Pacific yew, American ginseng, garlic, Indian tobacco, kelp, witch hazel

   Clothing: cotton

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