Life Science Plant Specimen Photography by a 6th grader

Welcome to Science Grade 6 to 8 from USA Heartland! I'm Becca S! I live, teach, and do science in the Midwest. Crazy temperatures last week in the midst of a crazy world fighting to stay alive. The focus of this post is not the pandemic but some amazing closeup photographs snapped by one of my 6th graders. Student "C" has taken on the challenge of doing the extensions I've suggested, which means this is extra. It's not required as part of the pass/fail system that our district has during Remote Learning Days.

My extension suggestions for each JH grade have been a scientific lab-related skill that they can safely do at home with minimal fuss and supplies.

The 6th graders have just switched from plants to animals (invertebrates) in the past 3 school days, so collecting or photographing plant specimens got continued for a few more days.

Student "C" provided facts about each plant along with a full specimen photo and a closeup pic. The quality of the snapshots have been fantastic! I've really enjoyed receiving this student's yard tour!

Remember this is a sixth grader. 3rd quarter we've tried to work on lab drawing and realism art skills like accurate details, sizing, and scale. This student has remembered to tell me the plant name, where it is commonly found, and several characteristics of it. By taking the photograph, "C" is documenting and by relaying it to me, "C"'s sharing his work. And now with his and his parents' permissions, internet technology is giving us the opportunity to share with a larger audience. (THANK YOU.)

Enjoy Earth's variety on this Earth Day evening:

And the final one I've saved is a 'lone wolf'=

There have been a few others I've seen but I failed to save. However with these that are featured in this blog post, please take time to click on the closeup photos to zoom out in order to be amazed at the intricate details that can be observed.

Thanks for taking time to read and view how a few of us are DOING science in the USA heartland!

--Becca S
B.S. Secondary Education-Home Economics proficiency and M. Ed. Elementary Ed w/ ECE emphasis
Illinois State Board of Education = 
*approval for general science grades 5-8
*endorsement in ECE/Birth to Grade 3
*endorsement in FACS grades 6-12