Event-Based
Science is a new way to teach middle
school science. It is an award-winning,
standards-based program in which
newsworthy events establish the relevance
of science topics; authentic tasks create
the need-to-know more about those topics;
and lively interviews, photographs, Web
pages, and inquiry-based science
activities create a desire to know more
about those topics.
Blight!
is an Event-Based Science module about
plants. It uses the 1845 potato famine in
Ireland, to establish the context for
exploring concepts related to plants and
plant diseases. The task in Blight!
brings the study of plants up to date and
much closer to home. It makes your
students producers of television programs
about different plants and the diseases
that effect them.
The Event-Based Science
Project has just posted an alternate Blight!
science activity on our Web site. Managing a
Pest is an activity that may be used as an
additional activity by students who are completing
our Blight! module. It also may be used by
anyone as an introduction to integrated pest
management.
As with all Event-Based
Science modules, much of the information that
students need is provided in the pages of
Blight!. However, more information is
needed. Specific information about plants, plant diseases, and
disease-causing organisms is available at the
World-Wide Web sites below. Click on the
highlighted words and be linked with sites where
this helpful information can be found.
A "pdf" file containing web
sites, books, material lists, and correlations with
National Science Education Standards.
Use the
BACK button in your browser to return to
this page.
Links to
Blight!-related WEB Sites
(Links are checked monthly. They were working
on the date of the last update.)
The
Coldest WinterThis passage is for students to read as they
complete Reading Historical Fiction, the English
Interdisciplinary Activity in
Blight!
This passage is reprinted here by permission of Oxford
University Press.
Plant
Anatomy refers
to the description of the structure and parts of
a plant. There are some standard terms that are
used to describe leaves, stems, flowers, roots,
etc.
What
is Photosynthesis?
A list of articles on photosynthesis, courtesy of
Arizona State University. Some articles are
geared to elementary and middle school, while
other articles are appropriate for college
students. Learn about photosynthetic pigments,
preparing starch slides, and how photosynthesis
rates are measured in nature.
Seeds
in Space
Scientists hope that an unusual experiment
slated for launch on the space shuttle this
summer will reveal how plants know up from
down.
Precision
Farming Land
Management For
farmers and land managers, increasing crop
yields and cutting costs while reducing
environmental pollution is a constant challenge.
To accomplish this goal, many farm managers are
looking for new technologies to help them decide
when and where to irrigate, fertilize, seed
crops, and use herbicides. Recent technological
advances in geographic information systems (GIS)
and computer modeling are playing a part in farm
management and precision farming. Using data
collected by satellites, important agricultural
factors like plant health, plant cover and soil
moisture can be monitored from space, providing
a much bigger picture of the land surface that
can be combined with other technologies to help
cut costs and increase crop yields.
Ideas
for Science Fair
Projects Here
is a list of questions that might help suggest
science fair projects related to photosynthesis.
The details are left to the students to work out
as the purpose is not to do the work for the
students, but to get them thinking about their
projects.
Greasy
Spot of
Citrus (You may substitute
Citrus
Canker
as the citrus disease to study. A
flair up of this devastating
disease is spreading across
Florida.)
Blight!
is an Event-Based Science module about
plants. It uses the 1845 potato famine in
Ireland, to establish the context for
exploring concepts related to plants and
plant diseases. The task in Blight!
brings the study of plants up to date and
much closer to home. It makes your
students producers of television programs
about different plants and the diseases
that effect them.
Click
here to use Google News to search and
browse 4,500 continuously updated news
sources for breaking news about plant
disease
