The SAPS team had a great time at the ASE (Association for Science Education) Conference 2012, in Liverpool, in January 2012. It was great to meet so many talented teachers enthusiastic about improving teaching plant science in their school, and particularly to meet so many keen trainee teachers. We hope that, if you picked up a packet of radish seeds, you're looking forward to using them in your school.
Much more than just tasty salad vegetables, radishes make great resources for the science lab. We were giving away a quick-growing variety at ASE called 'Cherry Belle', suitable for both eating and using for a variety of experiments.
'Algal Balls' - Photosynthesis using algae wrapped in jelly balls
A fun, reliable and visual way to look at photosynthesis, particularly in the winter months when plants are less easy to use for this. Photosynthetic algae are immobilised in sodium alginate beads, and equal numbers placed in a series of bijou bottles filled with indicator solution. As the algae photosynthesise and respire, the pH of the solution will change, giving a very visual indication of the rate of photosynthesis. Students love creating the algal beads, and the flexibility of the protocol means it can be extended for a range of different investigations. As demonstrated by the SAPS team to the Queen!
Problems with mouldy cauliflowers? This protocol should get your micropropagation techniques sorted - we heard some very positive stories at ASE about how well this has worked for people.
Microscopy - looking at xylem and specialised cells
Resources to show how you can use microscopes for quick, cheap and easy practicals in your lab. These resources were developed by our current Nuffield Teaching Fellow, Vicki Cottrell, who many of you will have met at our stand or in the demo at ASE.
Plants in the Science Curriuculum
This resource supports you to teach current plant science requirements for 14-16 and post-16 classes, guiding you through accessible, low-budget plant material and their associated teaching topics. Summaries are provided for each plant followed by individual plant profiles, which include information on teaching with these plants, caring for them (where applicable), costs, suppliers and links to relevant teaching resources.
Demonstrating oxygen evolution during photosynthesis with Cabomba
Demonstrating oxygen formation during photosynthesis can be a tricky
process. One common way is to gather bubbles of gas given off by an
aquatic plant. Cabomba, a pond weed available from science suppliers and pet shops, is a reliable plant to use in this demonstration, as visitors to the ASE demo will have seen.
Ecology Exercise 3 - Abundance and random sampling at Waun Las Nature Reserve, Wales
Based on our popular resource Measuring Abundance and Random Sampling, this resource covers the same key skills. Students learn about random sampling and different measures of abundance, before looking at close-up photographs of quadrats and using our field guide to identify them. The resource is intended to help students develop skills and plant identification techniques before going out into the field. This resource also allows you to introduce the effects of different conservation techniques in managing species diversity, by contrasting different locations at Waun Las National Nature Reserve, part of the National Botanic Garden of Wales.
How rich is your habitat? An ecology practical using sugar sprinkles
This excellent practical for post-16 students, developed by the Linnean Society, drew everyone's eyes at the conference. Students create a model ecosystem using sugar cake sprinkles to learn the principles of random sampling and how to estimate biodiversity
What's in a name? Classification and taxonomy
A collection of four useful worksheets and lesson plans for post-16 students, introducing key topics in classification, taxonomy, genetics and evolution, from the Linnean Society.