Handbook:Example 8 Observe, draw and identify

Work in progress, scenario will be available soon

1 Overview

This is a workshop in which pupils have to identify plants by drawing them first. This is interesting because increases their observation skills and joins in the one hand the very basic an essential activity that a naturalist must practice, which is sketching an organism, with the latest technologies: identifying it on a digital tool.

2 School level

It is focused for late Primary and Secondary students; the teacher is who decides whether his/her students are ready or not for the activity.

3 Identification key

This workshop is taking place at the "Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid", for which we use the keys: http://dbiodbs.units.it/carso/chiavi_pub21?sc=119 and http://dbiodbs.units.it/carso/chiavi_pub21?sc=165 (advanced version)

At the "Real Jardín Botánico Juan Carlos I (Alcalá)" these tools are being used as well on their own workshops.

Another center that develops this workshop is "Environmental Centre Villaviciosa de Odón" which uses its own tool:

http://dbiodbs.units.it/carso/chiavi_pub21?sc=311

4 Further resources

The workshop requires some supporting material to use the keys correctly, such as a glossary of terms and a brief description of leafs types, both things available at the Spanish National Portal of k2n.

In addition, at the "Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid" in order to face the lack of leafs of many species on winter, we have prepared a set of laminated dry leafs. These resources are very convenient because the student can stand in front of the leafless tree to see its trunk and structure, while he or she has the laminated leafs to look at, which by the way, being on plastic can stand rain and other bad weather conditions.

5 Preparation

The preparation starts by selecting a group of species to include on the key, then producing the key itself. The glossary is made afterwards and must include all the botanical terms appearing at the key; the supporting material on leafs is based also on the key, adapted to it.

For the laminated dry leafs the preparation is:

-Drying up process using a press and an electric heater.

-Preparing tags with the k2n and RJB logos and a specie code (the full name was omitted, for students to identify)

-Laminating the leaves using 216 x 303 mm. laminating pouches and a laminating machine with hot rollers.

6 Background information

Before the workshop takes place, most teachers introduce in class the experience to pupils using the support information ("leafs types" and "glossary") available on the Spanish National Portal, which is very advisable so students can have a good starting point. In addition, right before the workshops starts, there is a short explanation about the importance of studding and preserving biodiversity and some clues about k2n are given.