OBJECTIVE: Students learn about orchid plants and the orchid industry by visiting a virtual field trip site and an actual orchid nursery. Here they will gather and organize information on the orchid family, orchid propagation, orchid growing and orchid sales.
TIME REQUIRED: One 60 minute class period and one day for the field trip.
BACKGROUND: Students should be familiar with the school computers and able to navigate to the Internet so that they can find the virtual field trip online.
ADVANCED PREPARATION: Set up a field trip with a local orchid nursery. Have student review their project and prepare so that the tour and information at the nursery will help the students with their project. Check the virtual field trip site before the students go to it to make sure that everything is working correctly. Give students a list of specific things that they are to look for during the tour.
ANTICIPATORY SET: Ask students if they have ever been to a plant nursery or inside a greenhouse. Explain what they will see and methods for collecting data at both sites. Challenge them to look for characteristics about the nursery that will help them work on their project.
ACTIVITY:
PROCEDURE:
Class discussion on what to look for at the nursery.
Teacher reminds students to use detail when describing the plants and the nursery operation.
Students get into their groups to prepare questions for the tour.
Students go to the virtual field trip site and navigate through the video to collect information and become familiar with the site.
The class visits Cal Orchids to ask further questions and gain more information.
CLOSURE: Students share their information with the class and teacher writes down facts and information on the board or on an overhead so that all students can add to their paper.
EXTENSION: Students visit an actual orchid nursery in their area. They interview the owners and workers on how the operation works (growing, propagating and sales). They take a tour and buy plants for their presentations.
HOMEWORK: Students organize their information into the three categories of orchid care, orchid propagation and orchid sales. They then type this information and turn in to use for their report and presentation.
SKILLS: ANALYZING, INFERRING, ORGANIZING, COMMUNICATING
EVALUATION: Use my virtual field trip on Cal Orchid or prepare your own. I created my video using I-Movie. Take short clips to eliminate extensive editing. Make sure that you film all areas involved (growing, propagation and sales). Most nurseries don't have a huge showroom and many nurseries have laboratories propagate their orchids so they may only have flasks that were already prepared. Stay simple and short so that your video is easy to post. Plan a whole day for your field trip. In the past the trip has been cut short and students really like to browse the plants to buy.