Washington Native Plant Society: Middle School Habitat Garden Restoration Project

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Middle School Native Plant Habitat Garden Restoration Project

Creating a native plant habitat garden or restoration project provides countless opportunities for learning. Use the documents that follow as a guide to creating your project; use the lessons found in the Middle School Native Plant Habitat Restoration Education activities to reach your learning objectives.

Titles (PDF)	Description
Habitat Garden/Restoration Project – Goals and Objectives	Goals for a habitat garden restoration project and the ways to achieve those goals set the stage for success.
Steps for Planning and Implementing Restoration Projects	From inspiration to site assessment, this step-by-step guide provides direction for project planners.
Steps for Restoration – Student Activities	What is a native plant? Which plants are native or non-native? Are all non-native plants ‘bad’? How many native plants do you know? How many do I want to know by the end of this unit?
Plant Scramble Game	Student checklists, forms, and activities engage students in the same process as that used by the project planners.
Project/Curriculum Flow Chart	A school-year flow chart outlines the integration of curricular materials and habitat garden activities.
Curriculum Scope and Sequence	A scope and sequence for instruction details guiding questions, activities, resources, and assessment strategies.
Wildlife Habitat Restoration Project – Scope and Sequence	Dovetailing with the Curriculum Scope and Sequence, this scope and sequence correlates curriculum components and activities with project development and site activities.
Habitat Garden Lesson Plans	Seven sample lesson plans engage students in assessing and addressing environmental issues related to habitat.
Schoolyard Habitat - Week 1 – class outline	A sample class outline for introductory school habitat project lessons.
Model Activity 1: Components of Habitat	Students discuss key components of habitat and then associate habitat objects with ‘Component Cards.’
Habitat Plot Journals	Three sample forms for Journal pages provide for a variety of data collection.
Wildlife Poster Research Form	Students collect information about a particular animal species for use in creating a poster for display.
Wildlife Research Form	A simple form guides students as they research a particular animal species.
Slide Show Narration	A slide show script and description of the slides provides a model for creating a habitat project slideshow for students and the community.
Rainshadow Effect	A diagram of a cross-section of the West shows the impact of geography on ecosystem types.
Native Plant Definitions and Lists	Native plant definitions lead the way to plant lists of common western Washington native and non-native plants, including lists by community type.
Leaf Description Definitions	Drawings and descriptions of leaf types, shape, edges, and surfaces; useful for plant identification and leaf observation activities found in the Middle School Native Plant Habitat Restoration Education activities.
Leaf Descriptions	Students collect and study six leaves from at least three different plants for use in the leaf activities found in the Middle School Native Plant Habitat Restoration Education activities.
Native Plant Scramble Game	A list of suggested plants by season and time to assure success with the Native Plant Scramble game found in the Middle School Native Plant Habitat Restoration Education activities.
Plant Names Photo Sheet	Students create a native plant poster using this suggested arrangement for photos.
Plant Research Form	A simple form guides students as they research a particular native plant species.
Native Plant Id Walk	Scripts and suggestions for two Seasonal Native Plant ID Walks (Fall and Winter Walk and Spring Walk)), and a Native Plant ID Walk using interesting facts and props.
Weed Botany Basics	A short course in the botany of weeds including life cycles and how they propagate.
Interpretive Program Description – Herbarium Plant Communities Poster Activity	Student create posters of existing plant communities then add plants that could also grow in those communities.
Landscape Mapping	A variety of templates and maps useful in site assessment, as well as in the site design activities found in the Middle School Native Plant Habitat Restoration Education activities.
Sample Grounds Map	A sample grounds map provides students with a concrete example of the elements to be included in a site map.
Ethnobotany Story	A variety of ethnobotany stories help students connect the plants they see to historic uses.

The native plant education materials provided on this page were developed by Starflower Foundation.