Education

Introduction

The following resources are provided for educators, and include material suitable for students ranging from grade school to university-level classes. The type of resources are indicated in the left-hand column and include internet sites, downloadable posters and PowerPoint presentations, computer games and software, and experiments.

Computer Games & Programs

Downloadable Posters & Presentations

This resource links to an illustrated poster of five examples of plant diseases, and briefly explains what plant diseases are and why they are  important to Canadians.  The poster can be directly downloaded as a “pdf” file and viewed directly on a computer screen, or printed out and used as a poster demonstration.  To download, click on the following link:

Plant Pathology in the Classroom. Plants get sick too!

The above poster is also available as a downloadable pdf file of a PowerPoint presentation that contains more explanatory text and, in particular, contains more background and text explaining how plant pathology can be introduced to school curriculum.  This presentation is also entitled:

Plant Pathology in the Classroom.  Plants get Sick Too? 

You will need software such as Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® software to view this pdf file.  This software can be downloaded free.

Experiments

The following titles link to projects in plant pathology for elementary and secondary grade students interested in conducting their own scientific experiments in plant pathology. Each page summarizes the objective and the required materials and methods for completing these experiments. In addition, there are Instructions for Supervisors in each experiment. One experiment is presented in both French and English.

• The Effect of Fungal Growth on Seed Health
• Isolation of Soil Microorganisms
• Atelier pratique à l’intention à l’âge secondaire
• Plants can get sick from a virus too: How you can transmit a virus to young wheat plant
• What are Koch’s Postulates?

Websites

APS Education Center provides a central site for the presentation of peer-reviewed instructional publications and resources for plant pathology and closely related disciplines. This site includes materials for students, instructors, and continuing education.

Plant Pathology: Past to Present is an illustrated storybook describing the origin, relevance and science of plant pathology.The story unfolds as if told by Anton deBary, father of plant pathology, and is suitable for elementary and secondary students to adults.  This link will take you to the storybook, which is hosted by the American Phytopathological Society. (Select “Education and Learning” and then “Plant Pathology: Past Present, an illustrated storybook).

Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) (the Canada site).  “Agriculture in the Classroom programs across Canada build an awareness and an understanding of sustainable agriculture and food systems by providing educational programs and resources to  students and teachers.” This website presents the AITC programs of individual provinces, and contains numerous Resource Listings for Teachers, often presenting the information according to the age of students, type of crops, etc.

• See also: Agriculture in the Classroom – the Saskatchewan site 
• See also: Agriculture in the Classroom – the US site

Wisconsin Fast Plants were developed at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in the plant research program of Professor Paul H. Williams. First used by research scientists in the laboratory, Fast Plants, are now used in classrooms around the world as a model tool for hands-on, investigative science.

The APSnet Education Center.  The purpose of the APSnet Education Center is to provide a central site for the presentation of peer-reviewed instructional publications and resources for plant pathology and closely related disciplines.

The Great Plant Escape. (Grades 4-5).  Help Detective Leplant and his partners Bud and Sprout unlock the amazing mysteries of plant life!

In Search of Green Life and other plans. (Elementary).  Detective LePlant needs your help to solve the mystery of plant life! To solve this case, you must identify the different parts of plants, what each part does, and how plants grow. Good luck!

The Plant Detective. (Elementary).  The Plant Detective is an interactive presentation describing the different parts of a plant, introducing topics such as reproduction, photosynthesis, and adaptation.

Mission to Mars. Growing Seeds in Space (Grades 3-6 and 8-10).  Learn about survival in space and on Mars by participating in Tomatosphere, a unique and exciting educational experience for students.

Pesticides, Your Questions Answered. ‐ This section explains what pesticides are, why they are used and the regulatory system that controls their use.

Want to Get Involved?

Members of CPS are encouraged to submit Research Resources that may be helpful to students of all ages interested in plant health and plant pathology. Examples include new methods, computer software, etc., that you would like to freely distribute to other plant pathologists.

Are you interested in developing materials for internet education and plant pathology but don’t know where to start? Then the following links may provide some examples of how the internet is being used for on-line innovative education and experimentation.

The Internet Plasma Physics Education eXperience (IPPEX) site on the internet allows students and teachers to participate remotely in scientific research at the country’s largest fusion energy laboratory.

Partners in Science Education; A program of the Geneva Chapter of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. This program is an opportunity to have scientists who work in our community help enrich science education in local schools. Scientists from Cornell’s Geneva Experiment Station and from Hobart and William Smith Colleges are participating in this service program to help students understand that science is a fascinating, creative hands-on activity.

Scientists in School is an incorporated, not-for-profit organization and registered charity that brings science to life for elementary classrooms through fun and exciting, “hands-on”, natural and applied science and technology programs. By involving children throughout their elementary grades as “scientists” under the guidance of an enthusiastic scientist, our aim is to inspire greater understanding and interest in all young minds and to expose students to a variety of scientist role models, many of whom are female. A complementary aim is to provide mentoring for elementary teachers, both right in their classrooms and through teacher workshops, in order to enhance teacher capability and confidence in teaching science and technology using “hands-on” methods.