In this Form 2 Botany study guide, students will be introduced to the study of botany. They will learn about a plant’s life cycle, including its seeds, what a plant needs to survive and grow, how it uses the nourishment it gathers, and how pollen and seeds travel. They will also study symbiosis, fungi, algae, mosses and ferns.

Spine Text:

This study guide accompanies the living book The First Book of Plants by Alice Dickinson. Buy a newly reprinted copy of this book from Living Library Press, or for an extensive used copy search, try used.addall.com. I do not recommend the reprint by Forgotten Books, as the page numbers are different from the original text and do not coordinate with this study guide.

Please Note: The reprint from Forgotten Books does not have the same page numbers and will therefore not coordinate well with the study guide. You can still use it, but you will need to make adjustments on your own.

71 pages
Reading Level: 4-8 grade
Prerequisites: none

Author Bio:

Alice Dickinson (1905) grew up in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Her father was owner and editor of The Independence, where she and her sister would help hand-set type before the printing of the newspaper each week. When still a young girl, the state decided everyone should have their IQ tested. Alice had to take the test twice since she tested so high the first time there was thought to be some mistake. But she scored even higher the second time.

Ms. Dickinson grew up to become a teacher, a librarian, and an editor and author of children’s books. She wrote about history and natural history as well as biographies of Charles Darwin and Carl Linnaeus. (source)

Other Necessary Items to Complement This Course

Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
Supply List
Important Supply Note: Seed packets may be hard to find in the fall and winter, so be prepared by purchasing your seeds early.

Schedule:

This study guide includes 33 morning lessons, three per week, each requiring 20-30 minutes. Each week will include the following science lessons:

Weekly Lesson 1: Nature Lore
Weekly Lesson 2: Natural History Science Reading and sometimes an activity
Weekly Lesson 3: Special Studies Reading or Natural History Activity

Other necessary science and nature study should be done during afternoons or evenings, and may include the following:

Daily work outside exploring and investigating, making notes or drawings of observations.
Additional reading on this science topic and nature topics according to individual desire and interest.

This guide uses the following tools and prompts: