In this Form 2 (grade 4-6) 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.

The study guide includes reading assignments from the spine text, narration prompts, and open discussion questions. Experiments related to the reading are also included. Optional supplemental activities, such as current events, videos, and article suggestions when there is time, are also included. Finally, you will find a link to an exam for each course in the introductory material.

Pages: 66
Prerequisites: none

Spine Text

This study guide accompanies the living book The First Book of Plants by Alice Dickinson (Living Library Press, 2017, ISBN: 0692874887), which must be purchased separately.

71 pages
Reading Level: 4-8 grade
Prerequisites: none
I strongly recommend you purchase the newly reprinted Living Library Press version rather than using the older reprint by Forgotten Books. It 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.

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. —Michele Jahncke (source)

Other Necessary Items to Complement This Course

Review the Supply List for this course.
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
Note that 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 approximately 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 their observations. Due to the subject matter of this study guide, some of this daily work will need to be done after sunset.
Additional reading on this science topic and nature topics according to individual desire and interest.

The wealth of CM science and nature information SMH provides has been a gift to this mom who came to CM later in her children’s education. The science guides, which we have used for forms 2-6, have made something that felt overwhelming be both manageable and enjoyable.

—Amy G.

Sample Lessons: