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Natural Awareness

Kathleen Anne Cain
Traditional School-Remington, Maryland Heights, Missouri

Subject: Science
Grade: 4

"I felt that this was one of the greatest learning experiences I could have shared with these students this year."

Purpose and Description of Project

Within an overall unit on the life cycles of plants, insects, and small animals, Kathleen Cain involved her students in photography to particularly highlight and record plant growth and make close-up studies of plant parts.

Students learned about "bulb" forcing, planted their own crocus bulb and photographed the bulb as it developed; learned to take close-up photos of flowering plants; and set up a movie camera to produce a time-lapse film showing growth of one of their own plants. The students framed their best shots for display at the school and a special evening exhibit for parents. Their time-lapse film also was presented to the parents and was shared with other classes.

The teacher found the photographs particularly useful in making students aware of the stages of plant development and pointing up the specific parts of flowers. The students' degree of interest was demonstrated by the fact that they were involved in time-lapse photography even though that had not been one of the planned aspects of the project.

Activities

The students were first taught basic photography by staff of a local camera store. This included camera handling, the main parts of the camera, and the elements of a good photo. Shortly afterward, they attended a workshop on bulb forcing at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, where they took pictures. They then planted their own bulbs and photographed them at various intervals during the project.

The youngsters next learned about close-up photography from two professional nature photographers, who demonstrated a 35 mm camera with a telescopic lens. They then photographed flowering plants borrowed from a commercial greenhouse. At this point, the class moved into time lapse photography, studying animated films and setting up a camera and tripod to show the growth of one of their plants. They also simulated plant and animal growth with clay representations and created an animated film.

In preparation for displaying their work, the students next chose their best pictures to frame, arranged them in sequence, and wrote captions.

They also worked with the school music instructor to select music that best enhanced their time-lapse film. Photos and films were shared with classmates and parents.

Materials, Resources, and Expenses

Human resources included professional photographers, camera store personnel, and the school music teacher. Students used their own cameras, film, and flashbulbs for most of the photos, while demonstration cameras, the 35 mm camera and close-up lens, and movie camera were borrowed. Other equipment included a film projector, tape recorder, and KODAK EKTAGRAPHIC Visualmaker.

Outcomes and Adaptability

Cain reports that the students learned how to take regular and closeup photos and to make time-lapse and animated films, which enhanced their studies of plant growth and plant parts. They both scored well on their life cycles tests but also were proud to display their photographic products.

She believes "that any of the activities or lessons could be reproduced easily" but notes that other teachers might want to schedule the unit to avoid long interruptions such as spring break since that means missing a substantial amount of plant growth.

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