This week we will investigate the importance of plants in our everyday lives – in ways other than just for oxygen
Overview: This week we will investigate the importance of plants in our everyday lives – in ways other than just for oxygen.
Photosynthesis is arguably one of the most important processes on Earth – essentially all life depends on it. Humans and other animals depend on plants to capture the energy of the sun and use that energy to manufacture carbohydrates – subsequently releasing the oxygen that we breathe. But plants are vital to our lives in other ways as well. Think about the pencil you write with (or used to), the toothpick you used last night, the cotton T-shirt you wore today, or the maple syrup you had on your pancakes this morning. These all came from plants! Ethnobotany is the study of the relationship between plants and people – plants used for practical, ceremonial, spiritual, medicinal, decorative, edible, etc. purposes.
Instructions: There are two required elements to every weekly discussion:
• Main Post (See Requirements section below for details)
o Weeks 2-8 (due by Wednesday)
• Reply Posts (See Requirements section below for details)
o Weeks 1- 8 (due by Sunday)
o Reply to a minimum of two classmates’ main posts
o Monitor your main post and reply to those who commented within the active discussion week
o Participate throughout the week (on more than one day)
Evaluation: Refer to the STEM Discussion Grading Rubric below for a detailed breakdown of the grading criteria requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements noted above will not result in a score of 100. To understand how to maximize your overall Discussion grade, I suggest you refer to the “Exemplary” criterion column to learn more about what is expected. NOTE: All listed requirements in a given criterion box must be met to achieve that criterion score. Contact me should you have any questions.
Late posts: Main and reply posts submitted after the scheduled due dates may be assessed a penalty according to the late policy in the syllabus.
Main Post Requirements:
• You are to find a plant product that we use every day and do not pick one that your classmates have already chosen.
• Make sure to include the product name in the title of your discussion post so that others can quickly see what you have chosen.
• Do some research and address the following:
o From what plant does your product come? Include the common and scientific name (properly formatted).
o What is the product? What does it do? How do we extract it from the plant? Describe in detail.
o What is the primary use: medicinal, ceremonial, etc.?
o Are there commercial fields for the plant? Where?
o Are there any substitutes for your product? If there is no information, feel free to take an educated guess, and support it.
o What is the most fascinating thing you learned about your product?
Reply Posts Requirements: Replies should be focused on the week’s topic and biology. They should be substantive* and demonstrate understanding to be eligible for maximum credit. Respectful and professional discussion is expected.
*”Substantive” means comments that contribute something new and relevant to the discussion. Thus, a reply that simply conveys agreement or reiterates the original poster’s thoughts is not substantive. Rather, a best-practice reply:
• contributes a new idea or perspective
• asks good follow-up questions to points made
• provides examples or illustrations of a key point
• points out inconsistencies in an argument
• shares a new and relevant resource to further the discussion
Additional Resources:
Missouri Botanical Garden: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plant-conservation/plant-conservation/conservation-in-action/plants-and-people.aspx
New York Botanical Garden: https://www.nybg.org/plant-research-and-conservation/explore/plants-and-people/
TEDX Video: https://youtu.be/st4K_RYw16E
Attribution Requirements and Academic Honesty: It is expected that most discussion topics will require the use of course materials or other outside sources. Those must be properly attributed so that the reader understands the source of the information (e.g., source URL). Cutting-and-pasting text from any source is unacceptable unless properly displayed as an attributed direct quote; however, the use of direct quotes should be very limited (less than 10%). It is expected that the bulk of any post will be in your own words (paraphrase). Please review the sections on Academic Integrity in the Student Handbook, as you are required to comply with the standards described therein.
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