Creating Field Guides
Field guides are publications designed to help people identify living things outdoors. Plant field guides are typically arranged according to physical characteristics, such as flower type, size, and color; leaf arrangement; and plant height. (The nature and arrangement of flower parts are key factors in determining plant families.)

One way to engage students in organizing their plant guides is to have them determine categories that make sense given their observations and the intended use of the guide. For instance, they might organize plants by flower color, arrange them by the types of pollinators they attract, or sequence them to coincide with stops on a self-guided habitat tour.

Finding the Key
Most published field guides use dichotomous keys, which include a series of questions with only two possible answers to choose from for each question. If you want students to try their hands at creating a dichotomous key, have them start by dividing their plant collection into two groups based on observable characteristics (e.g., flowers/no flowers). Next, they should take each pile and choose two new alternatives. If students select subjective qualities, such as small/large, encourage them to quantify their choices (leaves<10cm and leaves >10cm). The group should continue in this fashion until there is only one plant left in each category. Once they've created these keys, students can use their categories to write a series of questions for the beginning of their field guide (Does the plant have flowers? No flowers?) to help the user identify the plants.


Making a Plant Database
Consider having students create a computer database to catalog their herbaria or field guide information. The database form might include the following: common name, scientific name, family, student discoverer, habitat, unusual features, and so on. They can also scan in their sketches or import digital photos of their subjects. Students can also add information based on observations made over time, such as how a plant moves from flower bud through seed and fruit.

Once the material is in the database, students can sort it in different ways, such as by plant family. Information from the database can be printed and bound and/or featured along with pressed specimens. (Note: This project offers a great opportunity to assess student thinking, grasp of concepts, and skills, such as observation and classification.)

Cultivating Mentors
Invite your students to use what they've learned through their plant collection project to engage peers or younger schoolmates and teach them about the plants in the schoolyard habitat. This could include creating a scavenger hunt, helping youngsters observe the fascinating world of flowers, or showing them how to use your student-created field guides. If time allows, your kids might want to buddy up with younger ones and show them how to collect and press plants for an art project.