Classification of Living Things
The students at Richmond View School became Botanists this term as they explored the classification of native plants on the Taylor Awa.
People have always given names to things that they see, including plants and animals. So, of course most of us turn to names as the first form of classification. It was a scientist, Linnaeus, that first developed a hierarchal naming structure (of 7 parts no less). This conveyed information about what a living thing was and also its closest relatives.
Earlier this term, if you happened to be walking your dog down the Taylor Awa, you may have come across Richmond View School students studying the Tui to Town plantings. Their inquiry for term three was Living Things and how Living Things are classified. With the Awa close by it was the perfect place to investigate this and look closely at the native plants.
While at the Awa the students became Botanist’s as they explored different ways of identifying and classifying plants. They discovered that amongst other things, Botanists look at the shape and colour of the leaf. The margins of the leaf and how they are arranged on the stem. They look at the size and colour of the flowers and fruit as well as the texture of the bark. They also consider where a plant is living.
The students each chose a plant to study and put their observation skills to the test. They described and drew their plant as a Botanist would. Once they had finished their observation they swapped their worksheet with a classmate, who then looked for the studied plant. As a result of their close observation, nearly all were able to find their classmates plant!
Throughout this experience the students learnt new words – deciduous, divaricated, compound and alternate leaf arrangement. They also discussed the Māori names and what the plants were used for as well as the purpose for the plantings. The students came to appreciate that our native plants and the Living Things that call them home, are amazing treasures past down to us by Ranginui and Papatūānuku. No doubt these students will stop to take a closer look at the plants growing around their school and in their garden at home.
