Get your students to run around outside the classroom and dig through the weeds in the lawns to find examples of obtuse, spinose, calyx, capsule, stamen, trichome, and other kinds of botanical terms.  This activity teaches them both how to ‘see’ plant morphology, as well as provides a personal test on how much they know.  I don’t use it as an exam, I use this as a source for inspiration and practical experience in using new skills, and positive competition between teams.  The Excel bingo sheets can be modified to fit the level of your class.

Download the Teacher Guide and Bingo Sheets on the link below.

Level: K-99 (all levels). The bingo sheets are for college level intro botany but can be easily modified.

License: CC-BY-SA Lena Struwe, Rutgers University, lena.struwe@rutgers.edu  (=free to share, use,  copy, and change as long as you give source and don’t copyright your version developed from this.)

Learning goals: Practice morphology terminology used in plant descriptions, keys, and general botany. Learn how to ‘see’ plants (less plant blindness), practice biodiscovery and scanning the environment for details in ‘small, green things’.

If teaching online, students can do this activity and upload photos of their bingo sheets to a course website or similar.

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