City Market, Kansas City Missouri, November 2, 2002  
EDCI 4350 Elementary Science Teaching Strategies

Purpose: 
The generation of teaching ideas

The topical context: 
Plants and People (Ethnobotany; economic botany), an exemplary topic area that brings together a number of concerns related to humans, culture, society, and science.

Goals:
New awareness of the diversity of plants and people and of the profound significance of the interactions among plants and people. 
New knowledge of a rich botanical and cultural resource in the urban setting.
New inspiration for developing curricular ideas that connect with the world.
Practice as collaborators in the piloting and development of a short course for teachers.

The tasks:

You will be assigned to a small group. In this group you are to conduct a complex survey of the botanical resources to be found in the stalls, stores, and shops in the vicinity of the City Market. Records need to be kept of your findings.

Before you begin, estimate the number of kinds (species? genus? family?) of plant represented in the market area as a whole AND in individual shops or stores. Divide your estimates into processed and fresh. What is your working definition of kind? 

What plant parts correspond to the greatest number of kinds? For example, are there more kinds of flower, fruit, seed, leaf, stem, or root in the market as a whole and in individual shops or stores?

If you know (or if you had a comprehensive list), are there more kinds of old world or new world plant represented? Why do you think so?

New world = North and South America before Columbus;
Old world = Europe, Africa, Asia (including the Middle East) before Columbus;
Other world = Australia (smile) before the Europeans arrived

Examples of plants from the New world: Capsicum (bell peppers and chilis); corn (maize);  tomato; potato, cocoa-chocolate, vanilla.

Examples of plants from the Old world: Wheat, soybeans, eggplant, black pepper, nutmeg, rice, sugar cane.

Examples of plants from Australia: Eucalyptus; melaleuca.

The survey:

•	Visit different areas of the market including the grocery stores. Keep separate data lists for each venue visited.

•	Construct a list of all the plants and plant materials you find—based on kind—variety/species/genus. Collect information for as many data fields as you can for each plant. Your group will need to have a working definition of kind.

Plant
Name(s) (English, Scientific, Other vernacular)
Botanic relatives
Plant part
Fresh or  processed
Use (culinary, medicinal, other—collect recipes for preparation when you can)
Description of plant material (verbal, olfactory, gustatory, sketch, digital image, sample)
Does plant material exhibit potential for propagation
Cost
Familiarity
Botanical origin (old vs. new world)
Agricultural origin (where was particular specimen grown?)
Seen in other venues in the market area (keep talley).

•	Select other fields that might prove beneficial in developing teaching ideas.

•	Once you have made as exhaustive a survey as you can in 1.5 hours, begin the analysis of your results.

•	What is the total number of kinds you have counted?
•	What kinds (species, parts, old-new world origin, etc.) were most common? Most rare?
•	What plants and/or plant products were most expensive? 
•	Where were they grown? 
•	What is their use?
•	Who in your group is most familiar with the plants and plant products? 
•	Who is least familiar? 
•	Who has grown plants for food before in gardens or farms? 
•	What have they grown? 
•	How many of the plants were unfamiliar? 
•	What is the ratio of familiar to unfamiliar plants?
•	What is the strangest plant and/or plant material found by your group? Explain.
•	What colors dominate the fresh plants being sold (does this vary from stall to stall to store and shop?)?
•	How many different kinds of root or underground part do you find?
•	What plant or plant materials seems to be most popular? Based on what indicator?
•	What plant or plant product traveled the farthest to reach the City Market?
•	Which plant seems to have the largest number of names?
•	Interesting lore about the plant (conversations with buyers and sellers)?
•	How many of the fresh plant materials look as if they could be propagated?
•	How many kinds of starch/flour/meal can you find? How many plants are represented?

•	Develop some different questions (5 minimum) that could be used by elementary students on 
a class trip to a market.