Dynamic Plants for Teaching and Investigating
Biology Principles
Inquiry and
Hands-On Workshop
For
Middle/High
School Biology Teachers
Ferris State
University
August 16-19,
2000
Learn From the Experts Who Helped Develop These Unique Plant Systems!
Bring Life Into Your
Classroom
Fast Plants and C-Fern are
Instructor and User Friendly
Fast
Plants and C-Fern are unique teaching
tools for middle and high school biology teachers. Their unique features make
them easy to grow and maintain in the classroom They are excellent systems for inquiry-based instruction and
student-initiated research.
Learn
From the Experts who Helped Develop these Unique Plant
Systems!
Paul Williams,University of Wisconsin and
developer of Fast Plants, and Stephenie
Baxter, C-Fern Project,
University of Tennessee will travel to Michigan to show you how to establish
and maintain these plants, and then guide you through a series of lab
activities that you can easily use in the classroom to liven up and improve
your science teaching. Don’t miss this
unique opportunity to learn from the experts who developed these plants to meet
the needs of biology teachers for addressing the national
Science Education Standards.
Major in
One, Learn About the
Other
Participants
will register for a 3-day workshop in either Fast Plants or C-Fern, but will have opportunities to explore both systems
during several open-lab demonstrations.
Resources are
Readily Available
Plants/spores,
culture supplies, educational kits and manuals are available through Carolina
Biological Supply Company. The C-Fern (http://cfern.bio.utk.edu) and Fast Plants
(http://fastplants.cals.wisc.edu)
web site contains information that
instructors and students can use,
including: background information,
general culture and manipulation instructions, a photo gallery and examples of
research questions.
Fast Plants
Workshop
Experience Fast Plants as a vehicle for modeling
inquiry, for implementing hands-on activities, and for addressing the national
Science Education Standards. Explore
the life cycle by measuring the impact of environment on plant growth,
development and reproduction.
Investigate
the relationship of variation, selection and inheritance among individuals and
populations. Learn friendly and
engaging ways of introducing genetic principles which are adaptable for various grade levels.
Ease
into the variation and diversity of the plant kingdom. Explore tropisms for gravity and
microgravity situations. And wrap up
everything in the genre of Bottle Biology.
Participants
will construct the versatile Plant Light House -- your own low-cost
environmental chamber, and receive a manual that includes model lab activities,
instructions for growing and maintaining, and resource information.
C-Fern Workshop
C-Fern, a specially derived strain
of the tropical homosporous fern Ceratopteris
richardii, offers a dynamic approach to teaching many basic aspects of
biology. Students can explore general
biology, cell biology, genetics and ecology using hands-on activities,
inquiry-based investigations and independent student-initiated research.
C-Fern has rapid gametophyte and
early sporophyte development which allow for investigations that can be
completed typically within a two week period.
All phases of gametophyte growth and differentiation, fertilization,
embryo development and sporophyte growth can be easily observed using low power
microscopy.
The
rapid development, compact growth and simple, inexpensive culture requirements
make C-Fern an excellent research
organism that is both instructor and student-friendly!
Participants
in the C-Fern workshop will learn how
to prepare cultures, complete investigations and analyze data involving
gametophyte and sporophyte development, germination, fertilization, chemotaxis
and mono- and dihybrid crosses. Wild
type and mutant cultures at various
stages of development will be available for observation and experimentation.
A
wide variety of mutant strains are available, ranging from striking visual
types like polka dot to developmental
mutants and types resistant to environmental stresses from agents such as
herbicides and salt. Students can use
readily visible C-Fern sperm for
controlled crosses between various strains or to demonstrate chemotaxis and
fertilization. Large numbers of
individuals can be cultured in a very small space. This allows students to work with populations and to obtain large
quantitative data sets (e.g., growth rate, germination rate, population sex
ratio).
Participants
will receive a C-Fern Manual, basic
culture supplies and will ‘make and take’ a C-Fern
Growth Pod which allows easy maintenance of cultures.
Registration Specifics
Location
Science Building, 2nd
Floor
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI
Lodging: A block of rooms at a special rate
of $50 per night plus tax for workshop participants is available at the Super 8
Motel, located just a few blocks from FSU campus. Please call 231.796.1588 and indicate you are attending a
workshop at FSU.
Registration Fee
$425
(Eligible under local Eisenhower Funds)
Wednesday,
August 16, 1:00 p.m. to
Saturday, August 19, 12 noon
Fee covers food (except Friday evening), manuals and
lab supplies.
Graduate
credit available: 1 or 2 semester hours--$230 per hour
(see
registration form)
Workshop objectives are
consistent with the Michigan Standards and Benchmarks which are directly
related to the Michigan Core Curriculum, and Michigan's Essential Goals and
Objectives for Science Education in K-12.
SB-CEU’s will be available
at no charge.
Registration Deadline: June 16,
2000
The number of participants
is limited for this special workshop!
Participants are encouraged
to send ASAP via email to hoerterj@ferris.edu or
fax 231.591.2540 their intent to register (indicate either Fast Plants or C-Fern) before
mailing their completed registration form and fee.
' For additional information,
telephone Jim Hoerter at 231.591.2550 or
e-mail hoerterj@ferris.edu.
Register early! A letter of confirmation and map will be
sent upon receipt of paid registration.
Please submit one registration form per person. Tuition is nonrefundable after the
registration deadline date of June 16 but may be transferred to another
person. All refund requests prior to
the deadline date will be given minus a $25 administrative fee. Ferris State
University reserves the right to cancel the course due to insufficient
enrollment.
* Mail completed registration to: FSU
Fast Plants/C-Fern Workshop, Ferris
State University, Dept. Biological Sciences, ASC 2004, Big Rapids, MI 49307.
Registration
Form – Fast Plants/C-Fern Workshops
Name
Street
City
State Zip
Daytime Phone
Fax
Email
School
Registration Fee: $425
Circle workshop you wish to attend:
Fast Plants
C-Fern
If this workshop is full, I wish to enroll in the other
Yes No
Optional Graduate Tuition Credit (additional
assignments will be required): $230 per semester
hour
1 One Semester Hour
1Two Semester Hours
1 I am interested in SB-CEU’s (no charge)
Total Amount Enclosed $
FAX credit
card registration to 231.591.2540
Payment (check one)
1
Check for $ enclosed
payable to
"Ferris
State University"
Charge: 1 VISA 1
MasterCard 1 Discover
(please
provide information below)
Amount Authorized $
Card # Exp
Date
Name on Card (print)
