• Students will learn about the different parts of a plant, as well as the purposes and functions of those parts. 

• • (3rd) SC.3.L.14.1: Describe structures in plants and their roles in food production, support, water and nutrient transport, and reproduction.

• • (4th) SC.4.L.16.1: Identify processes of sexual reproduction in flowering plants, including pollination, fertilization (seed production), seed dispersal, and germination.

• • (5th) SC.5.L.15.1: Describe how, when the environment changes, differences between individuals allow some plants and animals to survive and reproduce while others die or move to new locations.

• Students will learn how and why plants adapt.

• • (3rd) SC.3.L.17.1: Describe how animals and plants respond to changing seasons.

• • (4th) SC.4.L.16.2: Explain that although characteristics of plants and animals are inherited, some characteristics can be affected by the environment.

• • (5th) SC.5.L.17.1: Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants that enable them to survive in different environments such as life cycle variations, animal behaviors and physical characteristics.

• Students will learn about different categories of plants, and their similarities and differences. 

• • (3rd) SC.3.L.15.2: Classify flowering and nonflowering plants into major groups such as those that produce seeds, or those like ferns and mosses that produce spores, according to their physical characteristics.

• • (4th) SC.4.L.16.4: Compare and contrast the major stages in the life cycles of Florida plants… and flowering and nonflowering seed-bearing plants.

• • (5th) SC.5.L.14.2: Compare and contrast the function of organs and other physical structures of plants and animals, including humans, for example: some animals have skeletons for support -- some with internal skeletons others with exoskeletons -- while some plants have stems for support.

Guided: Nature's Neighbors (3rd-5th)

Sometimes, you love your neighbor - and sometimes, you can't stand them! Join us on a tour of the garden that takes us through the rainforest and conservatories as we learn about different plant-animal interactions, from pollination to herbivory.

Learning Objectives/Relevant State Standards:

• Students will investigate the world around them and learn about the various roles that plants have in the ecosystem.

• • (3rd) SC.3.N.1.1: Raise questions about the natural world, investigate them individually and in teams through free exploration and systematic investigations, and generate appropriate explanations based on those explorations.

• • (4th) SC.4.N.1.1: Raise questions about the natural world, use appropriate reference materials that support understanding to obtain information (identifying the source), conduct both individual and team investigations through free exploration and systematic investigations, and generate appropriate explanations based on those explorations.

• • (5th) SC.5.N.1.5: Recognize and explain that authentic scientific investigation frequently does not parallel the steps of "the scientific method."

• Students will learn about what animals and plants need to survive.

• • (3rd) SC.3.L.17.2: Recognize that plants use energy from the Sun, air, and water to make their own food.

• • (4th) SC.4.L.17.3: Trace the flow of energy from the Sun as it is transferred along the food chain through the producers to the consumers.

• • (5th) SC.5.L.15.1: Describe how, when the environment changes, differences between individuals allow some plants and animals to survive and reproduce while others die or move to new locations.

• Students will learn about the different and complex relationships that exist between animals, plants, and their environments.

• • (3rd) SC.3.L.14.2: Investigate and describe how plants respond to stimuli (heat, light, gravity).

• • (4th) SC.4.L.17.4: Recognize ways plants and animals, including humans, can impact the environment.

• • (5th) SC.5.L.14.2: Compare and contrast the function of organs and other physical structures of plants and animals, including humans, for example: some animals have skeletons for support -- some with internal skeletons others with exoskeletons -- while some plants have stems for support.

• Students will learn how and why plants adapt.

• • (3rd) SC.3.L.17.1: Describe how animals and plants respond to changing seasons.

• • (4th) SC.4.L.16.2: Explain that although characteristics of plants and animals are inherited, some characteristics can be affected by the environment.

• • (5th) SC.5.L.17.1: Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants that enable them to survive in different environments such as life cycle variations, animal behaviors and physical characteristics.

Guided: Endangered Environments (6th-8th)

Join us as we explore vastly different habitats - from tropical rainforests filled with towering trees to deserts filled with spiky, spiny plants - and learn about the similarities and differences between these paradoxical biomes; including the threats that they face.

Learning Objectives/Relevant State Standards:

• Students will learn about different types of habitats and what defines them, including some of the unique habitats found only in Florida.

• • (6th) SC.6.E.6.2: Recognize that there are a variety of different landforms on Earth's surface such as coastlines, dunes, rivers, mountains, glaciers, deltas, and lakes and relate these landforms as they apply to Florida.

• • (7th) SC.7.L.17.3: Describe and investigate various limiting factors in the local ecosystem and their impact on native populations, including food, shelter, water, space, disease, parasitism, predation, and nesting sites.

• • (8th) Explain the impact of objects in space on each other including: the Sun on the Earth including seasons.

• Students will learn about how and why plants adapt.

• • (6th) SC.6.L.14.3: Recognize and explore how cells of all organisms undergo similar processes to maintain homeostasis, including extracting energy from food, getting rid of waste, and reproducing.

• • (7th) SC.7.L.15.2: Explore the scientific theory of evolution by recognizing and explaining ways in which genetic variation and environmental factors contribute to evolution by natural selection and diversity of organisms.

• • (8th) SC.8.L.18.1: Describe and investigate the process of photosynthesis, such as the roles of light, carbon dioxide, water and chlorophyll; production of food; release of oxygen.

• Students will explore and investigate the natural world using tools to perform experiments.

• • (6th) SC.6.N.1.4: Discuss, compare, and negotiate methods used, results obtained, and explanations among groups of students conducting the same investigation.

• • (7th) SC.7.N.1.4: Identify test variables (independent variables) and outcome variables (dependent variables) in an experiment.

• • (8th) SC.8.N.2.2: Discuss what characterizes science and its methods.

• Students will learn about various threats to different habitats and the plant.

• • (6th) SC.6.E.7.9: Describe how the composition and structure of the atmosphere protects life and insulates the planet.

• • (7th) SC.7.E.6.6: Identify the impact that humans have had on Earth, such as deforestation, urbanization, desertification, erosion, air and water quality, changing the flow of water.

• • (8th) SC.8.N.4.1: Explain that science is one of the processes that can be used to inform decision-making at the community, state, national, and international levels.

Guided: Living Labs (9th-12th)

Do you think working with plants is only done in a garden? Think again! Dive deep into the world of plant science on a behind-the-scenes tour of the different types of research conducted at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and let us show you how science can be done anywhere, anytime, using a variety of tools and techniques.

Learning Objectives/Relevant State Standards:

• Students will learn about different careers related to botany and horticulture.

• • (9th-12th) SC.912.N.1.2: Describe and explain what characterizes science and its methods.

• Students will explore and investigate the natural world.

• • (9th-12th) SC.912.L.14.53: Discuss basic classification and characteristics of plants. Identify bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms.

• Students will learn about growing plants in space, including how it’s done and why it’s important.

• (9th-12th) SC.912.E.5.7: Relate the history of and explain the justification for future space exploration and continuing technology development.

• Students will learn about various threats to different habitats and the plant.
  • (9th) SC.912.E.6.6: Analyze past, present, and potential future consequences to the environment resulting from various energy production technologies.