Plant Breeding

Objectives

• Students will use the Internet to research a famous plant breeder, George Washington Carver.
• Students will write a paragraph that tells why Dr. Carver's work was so important to plant breeding.
• Students will share their paragraphs with a small group.

Description

This site is maintained by Iowa State University. It provides a comprehensive overview of George Washington Carver's life.

Suggested Activities

• Have students click on Resources at the bottom of the page. Then have them click on How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing It for Human Consumption to explore an article written by Dr. Carver.
• Have students return to the Resources page and click on poem to read a poem about plants and nature written by Dr. Carver.
• Have students return to the Resources page and click on Memories to read an interview with Dr. Carver's assistant.

Level Activities

• Have students go to http://www.bioteach.ubc.ca/Biodiversity/PlantBreedingvsPlantGenetics/. Then have them:
read the article to find out what plant breeding is and why it is so important to agriculture today.
discuss additional ways that plant breeding could some day be used for different kinds of food.
form groups to organize an argument for the pros or cons of plant breeding. Hold a class debate to decide who has formed the best argument.