New York Science Grade 7

Unit 4: Dynamic Equilibrium: Other Organisms

Medicinal Plants

Project Type: History

Introduction:
People have long believed in the usefulness of plants as medicine. Ancient Egyptians even thought plants were valuable in the afterlife. Today, ethnobotanists all over the world study the ways people in particular regions use plants to treat injuries and illnesses.

Task:
Instruct students to investigate drugs that have plant origins. Each student should focus on one of these drugs and find out the following:

• what plant it comes from
• where the plant originated
• how it is used to help people
• how its medicinal properties were first used

Guide students in the production of short slide presentations of their findings and add the locations of their plants' origins to a world map in classroom. As a class, discuss whether there are regions in the world that have obvious concentrations of these plants. If so, ask students what this may indicate.

Time:
1 class period to conduct research and create presentations, 1 class period for sharing presentations and discussing results

Possible Resources:

Plants
http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/Ethnobotany/page4.html
http://www.newhope.com/nutritionsciencenews/NSN_Backs/May_00/tropical_s1.cfm
http://www.baumshealth.com/products/solaray/hrbs.htm
http://www.nutrifarmacy.com/nsn1.html
http://world.std.com/~krahe/html1.html
http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/ethnobot.html
http://herb.umd.umich.edu/

Slide Presentations
http://www.sd43.bc.ca/etip/how_to/ht_kpslideshow.html
http://www.videohelp.com/forum/userguides/221228.php
http://www.adobe.com/education/digkids/lessons/shareyourproject.html