Career · Lesson Plan
Becoming a Botanist
A career-exploration lesson on botanists — scientists who study plants. Students learn the wide range of work botanists do, the settings they work in, the many employers who hire them, and how someone becomes a botanist.
For Teachers
Lesson at a glance
- Topic
- Career
- Grade Level
- Grades 5–8
- Resource Type
- Lesson + Worksheet
- Estimated Time
- 30–45 minutes
- Format
- Reading + worksheet
- Materials
- Printable lesson, worksheet, whiteboard
What Students Learn
Learning objectives
- Explain what a botanist is and the activities they do
- Describe several sub-specialties in the field of botany
- Name places and employers where a botanist might work
- Explain how plants are studied for medicine, food, and materials
- Explain how a person can become a botanist
Materials
What you’ll need
- Printed copies of the lesson reading and worksheet (one per student)
- Whiteboard or projector for discussion
- Optional: internet access for career research
Key Terms
Vocabulary
- Botanist
- A scientist who studies plants.
- Botany
- The scientific study of plants.
- Specimen
- A plant sample collected for study.
- Horticulture
- The science and art of growing plants.
- Research
- Careful study to discover new knowledge.
- Nutrition
- The study of how food (including plants) nourishes living things.
For Teachers
Lesson plan
Estimated time: one 30–45 minute class period.
Lesson sequence
- Introduction (5 min). Ask how plants end up in medicine, food, and clothing. Introduce the scientists who study them.
- Read the lesson (12 min). Students read about what botanists do and where they work.
- Discussion (10 min). Cover sub-specialties and the many employers (universities, government, drug/food/lumber companies).
- Worksheet (10 min). Students complete the worksheet; the answer key is included for teacher use.
- Wrap-up (3 min). Students name one way botanists’ work shows up in daily life.
Assessment
Assess participation and the completed worksheet.
Discussion
Discussion questions
- What does a botanist study, and where might they work?
- What are some sub-specialties within botany?
- How do botanists’ findings show up in medicine, food, or materials?
- Which kinds of organizations hire botanists?
- How can a person become a botanist?
Printable Lesson & Worksheet
Becoming a Botanist — Lesson & Worksheet
Printable lesson reading plus a student worksheet, with an answer key for teacher use.
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