Welcome to the Pet Plant Project!
There is a phenomenon known as “plant awareness disparity” (PAD; Parsley 2020) that affects our ability to appreciate plants and their importance. Wandersee & Schussler (1999) originally described this as “plant blindness” and noted that symptoms include the following:
(1) failure to notice plants in one’s daily environment
(2) failure to recognize the importance of plants in human affairs
(3) lack of appreciation for the aesthetic and unique qualities of plants.
To address this in the classroom, I created the “Pet Plant Project.” Students in my university-level General Botany course grow a plant from seed and maintain this plant throughout the semester, making observations on growth and development and performing background research on their plant. The project is meant to be reminiscent of high-school health class projects where students have to keep an egg or bowling ball alive for a week while they learn about the challenges of parenting. It’s a fun and effective way to increase student interest in plants by making their pet plant a part of their daily life. I worked with Kelly Moore and Julie Baker to publish our results in the American Biology Teacher in 2018. Since then, this project has been used by teachers at both the K-12 and university level. I have received emails from teachers implementing it in Florida, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Please contact me and let us know if you are using it, too!
On this page you will find the documents we use in the classroom in their most current form. Instead of paper journal entries, I use a Google form and automatically create PDF journal entries using the Google add-in Autocrat. Entries are then emailed to the students each time they submit.
The photo gallery below includes PPP contest winners from previous semesters. Click on any image to view it larger.
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Handouts and instructions
PPP Student instructions with rubric
Journal template (we use Google forms/Autocrat now for automatic generation of journal entries)
Hello,
I am very interested in implementing the Pet Plant Project in General Botany course. I would like to review the teaching materials that are referenced in the American Biology Teacher article on the project. I was able to view the student in structions with rubric. I am interested in how you set up the journal template. I am not able to open the template with the link.
Thank you!
Coleen Edwards, Niagara University
I did the pet plant project in your class back in 2018, and I started to incorporate it into my classroom. My students have loved this project and we hope to have all sections of biology begin to add it in the coming semesters.
Good afternoon!
I’m very interested in using this project with my high school botany class, but am unable to open the documents/ files linked here.
I’m wondering if you might be able to share via email.
Thank you for your time.
Hello!
I just found your website. I am a Spanish teacher and would love to implement the Pet Plan project in my classroom. I noticed that the links are not working anymore. I hope that you can share them again. My email is fsolartesoto@fusd1.org I work in Flagtsaf Arizona in a high school.
With gratitude,
Francy Solarte
Hello there, I am a masters student at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia – Canada. Your pet plant project sounds amazing. I also teach grade 7 and grade 8 science. I would love to take a look at your PPP Student instructions with rubric and journal template but the links seem to be broken. Would it be possible that you could send me those files? I would like to see if I could possibliy adapt it for my students.