Digital Library and Field Guide of Hidalgo County Flora and Fauna

Digital Library and Field Guide of Hidalgo County Flora and Fauna

Animas High School Biology & Life Science
Instructor: Richard Winkler

Objective: Involve students in biological techniques of field identification of plants and animals. Creating a digital library of plants and animals in our area will teach students about taxonomic relationships and distribution of flora and fauna in our area.

Description and Rationale: Our school district has 275 students Preschool through 12th grade. Class sizes range from ten to twenty five students. The rural location of the school provides access to many uninhabited locations with a variety of flora and fauna. The access to wildlife promotes interest among students and a curiosity to investigate nature on their own. I feel that this curiosity should be encouraged and an attitude of “leave it alone, watch and study” should be put in place.

Project: Students will check out digital cameras that will be used for up to one week to take pictures of local plants and animals. A minimum of ten photos will be taken. The photos will be grouped using taxonomic classification and identified. By the end of the year all photos will compiled together to form a field guide for future classes to add specimens. Students will also be required to take notes about each specimen that they photograph. Details about color, shape, habitat, size, voice, behavior will be used in conjunction with the photograph to create a field guide.