PUBLIC
This educational activity was conceived by the teacher as a result of a peer-to-peer training mobility developed in Saint-Germain-en-Laye from 4 to 8 June 2018 based on a transversal approach to the theme of the garden. This methodology was later experimented in the Botanical Garden of the University of Padua, Italy, with the participation of 92 students of the high school Enrico Fermi of Padua – some with learning difficulties - within a framework of collaboration between the association Acquamarina and the Botanical Garden of Padua.

KEY COMPETENCES
 Communication in the mother tongue
 Scientific and mathematical competences
 Social competences and citizenship
 Humanist culture and expression of sensitivity

OBJECTIVES Using the garden as a vehicle to :
 promote moments of communication and exchange in the group of learners
 arouse interest and curiosity for Biology
 make students aware of their communicative abilities and be confident

GARDENS EXPLORED The Garden of Biodiversity of the Botanical Garden of the University of Padua, Italy

MATERIALS
 A notebook
 Drawing materials (paper, crayons, etc.)
 Camera, smart phone, tablet

DEVELOPMENT

1.In the Garden of Biodiversity : observation, oral communication, debate on the characteristics enabling each plant to live or survive in different environments

Aquatic milieu
The students observe how the plants living in water exchange the air with the surrounding environment and draw water without being submerged by it. Each plant develops its own strategy to :
 widen the surface/volume ratio, get covered with a waxed surface
 trap the air into a sort of cover and have an anatomy that lets water slide
 have holes full of air enabling them to float
 live underwater thanks to a root system which is much more than mere anchoring

Dry milieu
The students observe that the plants living in a dry environment in America and Africa own some common features and develop different strategies to research and absorb water, and above all to avoid losing it, by continuing collecting the energy necessary to their survival
 The surface of the leaves is at its minimum and even non-existent for the cacti
 The American species show some thorns ; all the parts of the plants are green
 Many plants are well rooted underground and their root system is invisible but we guess it is well developed either vertically or horizontally. With other species this system is completely absent.

Low-nitrogen milieus
The students observe that all plants present in the botanical garden are able to survive on grounds with a low level of nitrogen. Each plant has green leaves fit for photosynthesis but they develop as well one or several anatomic features apt to catch insects : a slippery surface the insects are likely to fall on ; ’claws’ that can grasp the insect ; sugary or adhesive bulges.

Rich but overpopulated milieus
Wet and lit environments are always rich in vegetation which sometimes makes it difficult for plants to get sufficient light. Aerial plants grow even where there is no space leaning on other plants and absorbing moisture from the atmosphere.
The environments rich in water, light and nourishment generate multitudes of plants animals feed on. That’s why some of them strategically produce leaves hard to eat, which enables them to survive.

2.The observations are developed in the form of scientific drawings
 To show important details almost invisible at a glance,
 To communicate also by means of colours. The students make pencil drawings highlighting the features enabling plants to live in their different environments. The drawings are regarded as vehicle of information and explanation of the life of plants.
 The production of a notebook containing all the elements composing the course : observations , drawings, photos of the garden. The notebook is shared online on a site created with the tool Google Sites.

3.The garden experience enhances sensations expressed through colours and drawings
The students become aware of their sensations and emotions and express them using pencil and colour. Here the colour is not only used to represent the object of the observation but to embody the personal emotions and sensations arisen during the course. They will share their experience setting up an exhibition in their classrooms.

EVALUATION
It takes into account :

Oral and written communication in the mother tongue
 To communicate and orally report what has been learnt using a lexis appropriate to speak of plant biology
 To be able to present one’s work and uphold one’s choices with the support of the notes written in the notebook
 To use the graphic representations as vehicle of communication

Development of the scientific and technological competences
 To understand, report orally and by means of scientific drawings the strategies used by plants to survive in different environments
 To closely observe the characteristics of a living being and become a reporter of these observations by creating a code language.

Development of sensibility and cultural expression
To be aware of one’s sensations and impressions and transfer them into drawing and colour

Development of one’s own civic and social competences
 To dialogue with others and communicate through the activities carried out as individua and as a group

EXTENSION
The whole set of the scientific and artistic productions will be object of an exposition in the premises of the high school addressed to students, parents and teachers
 The exhibition at the Botanical Garden of the University of Padua on the occasion of the peer-to-peer training meeting foreseen by the Erasmus+ project from 14 to 18 May 2019.

AUTHOR
Elisa Corteggiani, teacher of Natural Sciences
Acquamarina Associazione Culturale, Trieste, - Botanical Garden of the University of Padua, Italy

TRANSLATER
Mary Gino
Association Acquamarina, Trieste, Italie