Harakeke 4
Activity: Leave my plants alone – Levels 3 and 4
Achievement Objectives - Whāinga Paetae: Te Weu me te Aka
3.2 & 4.2 Relate the properties of a range of substances to their technological uses and natural properties. Te Marautanga o Aotearoa: (p.100-101) Te Ao Tūroa, Te Rauropi 2 (Levels 3 & 4)
Learning Outcome
I will be able to:
- name a plant used as an insect repellent
- make an insect repellent solution (a liquid which has something dissolved in it)
- treat leaves with plain water in exactly the same way as I treat leaves with an insect repellent
- measure the amount of insects on a plant before and after treatment with insect repellent and with plain water
- share my results and conclusion with others.
Success criteria
| Success criteria | Self-assessment | Peer assessment | Teacher assessment | ||||||
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| I can name a plant used as insect repellent. | |||||||||
| I can make an insect repellent solution (a liquid which has something dissolved in it). | |||||||||
| I can treat leaves with plain water in exactly the same way as I treat leaves with an insect repellent. | |||||||||
| I can measure the amount of insects on a plant before and after treatment with insect repellent and with plain water. | |||||||||
| I can share my results and conclusion with others. | |||||||||
Find out from your whānau, kaumatua and the Internet about plants that have been traditionally used by some iwi Māori as an insect repellent. Choose one of these plants to test how good it is as an insect repellent. You will need to decide which part of the plant you will use. Then you will need to work out how you will mix this part of the plant with water. This may involve grinding it up or adding hot water to make a tea. You may want to use a spray bottle to coat the plant with your solution. Now find a plant in your garden that has problems with insects and design an experiment that tests if plant extracts keep the insects away.
This will have to be a fair test. A fair test occurs when you change only one thing, such as your plant spray, and keep all other conditions the same. In order to make it a fair test you will need to think about:
- Carrying out your tests in the same conditions e.g. same time of day, same temperature and weather.
- Spray one leaf with your insecticide and another leaf with plain water. How will you measure the difference?
- How many times will you repeat your experiment to make it fair?
- How will you present your results and what conclusions will you make?
- How will you share your results and conclusion with others?
- What could you do better next time?
For teachers
Some plants that can be used are kawakawa, ngaio, horopito, mānuka and kānuka. To help identify these trees students can use the ‘Name that tree’ activity.