SBI 3U0 - Mr. Henry's Class
Medicinal Plants Assignment
Part A : The Research
a. Research a medicinal plant that is at risk.
- Location/Range
- Medicinal Characteristics
- Status (Is it under threat? From what?)
b. Analyse the factors affecting this plant.
- Pros and cons of using the plant
- Competing interests/land uses (be sure to give these a fair assessment of their value)
- Any conservation efforts being made to protect the plant or the land.
Possible Plants to Research
- Slippery elm (Ulmus rubra)
- American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius)
- Yew (Taxus species)
- Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)
- Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)
- Bloodroot (Sangiunaria Canadensis)
- Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) (Echinacea spp.)
- Eyebright (Euphrasia spp.)
- Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa, D. spp.)
- Trillium, Beth Root -Trillium spp.
- True Unicorn - Aletris farinosa
- Venus’ Fly Trap - Dionaea muscipula
- Virginina Snakeroot - Aristolochia serpentaria
- Lady’s Slipper Orchid - Cypripedium spp.
- Lomatium - Lomatium dissectum
- Osha - Ligusticum porteri, L. spp.
- Peyote - Lophophora williamsii
- Sandalwood - Santalum spp. (Hawaii only)
- False Unicorn Root - Chamaelirium luteum
- Blue Cohosh - Caulophyllum thalictroides
- Hoodia
- Magnolia
- Autumn Crocus
- Rosy Periwinkle (Catharanthus rosea)
- Arnica - Arnica spp.
- Butterfly Weed - Asclepias tuberosa
- Cascara Sagrada - Frangula purshiana (Rhamnus)
- Chaparro - Casatela emoryi
- Elephant Tree - Bursera microphylla
- Gentian - Gentiana spp.
- Goldthread - Coptis spp.
- Kava Kava - Piper methysticum (Hawaii only)
- Lobelia - Lobelia spp.
- Maidenhair Fern - Adiantum pendatum
- Mayapple - Podophyllum peltatum
- Oregon Grape - Mahonia spp.
- Partridge Berry - Mitchella repens
- Pink Root - Spigelia marilandica
- Pipsissewa - Chimaphila umbellata
- Ramps - Allium tricoccum (recently added)
- Spikenard - Aralia racemosa, A. californica
- Stone Root - Collinsonia canadensis
- Stream Orchid - Epipactis gigantea
- Turkey Corn - Dicentra canadensis
- White Sage - Salvia apiana
- Wild Indigo - Baptisia tinctoria
- Yerba Mansa - Anemopsis californica
The Research - Looking for Books in the Library Catalogue
- Go to www.peelschools.org.
- Click on the pink BYOD link.
- Click on the teal library circular icon.
- The green library catalogue icon will be at the top of the page.
Once you are at the main page, enter the subject/keywords of the topic that you are searching for. Keep in mind that spelling is really important! If you spell the word that you are looking for incorrectly, the system will assume we do not have it. We do have a number of books about wrongfully convicted people so be sure to look at those first when starting your research!
Library Catalogue Icon
BYOD Main Page
New Library Catalogue Icon
Boolean Search Operators - Tools to Help Make Using the Databases Easier
The Research - Searching The Databases
- Go to www.peelschools.org.
- Click on the pink BYOD link.
- Click on the teal library circular icon.
- The intermediate/secondary library databases will be listed below.
BYOD Main Page
Initial Page for the Databases
Collection of Databases
The Research - Which Databases to Look At For This Assignment
- Britannica Online - The School Edition - This is a great site for an overview about many of the medicinal plants that are at risk. It will also directed you to reputable websites that you can use for your research.
- General Science Collection -This is a great database for general science knowledge.
- Health and Wellness Resource Centre - This database is good for the topics in this assignment that pertain to human health. These plants are used in medicine so you should find information here as well.
- Science in Context - This database is excellent for a more in-depth and scientific perspective about the medicinal plants that you are researching.
- Science Reference Centre - This database is excellent for a more in-depth and scientific perspective of your topics.
- Kids InfoBits - This database will have some general articles but these articles will be easier to read and understand.
These databases are the ones that you should focus on as they are most relevant the topics that you are researching. All of the databases are great sources of information. They are better than a random search on a website because you can find a lot of information here that has been written by experts in the field. You should not have to use Google for any of your research for this assignment. The databases will have what you need to get your work done!
This is where your search can, and should, be more specific. Once your have selected which topic you are searching for, you may have to use some of the tools to the left to eliminate some of the articles. Some searches will yield thousands of results so being specific will be helpful.
Please keep in mind that you cannot click the links below to get to the databases. however, you can click on the secondary eResources link below.
Part B: The Report
APA Citations - The Sixth Edition
Embedded Citations - APA Format
Creating a References Page in APA Format
You can also use the databases to help you complete your works cited page by clicking on SourceIt. This database is Peel Board approved in terms of being a great tool to help you.
One of the easiest tools to use when creating a references page is Citation Machine. If you go to www.citationmachine.net , you can input your book, magazine, website, film or other resource and the citation will be created for you! Please keep in mind that if some parts of the citation are missing, you can easily fill them in using Citation Machine.
Finally, many of the databases create the citation for you! When you are in a database and you are looking at an article, look to the top or the left of the article to find a citation tools like (in some databases it will look like a check mark). If you click on that link and select APA formatting, the citation will be created for you and then you can copy and paste it into your references page.
When completing your references page, there are a few key things to remember:
- It should be in alphabetical by author's last name. If there is no author, then it should be in alphabetical order by whatever letter comes first in the citation.
- The second line should be indented. You can do this by pressing "Enter" and then "Tab".
- You do not have to number your citations.
- You do not have to put your list of citations into categories (i.e. books, magazines, websites, etc.).
- You should only include resources that you actually used in your research. If you looked at it, but did not use it, it should not be included in your works cited.
References Page EXAMPLE – APA FORMAT
References
Atwood, M. (2003). Oryx and Crake. London: Bloomsbury.
Harris, J. (2002). Five quarters of an orange. Boston, MA: Harper.
Packer, A. (2003). The dive from Clausen's Pier. New York: Vintage Books.
Policy.ca. (2000-2006). Retrieved March 1, 2007, from http://www.policy.ca.
Westerfeld, S. (2005). Uglies. New York: Simon Pulse.
To Google or Not To Google
Be a Fact Finder - Watch Out for Fake News
Evaluating Your Sources
The CRAAP Test
Part C: Plan and Act
a. Plan a course of action to help raise awareness and promote the conservation of your plant and/or the land it is on. Explain, in a single paragraph, how you would go about carrying out one of the plans below, why you would choose this action, who you would target, and why.
- an information campaign (brochures/posters) to raise public awareness or
- a letter writing campaign targeting key political officials or
- a fundraising campaign for an organization that promotes your point of view
b. Create one information item (brochure/poster, sample letter to a politician, sample letter to a possible donor) as a sample of what your campaign will include.
You will submit a 2-3 page written report, a paragraph explaining your plan of action (this may be added to the end of your report) and a sample informational item. All items are to be original work. Any work attributable to others must be cited. Plagiarism will be penalized, so be sure to take notes in your own works and keep track of your sources).