Botanical Burglary

There has been a theft of valuable plant specimens at the National Herbarium of New South Wales and we need your help investigating the crime. Apply your scientific skills to examine the evidence and help us find the culprit.

In this excursion program, students will learn about forensic botany and how botanists working at the National Herbarium of New South Wales use their botanical knowledge to investigate real mysteries. Students pose as Forensic Botanists for the day and work to solve the crime and track down our stolen specimens!

• Use a dichotomous key to identify plant specimens and then compare these with plant distribution data.
• Analyse and identify unknown seeds using a simple key.
• Conduct field tests to assess soil composition and structure.
• Visit the National Herbarium of New South Wales and the Botanical Information Service.
• Meet botanists working at the Botanical Information Service. 
• Work together to create plausible and creative solutions to the crime scenario.

• Conducting investigations by completing a range of tests, including soil analysis, seed analysis, and plant identification.
• Identifying the structural features of plants to collect and analyse data.
• Classifying a variety of living things based on similarities and differences in structural features.
• Identifying the role Botanic Gardens can play in the scientific community.

Focused Syllabus Outcomes

Science

• Relate the structure and function of living things to their classification, survival and reproduction (SC4-14LW)
• Appreciate the importance of science in their lives and the role of scientific inquiry in increasing their understanding of the world around them (SC4-1VA)
• Follow a sequence of instructions to safely undertake a range of investigation types collaboratively and individually (SC4-6WS)