Joe Cumbee writes (on the CP listserv):
Dear CP List Members,
Over a period of several months, I have noticed people asking for help concerning talks they were to give to their son's or daughter's class about carnivorous plants. Also there has been an effort to consolidate names of people interested in working with schools as guest speakers to inform young people about CPs. If you are in one of these groups, a teacher, a carnivorous plant enthusiast, a CP book collector, or a parent, I have found a book that you need to add to your collection.
The title is, "An Activity Book for Carnivorous Plants," by Michael Szesze. The book is a whopping 255 pages, and is spiral bound (which lends itself to easy copying of worksheet for students.) It gives background information, types of cps, propagation methods, and growing tips. It has detailed information and worksheets for over 35 different activities for students to complete. There is a section concerning laboratory activities, lab stations and independent research projects. The book contains three board games (with all materials and cards provided) for group activities, one of which is a nice multi-colored game "Bugs in a Bog." For teachers and other interested persons working with young people, the book contains a section that is that is of immeasurable value --"The Curriculum Guide for Carnivorous Plants." Found in this section are the goals and objectives, concepts, a table of daily lesson plans, unit lesson plans, sample lesson plans, and an outline for a 45 day unit on teaching of carnivorous plants. Of course there are pre-assessments, journals, and performance tasks. The book also provides extensive lists of institutions that have carnivorous plants on exhibit, Sources for buying cps, all kinds of reference materials including videos, a laser disk, films, books, and magazine articles from common school magazines.
The author is a "Teacher Specialist for Seconday Science" for Calvert County Public Schools in Maryland. He has given numerous workshops, conference presentations and seminars to teachers and students. He is a member of the International Carnivorous Plant Society, has given informative speeches at the ICPS Convention in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, as well as at Eastern and Southeastern regional ICPS conferences. You might ask anyone who has attended any of the above meetings for a reference, as they are aware of the quality of this book.
The book is $25.00 plus $3.00 for shipping and handling Total $28.00. It is well worth the price. It can be purchased from the author at the address below.
Michael Szesze
3431 Bayside Forest Court
Huntingtown, MD 20639