Starting at the Roots: Geneva Middle School North science students learn observation skills

As part of their unit on prairie life and native species, Jennifer Benjamin's seventh-grade Life Science classes at Geneva Middle School North have been building their critical thinking skills through the observation of natural habitats.

Students learn that observation means employing one's senses and trusting their attention to detail, which is crucial to the identification of plants and insects and their further exploration.

Once students observe and draw a particular plant according to its unique texture, color, leaf shape, seed composition, or smell, students then identify their species through the use of their field guidebooks.

According to Benjamin, this hands-on experience fuels students' curiosity and encourages discussion - while the fresh air and beauty of nature provide an added bonus.

The school at 1357 Viking Drive was built in 2006, just to the east of Peck Farm Park, 385-acre natural retreat.

In 2008, Geneva Middle School North won a Conservation and Native Landscaping Award from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National-Greenacres program. These awards recognized projects that demonstrated exemplary use of native landscaping and conservation design.

These practices create and protect habitat for a variety of native plant and animal species and result in important benefits for both people and nature.