Educational Trunk, page 2

Mushroom Flash Cards The 40 species shown are:

Scientific name Common Name (Latin Pronunciation)
Agaricus bitorquis Underground mushroom (Ah Garik Us Buy Tork Us)
Agaricus xanthoderma Poison yellow meadow mushroom (Zan Tho Der Ma)
Amanita phalloides Death Angel (amuh NE ta Fa loy deez)
Amanita muscaria Red Cap Fly Killer (mus CARRY ya)
Calvatia gigantea Giant puffball (Kal Vay Shah Jie Gan Tee Ya)
Cantharellus cibarius Golden chanterelle (Kan The Rell Us See Berry Us)
Cantharellus subalbidus White chanterelle (Suh Bal Bi Dus) SHAN TA RELL
Clavaria purpurea Purple fairy fingers (KLUH very ya Per Per Ee Yah)
Clitocybe albirhiza Rooting snowmelt mushroom (KLY tossy bee AL BEE right Zah)
Coprinus comatus Shaggy Mane (Ka Prine Us Koe Matus)
Coprinus atramentarius Tippler's bane (ATRA men terry us)
Cordyceps ravenellii Insect eating fungus (Kore Dee Seps Rah Vah Nell Eie)
Russula decolorans Graying Russula (Rush oo la DE color anz)
Flammulina velutipes Winter mushroom (Flam Yoo Lie Na Ve Loot A Piece)
Fomes fomentarius Hardwood conk (Foe Meez Foe Men Terry Us)
Geopyxis vulcanis Fire following fairy cup (Jee Oh Picks Us Vul Kan Iss)
Gomphus floccosus Orange cap false chanterelle (GOM fuss Flaw ko Sus)
Guepiniopsis alpinus Alpine jelly fungus (Gee You Pinny Op Sys Al Pine Us)
Hygrophorus subalpinus Big snowmelt mushroom (High groffer us SUBal Pie Nus)
Hygrophorus speciosus Red waxy cap (spee shee oh sus)
Hyphomyces lactifluorum Lobster mushroom (High Fo My Sees Lak Tih Flow Rum)
Lactarius torminosus Hairy tongue twister (Lak terry us Tor Min Oh Sus)
Laetiporus sulfureous Chicken of the Woods (Lay To Porus Sul Fer Ee Us)
Leccinum aurantiacum Brick Cap (Lek Sigh Num Aw Rant Tie Ya Kum)
Lentinus lepidius Train wrecker (Len tie knots Le Piddy Us)
Lepiota rachodes Shaggy Parasol mushroom (Lep ee o ta Rah Koy Deez)
Lyophyllum descastes Fried chicken mushroom (Lie Off A Lum Dez Kasties)
Marasmius oreades Fairy ring mushroom (Muh Razz Me Us O Ray Deez)
Microstoma protracta Shaggy scarlet cup (Mike Roe Stoe Ma Pro Track Ta)
Morchella angusticeps Black morel (More Chella An Goosta Seps)
Morchella deliciosus Yellow morel (Dee Lishy O Sus)
Pleurotus ostreatus Oyster mushroom (Ploo Roe Tuss Oss Tree AH Tuss)
Ramaria rasilispora Yellow coral (Ruh Marry Yuh Razz ILLY Spor Ah)
Scleroderma citrina False puffball (SKLER O Der Ma Sih Try Nah)
Suillus umbonatus Bump head Suillus (Swill Us Umbo Nay Tus)
Wynella sylvicola Rabbit ear fungus (Why Nella Sill vee Ko Lah)
Tricholoma magnivelare Matsutake or Pine mushroom (Try Ko Low Ma Mag nivvy lar)
Truncocolumella citrina Yellow False Truffle (Trunko call you Mellow Sit Rina)
Ustilago maydis Corn smut (Oost ih Lah Go May Diss)
Xerampelina campanella Log blanket (Zcher Amp feel Lina Kampa Nella)

TEACHER'S BOOK
This contains notes for vocabulary and glossary, pronunciation, suggested daily lesson plan, narrative for the slide shows, worksheet master copies, lesson plan for mushroom growth and cultivation, lesson plan for keying out mushrooms, Lesson for how to take a spore print, Discussion of collecting techniques, and background reading and bibliography.

LESSON PLAN

DAY 1


Unpack Mushroom Cultivation kit and set up watering schedule among the class.

  • Put up Mushroom Posters
  • Urge students to bring in mushrooms

    DAY 2

  • Show "Fungal Jungle" video; hand out worksheets. (This may be shown twice if the pace is too fast, or for younger students.)
  • Cross-grade work sheets or hand in.
  • Mist the Oyster Mushroom Kit.
  • Introduce flash cards. Allow a group of 4 students to play flash card games for half an hour or so, and then switch.
  • Some mushed fungi brought in? Discuss best techniques for collecting mushrooms; distribute collecting bags

    DAY 3

  • Show Program 1 of Mushroom Identification. Hand out vocabulary sheets
  • Check and mist mushroom kit if needed. Urge students to bring in mushrooms
  • Allow students to play one of the flash card games.
  • Discuss the dried mushrooms in the trunk, and demonstrate how to take a spore print..

    DAY 4

  • Collect Mushroom ID vocab sheets, grade.
  • Check/mist Mushroom kit
  • Play flash card games.
  • Present Program 2 of Mushroom Identification. Hand out work sheets.
  • Students may make spore prints with mushrooms they bring in.

    DAY 5

  • Examine spore prints. Discuss the spore color groups: brown, black, white, pink
  • Collect ID worksheets; grade and discuss
  • Give lecture on fungal life cycles. Hand out work sheets.
  • Check Mushroom kit. Urge students to bring in mushrooms for study.
  • Continue flash card games.

    DAY 6

  • Collect fungal life cycle homework; discussion of fungal life cycle.
  • Present Mushroom Key lecture.
  • Check Mushroom kit. Urge students to bring in mushrooms for study.
  • Break up into groups to work on Mushroom Key project.

    DAY 7

  • Collect Mushroom Key homework #1, if you choose
  • Present Mushroom Ecology Program; hand out work sheets
  • Lecture #2 on Mushroom Keying; hand out in-class worksheets.

    DAY 8

  • Examine growth of Mushroom Kit. Discuss fungal life cycle. Review as needed.
  • Review spore prints. Students may earn extra credit for making extra spore prints
  • Break up in groups to attempt to key out unknown mushrooms
  • Play "who am I?" flash card game

    DAY 9

  • Return keys for the flashcards homework and discuss.
  • Examine Mushroom kit. Time to pick some? Make a spore print!
  • Optional microscopy study
  • Computer option: check out mushroom web sites!
  • Flash card games: "Who Am I?

    DAY 10

  • Review Mushroom Keys
  • Discuss and review mushroom unit; give test if desired.
  • Pack and return mushroom trunk.
  • Fill out teacher's comment form to help us do better!

    OTHER IDEAS

  • Take the class on a field trip, or incorporate mushroom collecting on the next scheduled outing.
  • If one or more of the students can find a young mushroom, have them take a daily journal of its growth and development.
  • Eat the oyster mushrooms the class has grown on a pizza, or make soup.
  • Make art projects using mushroom spore print designs. (See "Making a Spore Print")
  • Write letters to USPS requesting a mushroom postage stamp! You may also wish to have the class take a vote about what species of mushrooms they would like to see on a stamp, or design their own entry/entries.
    Citizens Stamp Committee
    USPS Room 4474E
    475 L'Enfant Plaza SW
    Washington, DC 20260-2437
  • Grow mushroom cultures from spores on petri dishes. If you can obtain some agar plated petri dishes, the students can see mycelium first hand and watch it grow. Take a fresh mushroom cap and stick the top of the cap to the inside of the bowl so the gills face up. Then turn the bowl upside down on top of a petri dish that has had the top removed to expose the agar medium. Let it set for 10 or 15 minutes, then quickly replace the cover of the petri dish and allow it to grow. Alternatively, simply taking the cover off a petri dish and letting windborne spores land on the agar medium will give you a mixed culture of several common airborne molds and fungi.

  • Grow a dung garden. Collect some animal manure (horse, elk, or deer are preferred) Older, drier dung is also more likely to produce mushrooms. Put it on a saucer or bowl with a little water in the bottom. (if the local water is heavily chlorinated, allow it to sit out overnight before use). Cover with plastic wrap or a glass bowl and allow to set undisturbed (check once every 2-3 days) Small cup fungi will likely appear within a week.

  • Examine the fly larvae found in mushrooms under a hand lens. Students interested in insects may wish to try to raise some larvae to adults. These are often flies of the family Mycetophila (fungus gnats) or beetles.

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