1. Mushroom Spore Prints p. 24-25

2. Mushrooms belong to a group of living things called fungi. Fungi reproduce using spores. A spore is a specialized cell that can form a new living thing.

3. Activity Purpose Observe a mushroom. Observe the spores it produces. Infer what part of the mushroom produces the spores.

4. Materials white paper mushroom hand lens, if available pencil

5. Procedure Observe the parts of your mushroom and carefully draw what you see. Working carefully, separate the cap of the mushroom from the stem. Place the cap on white paper, with top facing up. Trace around cap, but don’t move it.

6. Procedure (cont.) The mushroom should remain undisturbed overnight. Next day -Gently lift and remove cap from paper. Observe pattern left behind. Draw and record your observation. Spores make up this pattern. Use a hand lens and examine the spores. Draw what you see. Then throw away the mushroom and the spores.

7. Draw Conclusions Based on what you observed and made drawings of, what can you infer about where the spores are formed? They are formed in the mushroom cap.