Francine C. Coss
Before diving into the scientific needs of specific plants, poll the class for their knowledge of general plant care. To enhance this knowledge, you should keep plants in your classroom beginning in September. This will insure a foundation of plant-keeping information for the students.
Reading About Plants:
To encourage further learning about the care of plants, read "The Amazing Beans." This story is appropriate for grades 1 through 3 and will be a good impetus for plant-care discussion. The book tells about two brothers who sow seeds and grow two plants in their home. One brother follows the directions for care found on the seed packet, while the other brother loses his seed packet and devises creative ways to 'feed' and care for his plant. The two brothers and the two plants cause mischief for the family.
Art Project:
The premise of the fictional story "The Amazing Beans" will whet the appetite of the class, encouraging them to plant, grow and care for their own seeds (See Lesson 1). Research in nonfiction books will begin the garden/photosynthesis project in the classroom. Creative writing will follow with a seed packet project allowing the students to invent their own seed/plant, listing appropriate care information on a seed packet.
Display commercially prepared seed packets and seeds of various plants and/or vegetables for all students to view during the reading of "The Amazing Beans." Utilizing the information found on each seed packet, set the guidelines for creating a student-made seed packet. Discuss and define terms found on the commercially prepared seed packets (i.e., germination, sowing, thinning). Determine what terms are common to most seed packets and encourage the use of those terms when creating the student-made packets.
Using the research information found in the nonfiction books and the information accumulated in the Flower Journal booklet, the students will select a seed or invent a seed to be packaged in their student-made seed packets. Distribute white art paper cut into rectangles approximately the size of a commercially prepared seed packet, markers and several commercially prepared seed packets. Encourage creating the packet's layout on scrap paper as well as the composition of the various categories containing written information. Once the layout and written information are complete, instruct the students to transfer that information to the white art paper rectangle. Discuss what an appealing seed packet looks like and the information it contains. Display the seed packets on popcicle sticks on a bulletin board that resembles a garden. As a follow-up art project, have the students 'plant' their seeds and display their growth on the bulletin board. Update the seed/plant growth as often as necessary, allowing the students to create a fully mature plant with flowers and/or vegetables! This follow-up will also attract the attention of other students/faculty in the school as they watch the growth of the fictional garden.
Classification of Seeds:
Seed classification on various levels from color and size to growth pattern and sun or shade tolerance will be incorporated into the mathematics curriculum. With the discussion and accumulation of information from the seed packet art project (above), the students should be aware of the many sizes, colors and shapes of plant/vegetable seeds. The characteristics of the seeds/plants will also be available to them from their research and completion of the seed packet art project. This information can be applied to the classification of seeds.
General categories taken from the seed packet information can encompass shade/sun tolerance, planting requirements, and the like. These categories do not require viewing the actual seeds. This aspect of seed classification should be the first or whole-class example, following the rules of classification according to the characteristic(s) listed. Chart paper and markers can be used for this whole-class exercise, however, actual seed packets glued to chart paper or stapled to a classification bulletin board may be more effective. Once this first classification exercise is complete and the students have a displayed example to follow, other categories involving the actual seeds can be defined by individual or small groups of students. The independent classification projects can also be displayed similarly to the whole class project, offering glued seed packets, seeds and maybe even plants as props to the displays.
Since planted seeds are ever-changing as they grow, classification exercises can continue on a multitude of levels. Simple classification using obvious characteristics will lend to more complex classification projects/discussions involving plant growth rates, watering rates, fertilization requirements, etc. These higher order classification exercises will provide ample practice in the mathematical concept of classification/grouping and may assist the students in their success with the Connecticut Mastery Test.
The freedom necessary for the higher level classification exercises is the responsibility of the classroom teacher. If a student is interested in plant growth rates or plant characteristics in general, the classroom teacher must be prepared to offer space/time to the student(s) for planting their seeds of choice. Although a supervised, whole class planting project is planned for this unit, student interest in research and classification should be encouraged as appropriate.
Growing Seeds:
The class will read books like "Pumpkin, Pumpkin" and "Growing Vegetable Soup" before and during the period of actual seed planting. Art projects mimicking the illustrations in "Growing Vegetable Soup" will be completed and alternate vegetables will be described in book form following the story pattern in "Pumpkin, Pumpkin."
Growing seeds will be the next logical step in this garden/photosynthesis unit. The use of a Root Vue Farm for planting beans will allow the students to observe the growth above and below the soil. An alternative to this method is having the students plant their own seeds on a moist paper towel laid in a petri dish. To measure root and stem growth, copy a sheet of graph paper onto a piece of acetate or an overhead projector sheet. The students could then cut the clear plastic graph to the size of the dish and lay it behind the seed and moist paper towel for a more accurate record of root and stem growth. The clear plastic graph can also be made for the Root Vue Farm.
At least two different types of beans should be planted side by side: a bush bean and a pole bean. The comparison of the two (or more) varieties will continue throughout the germination and growth of the seeds. First leaves will be compared to true leaves. Information gathered earlier on plant nutrition will be reviewed and utilized. The students will observe similarities and differences among the bean varieties planted and will record their observations in their journals.
The nutrients housed in a seed will be the next researched topic. Seeds will be planted under two opposite conditions: seeds placed in a lighted area and seeds placed in a dark area or closet (Use the procedure for Lesson 2, replacing the two potted plants with potted seeds). This experiment will show that light is not needed for seeds to germinate. However, an experiment with plants under the same conditions will yield different results (See Lesson 2).
The story "Jack and the Beanstalk" will be read. The purpose of this story is to further discuss the differences in growth patterns of plants. Following the story, beans can be germinated under varied conditions such as lack of light, lack of water, indoors, outdoors, and with or without fertilizer. Plant growth in each of these conditions would then be compared to the plant growth of the same type of bean seeds in the Root Vue Farm or petri dishes. Environmental conditions would then become the topic of discussion. Predictions could then be made about the growth pattern of Jack's beans in the story "Jack and the Beanstalk." Creative journal writing will connect the beanstalk story to a real or fictitious plant described by the student. A reading beanstalk could be drawn and displayed, listing every book read during the garden/photosynthesis unit. Each leaf would represent one book. The beanstalk would continue to grow as more reading is completed.
Following the observation of root and stem growth for beans, the Root Vue Farm plants (or the petri dish plants) should be transplanted into regular pots or containers. The Root Vue Farm could then be reused for displaying the growth of others vegetables, such as carrots, radishes and onions. The roots of these vegetables will then be compared to the roots of the bean plants.
A garden project could begin with an indoor greenhouse or an outdoor area for planting. The original bean plants could be transplanted once again to the indoor or outdoor garden. Plant needs would be re-discussed as the soil is prepared for the transplants. Compost, soil, water and light will all be related as the plants are moved. Plant environment and conditions would be revisited and earlier discussed concepts would be reinforced. A computerized garden design could be created using a simple drawing program like KidWorks2, KidPix, or HyperStudio.
The Ways of Plants:
Beginning the garden project and continuing the journal writings and observations, the inside functions of a plant can be discussed. Plant illustrations would begin this aspect of the garden/photosynthesis unit. Labeling the exterior parts of a plant and defining the purpose of each part will lead to a lesson of the workings of the plant's
interior.
The flow of nutrients from a plant's roots to its body and leaves will be illustrated with the celery experiment. This experiment will help demonstrate that water is absorbed by plants and travels to all parts of the plant. (See Lesson 3 below). Photosynthesis will be in the spotlight during this section of the unit.
Below is a glossary of terms related to seeds, plants and photosynthesis.
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anther:
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the male part of a flower which produces the pollen
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carbon dioxide:
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a gas green plants use to make food; plants get this from the air
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carpels:
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the female organ of a flower; they have three parts: 1) an ovary, holding one or more egg cells, 2) style and 3) stigma which is at the tip of the style and receives the pollen.
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cells:
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one of the building blocks of which living things are made; plants consist of many cells; some may be specialized for particular jobs
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chlorophyll:
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the green matter that is needed to make food for the plant
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chloroplasts:
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the part of plant cells where photosynthesis occurs
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cortex:
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in the root, it is the layer of cells between the center and the edge
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dicot (dicotyledon):
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a flowering plant that has 2 cotyledons in the embryo; the bean seed is a dicot
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dissemination:
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the act or process of scattering or the state of being scattered widely; the process of seeds traveling from one place to another
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dormant:
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when a seed falls to the ground and may lie there "asleep"
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embryo:
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the developing life of a new plant or animals, due to the combining of male and female reproductive cells; the part of a seed that develops into a new plant
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endosperm:
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the part of monocot plants that store food
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epidermis:
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the outer layer of cells on a plant; it protects the inside parts; it is like our skin
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fats:
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found in cell membranes; also used to store energy
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fertilize:
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to put manure or certain chemicals in the soil as food for the plants
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germination:
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a seed begins to grow; the growth of a seed
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gamete:
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the egg or the sperm in the flower
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monocot:
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a plant that has only one cotyledon; the corn (monocotyledon) seed is a monocot
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ovary:
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the female part of a flower which produces the eggs that are needed for making seeds
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oxygen:
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a gas that has no color or smell; oxygen makes up one-fifth of the air; living things need oxygen to live and fires need it to burn; oxygen is a chemical element; green plants make this gas when they make food
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petal:
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one of the parts of a flower that is arranged in a circle; they are the colored part of the flower
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photosynthesis:
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the process by which green plants use carbondioxide, water and sunlight to make their own food; made up of two words: photo, which means light and synthesis, which means put together; a plant puts water and carbon dioxide together; it uses light and chlorophyll as helpers; when these things are put together they make sugar and oxygen
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pistal:
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the female seed-producing part of a flower
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pollen:
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the fine powder produced by the anther inside a flower that contains the male sperm cells
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pollen tube:
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a tube that grows from a pollen grain on the stigma of a flower down through the style into the ovary
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protein:
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a substance that is found in all living cells of animals and plants; it is necessary for growth and life
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root hairs:
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they look like hair; they come out of the root like a branch; they absorb the water and food for the plant
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seed coat:
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the outer covering of a seed
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sepal:
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the outer green parts of the base of the flower; they protect the flower bud before it opens; inside the sepals are the colored petals
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stamen:
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the male organ inside the petals; the part of the flower that produces pollen
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starch:
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a white food substance (made of sugar) that is made and stored in most plants
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stele:
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the center of the root; it holds the veins that carry water and sugar
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stigma:
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the tip of the female part of the flower which receives the male pollen grains
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stomata:
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tiny pores on the underside of the leaves (stomata is plural for stoma); carbon dioxide and oxygen enter and leave the plant through these tiny pores
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vascular rays:
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cells in the root that carry water sideways
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veins:
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tubes which take water to each and every cell of the plant; the veins help to strengthen and support the plant
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xylem:
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veins that carry water and food to the plant
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The following are illustrations that may aid in the implementation of this unit.
Illustration 1: The Parts of a Flower
(available in print formf)
Illustration 2: The Four Main Parts of a Flower
(available in print form)
Illustration 3: Photosynthesis (leaf)
(available in print form)
Illustration 4: Photosynthesis (plant)
(available in print form)
Illustration 5: Pollination
(available in print form)
Illustration 6: Germination
(available in print form)
