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Biomes and Plant Growth
Seventh graders design four biomes models and plant three types of seeds in them to observe growth. In groups for each type of biome, they predict the seeds' growth in each of the settings. Students follow the conditions on a biome chart...
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Prairie Restoration and Prairie Ecology
Young scholars collect data as they identify and classify native prairie plants and insects. They create their own population study using a variety of sampling techniques to determine the population density of various species. Students...
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Flower Power
Students explore parts of the flower. In this plant biology lesson, students dissect flowers and identify how the seeds are formed. Students take a nature walk to pick flowers for future dissections.
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We are where and what we eat
Young scholars explore concepts of plants they eat, where and how they grow and are introduced to genetic diversity. They examine seed characteristics, look at their different sizes, shapes and germination time. They also set up seeds...
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Prairie Find Outdoors
Students take a field trip to a local prairie. Using identification books, they identify various forbs and grasses in the prairie. As a class, they discuss the importance of forbs and grasses to the ecosystem and review the various types...
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Tree Identification/Tree Art
Seventh graders identify and examine a deciduous and coniferous tree. Using the descriptions, they discover the types of tress in their local area. As a class, they practice identifying trees on a walk in a park collecting leaves. They...
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Plant Reproduction
Young scholars investigate seeds and plant life by creating a germination chamber. In this botany lesson, students investigate the relationship between flowers and the fruit they produce while examining the structure of the flower. ...
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Water, Water, Everywhere and Always on the Move
Pupils create their own water cycle in a terrarium. In this water cycle lesson, students research the water cycle and complete a worksheet using the Internet. They create a water cycle of their own in a jar with stones, sand, soil, and...
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Plant Reproduction
Students plant seeds in order to investigate and explore the questions: "How do seed companies develop varieties of plants?" and "What is the ideal plant?" Students will study related vocabulary and sketch seeds as they emerge. Students...
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Owls: Top of a Food Chain
Although written for middle schoolers, there is no reason that a 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader could not also learn about food chains through the dissection of owl pellets. After you introduce the topic, learners complete an owl research...
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A Botanists View
Young scholars explore plant and seed structure. They dissect a seed and identify its parts. In addition, they explain the function and compare and contrast monocotyledon and dicotlyledons.
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Fruits and Vegetables
Students explore the differences between plants with seeds and seedless. In this fruits and vegetables lesson students examine some vegetables and nuts that are really fruits.
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Plant Activities: A Seedy Job
Students collect seeds outside to study under the microscope.
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The Angiosperms
Students study angiosperms and their classifications. In this investigative lesson students compare the sexual reproduction of angiosperms and seed formations.
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Getting a Handle on Your Bee
Students observe dried bees, carefully glue them to toothpicks, and use them for cross pollinating their Brassica plants. They also describe reasons why two similar investigations can produce different results. Finally, students...
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Looking at Flowers
Learners use their bee sticks to cross-pollinate their Fast Plants and also focus in on the anatomy of flowers. They analyze how the parts of a system go together, and how these parts depend on each other. Finally, students describe...
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A Priceless Collection
Students read about and discuss life of Russian geneticist Nikolai Vavilov, define terms related to field of genetics, complete worksheets, conduct seed experiments, observe and record results, and locate seed banks on world map or globe.
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Rain Reasons
Young scholars explore how climatic factors influence the growth of plants. They create an experiment to find how variations in water, light, and temperature affect plant growth and describe how precipitation and geography can affect the...
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Dichotomous Key for Identifying Pine Trees
Students identify the species of pine trees that are found in their area. They use unlabeled "mystery" samples and a dichotomous key to identify the pine trees to species. After identification, they use a field guide to answer worksheet...
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Harvesting and Threshing the Seed
Middle schoolers harvest and thresh the seeds. They count the seeds and compare that number with the original number of seeds planted (8) to determine their profit or loss. Finally, students think about additional questions they have...
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Planting the Seed
Middle schoolers plant their seeds and collect and organize their own materials for planting. They also set up their planters with wicks, fertilizer, potting mix, and seeds. Finally, students write their names on planter markers with a...
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Wind Distribution of Weed Seeds
Students investigate how many seasons it would take for wind to disperse seeds one mile downwind from an initial growth of one spotted knapweed plant. They construct and use a wind tunnel as part of their experiment and graph their results.
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Soil and Agriculture: Lesson 4 - Agriculture and Soil
Students determine how the various levels of minerals in the soil, as well as the pH of the soil, affect the growth of plants in these plant growth experiments.
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Pollen & Pollination
Students identify the different ways things are pollinated and how to manage pollen. In this pollination lesson plan students complete an experiment on how moths pollinate flowers.