Curated OER
Light Plants and Dark Plants, Wet Plants and Dry Ones
Students plant sunflower seeds in plastic cups, and once germinated, these are exposed to different conditions of light levels and/or soil moisture contents. Students measure growth of the seedlings every few days using non-standard...
Curated OER
Herb is the Word
Students conduct an experiment to determine how different soils affect plant growth over a six-week period. After determining the physical properties of different types of soil, students plant various types of seeds into the soil...
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S-O-I-L Soil
Fifth graders research soil, its nutrients, and plant growth. In this soil lesson, 5th graders create soil journals, trace flowers, and include nutrient information on each petal. Students read an excerpt from "McBroom Tells the Truth."...
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Germinating Seeds on Gelatin
Students germinate seeds in unflavored gelatin to which liquid house plant food has been added. Students observe and record plant growth in this medium with a variety of variables in a number of experiments.
Curated OER
Sowing Seeds: the Beginning of the Fast Plant Life Cycle
Students plant seeds, observe and tend plants. They identify major plant parts, how to germinate and troubleshoot problems with plants; and, that plants need water, light, and soil nutrients to thrive. They create a Plant Growth Data Log.
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Observing the Growth of a Maize Root
Students conduct an experiment in order to observe the typical downward growth of a maize root. They become familiar with the root's growth patterns to use as a control for comparison in other experiments.
Curated OER
Chemistry In Plant Nutrition And Growth
Students investigate different factors that affect plant growth. They research the effects of water supply, radiant energy, air temperature, and soil temperature. Students also gather facts that influence plant nutrition that include the...
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Root, Root, Root for the Nutrients
Students observe the growth of a seed, predict what will happen when seeds are planted without soil, and conduct an experiment using a hydroponics system.
NOAA
Watch the Screen!
Can a sponge cure cancer? Life science pupils visit the drugstore under the sea in the fifth lesson of six. Working groups research the topic then get hands-on experience by testing the inhibiting effects of several plant extracts on E....
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Dating a Volcanic Eruption
Students discover how to "read" tree rings to determine the date of a volcanic eruption and the effects an eruption has on plant growth. After a lecture/demo, students utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan to date an eruption.
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Nutrient Enrichment vs. Oxygen Depletion
Learners investigate how excess nutrients enter a body of water, and the harmful effects they have on aquatic organisms.
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Farming in Space
Eighth graders examine the ways that NASA could create space farms, For this space farms lesson students complete an experiment where they grow several plants.
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What Land Works Best?
Fourth graders explore different types of land. In this land activity, 4th graders investigate how water, climate, and soil type determine what types of crops may be grown. Students discover these elements while playing an interactive game.
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Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns
What does it mean to grow? To germinate? For the plan detailed here, class members investigate the growth process of an oak tree while focusing on the beginning stages of planting and germination. They plant seeds and record observations...
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What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Light
Students conduct an experiment to evaluate whether plants need light to survive and grow. They observe and gather data about plant responses to different growth regimes, analyze the data, and make conclusions about basic plant needs.
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The Mysterious Plant Caper
Students investigate the basic parts of plant and that plants are living things which require water, air, light and nutrients for survival. They do this through a series of scientific experiements and multi-curricular hands-on activities.
Curated OER
Growing Plants with Worm Castings
Students test worm castings for content and use them to grow seeds. They hypothesize which castings best sustain seed growth. They observe growing plants to test their hypotheses. Later they graph their data.
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Soggy Seeds
Students conduct experiments to learn about seed germination. For this seed germination lesson, students write a hypothesis for the seed experiment. students complete the experiment for seed germination and graph the data obtained from...
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The Wheat Plant
Students sequence stages in the life of a wheat plant. They identify the six main parts of the wheat plant. They plant some kernels of wheat in the classroom so students can watch the growth and development. They record the plant's...
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Should Soil Be Sterile?
Students determine if the sterilization of topsoil is beneficial to seed germination and plant growth. They grow plants alongside control groups, make and record observations of plant growth and measure plant biomass.
Curated OER
What's Wetland Allelopathy?
Students study plants and what they need to thrive and survive. They make plant extracts from chosen wetland plants and test their allelopathic effects on the germination rate, radicle growth, and hypocotyl growth of test seeds of other...
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Aliens Among Us
Students identify plants growing in the school yard and choose one for further investigation. They investigate the plant's biotic potential and environmental resistance. They predict what would happen should they introduce an exotic...
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Growing Garden Companions.
Students understand that some plants grow better with other plants. In this companion planting lesson, students observe the "three sisters" growing system used by the Native Americans. Students understand that small gardens grow better...
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Soil pH & Plants
High schoolers investigate the pH of the soil in which different plants grow. They design and carry out an experiment to determine the factors that affect the growth of a population of plants, identifying and controlling major variables...