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Weeds on the Windowsill
Students study farming and reasons to control weeds. They examine pesticides necessary for the control of weeds and the damage to the environment. Through experimentation, students plant seeds in different soils and determine if seeds...
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Beans and Birds: A Natural Selection Simulation
Learners examine the problem concerning the evolution of seed color in pinto bean plants "How does natural selection change the frequency of genes or traits over many generations"? Students work in teams to design an experiment that...
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Natural Selection
Young scholars observe, measure and record variations that may be due to genetic inheritance. They look at the length of seeds for germinating pinto and lima beans and measure the distance between eyes in humans. They graph and discuss...
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Our Changing Environment-- A Demonstration
Students observe and describe changes in an environment when some of the components are changed. They recognize the process of succession by
preparing a miniaturized environment in which a variety of plants and seeds are grown.
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Living Water
Pupils read an ancient Asian fairy tale. While visiting a local park, they collect both male and female seeds found in cones. They identify the type of trees they found the cones by and discuss what they are used for. In groups, they...
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Growing Jack and the Beanstalk Plants
First graders investigate how plants grow by growing their own "beanstalk", (after reading "Jack and the Beanstalk") and record their observations daily in a science journal.
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Soil Composition
Students investigate how soil composition affects plant growth. In small groups, they plant various seeds in different soil mixtures, record plant and seed growth, and analyze the results.
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Living Corn Necklace
Sixth graders complete an experiment to learn about hereditary traits. In this hereditary traits lesson, 6th graders discuss similarities and differences in corn and complete charts for their discussion. Students then use a dent corn and...
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One, Two, Three. TMV
Students, in groups, design their own experiments to determine how the mode of application of the virus extract affects the various plants that students have grown from seed.
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Growing Corn
Sixth graders create a Venn diagram of different soil types. They plant cord seeds in clay, sand, and fertile black soils are record their growing rates. After two weeks they discuss the effects of soil types on the growth process.
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Will they grow?
Third graders plant seeds and see how they will grow in a specific temperature and are questioned about different environments and how they think crops would grow there. They form a hypothesis, perform an experiment, and then collect...
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A PRICELESS Collection
Students read a story about the life of Russian plant breeder Nikolai I and Vavilov and the national seed bank he established. They research the Irish Potato Famine of the late 1840s and identify the cause for this famine and make...
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Turn On A Light And Do Your Own Revegetation
Students use electricity and plant a seed to observe the process when coal is the major fuel source to produce electricity. They use the packet of native seeds to experiment with revegetation.
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Grow Your Own Grub
Students study plant needs and growth by completing a gardening activity. In this plant study lesson, students watch a video and discuss plant growth needs. Students plant seeds in containers and water the plants. Students take photos of...
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Creating the Water Cycle
Students create a terrarium to examine the stages of the water cycle. In small groups, they plant and water a seed in an enclosed plastic container. Each day they diagram and write observations of the terrarium using water cycle vocabulary.
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Plant Life
Seventh graders examine different categories of plant life and their roles as producers of food and oxygen for other organisms. They study the evolution of plants from simple organisms to very complex ones. They look at the different...
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Wacky Weed Parts
Students view picture of weed and identify roots, stems, flowers, leaves, and seeds, describe function of each different weed part, and discuss how different parts of weed work together to benefit plant in its new environment.
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Culturing Plants from Embryonic Plant Tissue
Student groups use lima beans to represent dicots and corn to represent monocots, soak the seeds, and separate the embryos from the cotyledons. They then place the seeds in Petri dishes in agar and observe for at least one week recording...
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Herb is the Word
Young scholars 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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Observing Plants
Students identify how plants affect the survival of a caterpillar and what plants need to survive. They plant three bean seeds in the three containers, placing two containers at a sunny window and the third one in a dark closet and label...
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How Does Your Garden Grow?
Students explore plant life by reading books about gardening. In this botany lesson plan, students read the books From Seed to Plant and Oh Say Can You Seed? while identifying the necessary elements to raising a healthy plant. Students...
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Air Quality Presentation for Youth
Students read two books about wind and dust and then participate in a demonstration in which they plant seeds and compare dry, dusty soils to moist soils. They identify the rationale and methods for keeping airborne dust down.
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What's in a Tree?
Young scholars discuss the types of items they might find in a tree, such as birds, fruit, or seeds. They draw trees on poster boards and then add details by cutting them out and gluing them to their trees.
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Garden Tag
Students create mini "gardens" in recycled clothing boxes. They recycle old seed and flower catalogs and "plant" cut-out flowers in their gardens.