Instruct each student to take a sock from the materials station and
carry it outside. Once all the students are outside, instruct them to
place the sock over their shoes. Tell students to scuff their feet on
the ground for the next five minutes.
Note to Teacher
The goal is to take students to wooded areas where there are many trees
and ground litter. If this is not possible, collect a variety of ground
litter including branches, leaves, and seeds for students to observe.
After five minutes, have the students remove their socks by pulling
them inside out and placing them inside the baggie. Advise students
to not remove anything from the sock. Return to the classroom.
Have students carefully remove the sock from the baggie onto a paper
towel. Examine all the items picked up from outside. Ask the students
to describe anything that was picked up. Did anyone pick up any seeds?
Describe what the seeds looked like. How did they know that the item
was a seed? Students can write answers on Handout #1. (The seeds have
a hard outer covering. It may also have stickers or briars to attach
to various things.)
Explain to students that by putting socks on their feet and walking
around, they were helping the seeds move to a new location to grow.
Since seeds do not have feet or ways to move on their own, they have
to find unique methods to find the ideal location for growth. Explain
to students that they served as a vector (a vector is a way for seeds
to move about). Ask the students to name other types of vectors. (Other
vectors would include water, wind, and animals such as insects, birds,
Remove one of the seeds from one of the socks and place it on the table.
Ask the students if the seed can begin to grow on the table. (The students
may give a variety of answers. Many students may not have any experience
in growing a plant from seed and will be unfamiliar with growth requirements.
The seeds need water and warmth to germinate.)
Have the students choose one seed from their sock. Ask students to place
the seed in a new baggie with a wet paper towel. Seal the baggie and
place it a warm place. Instruct students to make predictions as to how
long it will take to begin growth. Have students write their predictions
on paper. Is anything hindering the seed from growing? Allow students
time to respond and write answers on their handout. Ask for sample answers
and write them on the board. (The students may answer that there is
no soil or plant food.)
Tell students they will now explore how plants produce seeds by reviewing
the parts of the plant.
Instruct the students to log on to the Web site http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/case1/c1facts2a.html.
On this site they can begin the tutorial lesson on the parts of the
plant. Students may work in pairs or independently. If there are not
enough computers for each student, the entire class can work from one
computer providing there are facilities to project the screen on an
Provide the students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION by asking
them to answer the questions on Handout #2. Instruct them to skip the
section on flowers since that is not the focus of the lesson. Once they
finish the tutorial, tell the students to place the handout face down
without the answers showing and complete the quiz to test their comprehension
of the information. Give students approximately 15-20 minutes to complete
the handout and quiz. After the students have finished, review the answers
to each of the questions on Handout #2 to ensure comprehension of the
Note to Teacher
The quiz does not appear until the entire tutorial has been read. Once
the time section of Growing Plants Indoors has
been accessed, a link appears to test your knowledge about plant parts.
Ask the students to examine the seeds they planted from the outside
activity. Are there any elements for growth missing in their setup?
(Answers may include nutrients or air.)
Now that the students have had an opportunity to review the parts of
the plant, let's look at how diverse nature is in spreading seeds about
the terrain. What are some ways seeds can be moved? (Responses could
include wind and water.) Tell the students that they are going to view
a video that shows some of those examples along with other ways that
seeds are distributed.
Insert Nature #1609: The "Seedy" Side of Plants into
the VCR. FAST FORWARD the tape to the point where the screen
is displaying the plains of Australia. The narrator says, "In Australia's
Northern plains is concealed the most bizarre relationship: another
example of how extraordinarily the seeds will travel." Provide
the students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them
what happens to the berries before they can begin to grow. PLAY
tape until you see seed grow after being removed from the ant pit. PAUSE
the tape. Ask students to respond. (Emus consume quinine berries. Within
72 hours, they defecate the remains. The pits erupt, leaving the seed
with an exposed nodule. Ants then drag the seed and nodule underground.
They eat the nodule and drag the seed above ground, disposing of it.
The seed then continues its growth to become a plant.)
Ask student why they suppose the quinine berries had to go through so
many stages in order for the seeds to grow. (To overcome drought and
fires of the terrain.) Students have seen how the quinine used its berries'
color to attract emus; now have them watch for how the cashew fruit
FAST FORWARD tape to the point where the monkeys are roaring
on the screen. The narrator says, "Animals are clearly a mixed
blessing." Provide the students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION
by asking them what the purpose of the fruit is for the seeds? How does
the animal know the cashew nut is ready for consumption? PLAY
tape until the monkeys drop the fruit. PAUSE the tape. Ask students
to respond. (Fruit is a bribe to attract the right animals and manipulate
their behavior; it is ready when the fruit ripens to a yellow color.)
Provide the students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking
them if it is better for the cashew to be eaten in the trees or away
from the tree. Why or why not? Why do the monkeys not eat the seed?
RESUME tape until you see the monkey drop the half-eaten fruit
and seed. Ask students to respond. (Monkeys that are less aggressive
move away from the original site of the fruit. This is a good thing
for the seed because the monkeys will drop the seed in a new location
after eating the fruit. The seed is not eaten due to its poisonous nature.)
Students have now observed two ways in which seeds are dispersed in
nature; next have them watch for some more conventional ways that seeds
find new homes.
FAST FORWARD tape to the screen where the dandelion is opening
up to display all its seeds. The narrator says, "No elaborate advertising
here, just a thorough understanding of aerodynamics." PAUSE
the tape. In this picture, there are many dandelion seeds. Ask students
if all these seeds will mature into new plants. Why or why not? Allow
students to respond. (The dandelion produces so many seeds because there
is a great chance that many will not survive.) Ask students if they
think that is the only reason, but do not let them respond yet. Provide
the students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them
to listen for one benefit and one disadvantage of these seed types.
PLAY tape until the screen displays the whirlybird falling to
the ground. STOP the tape. Allow the students to respond. (One
benefit of producing so many seeds is to ensure future generations of
the same plant. Seeds are light and airy to allow the wind to carry
them to new locations. One disadvantage would be that because they are
very small, limited endosperm is carried in the seed, thereby narrowing
their chances of survival.) REVIEW with the class the seed dispersal
methods shown in the video. (The methods include water, wind, and a
combination of various animals.)
Instruct students to bring the plastic baggies with the seedlings they
planted earlier in the lesson back to the table.
Note to Teacher
Ideally this lesson will take at least 3 days to allow the plants to
sprout. You may need to plant the seeds ahead of time for the students
or have them do it, then come back later to this portion of the lesson.
Instruct students to use their hand lens to observe the following parts
of the plant: root, stem, leaves, and cotyledon(s). Monitor and assist
as students are finding the parts. If some students finish early, allow
them to be peer teachers for other students. Allow students to observe
other students' seedlings.
Instruct students to write down answers to the questions and their observations
on Handout #3. Ask students for their responses after it seems most
have completed their observations. What are some common observations
they have made about the seedlings? (Sample responses might include
sprouts coming out from one end of the seed, no sprout, the sprout is
mostly green, the root grows downward, the seed cover is peeling away,
and the towel is becoming dry. Depending on conditions of growth, answers
Divide students into teams of four. Provide each team with the following
materials: deep container or pot, various seeds, soil, and a cup of
water. Since they have observed a variety of seeds and growth patterns
in seeds, each team will have the opportunity to grow their own group
of seeds in the form of a theme.
Set labeled seed containers out in such a way that students will see
what seeds are available to plant. Have the students map out what they
would like to plant on Handout #4. Once they have completed this portion
of the handout, each team to should have the teacher pre-approve the
idea. The idea is to create an arrangement of plants based on a theme
of some sort. After having the idea approved, briefly review with the
students how to plant seeds: no more than one-third length of their
index finger (or 1-2 cm). Planting too deep would not allow for the
stem and roots to properly grow. Continue following directions on Handout
#4. Some helpful Web sites are listed under Media Components at the
beginning of this lesson.
Possible Plant Themes
- Seeds that produce plants with colored flowers
- Vegetables containing seeds
- Vegetables lacking seeds
- Seeds grouped by size
- Seeds grouped by shape
Since the project will take some time to completely grow, students can
use this time to decide how they will complete the final presentation
or project idea.
After approximately 7-10 days, each team will display their arrangement
to the class. They will also present the theme they based their arrangement
upon and any significant observations they have made. Some teams may want
to continue to allow their plants to grow to fully display their theme
(i.e. the theme is all vegetables or all one color of flowers, etc.)
Have the students predict and draw what their seed garden may look like
after it has fully grown. The artwork could be done in pastel or pencil.
Students can read a variety of books such as:
The Tiny Seed. Eric Carle
A Weed is a Seed. Freida Wolff
From Seed to Plant. Gail Gibbons
Flowers, Fruits, Seeds. Jerome Wexler
The Giving Tree. Shel Silverstein
Sunflower. Miela Ford
The Popcorn Book. Tomie DiPaola
The Mountain that Loved a Bird. Alice McLerran
Titch. Pat Hutchins
Will Spring Be Early? Or Will Spring Be Late? Crocket Johnson
First Comes Spring. Anne Rockwell
Round Robin. Jack Kent
Anna in the Garden. Diane Hearn
The Green Man. Gail Haley
The Pea Patch Jig. Thatcher Hurd
Sunflower House. Eve Bunting
Planting a Rainbow. Lois Ehlert
The Carrot Seed. Ruth Kraus
The Flower Alphabet Book. Jerry Pallota
Students can fill in a Genre Studies Chart. The chart could include topics
for which the students could fill in information based on the book they
choose to read. Sample topics for the teacher to draw out on butcher paper
or poster board might include:
1. Fiction/Non-Fiction story
2. General theme of the story
3. Type of plant(s) featured in the story
4. Actions of the plant (roots growing, stem growing, seeds moving, etc.)
5. Colors of plants
6. Does man influence the growth of the seeds? How?
Students can create several activities using all the plant and seed words
they have learned. Such activities might include a spelling bee, crossword
puzzle, or other word puzzles.
Students can create a Seed Wordbook by folding several pieces of writing
paper in half and stapling it.
Students can create stories based on the words found in this unit. From
this, the class can create a class book. Choose several children to illustrate
the cover and back page.
Discuss how popcorn seeds are able to burst open and form an edible food.
Microwave several bags and have the students count the unpopped kernels.
What would cause the unpopped seeds not to open? Research the Web sites.
(Popcorn contains water inside the kernel. When it is microwaved, the
water heats up and causes the shell to burst, thus opening the popcorn
into an edible form. If there is very little water, the kernel does not
Research the importance of several geneticists creating new seed types.
This could include Burpee, Thomas Morgan, and Gregor Mendel. Have the
students include drawings the types of seeds hybridized by these scientists.
- Have students research common plants of their neighborhood. They
can either make a dried plant display or leaf collection, then draw
the seed that is associated with the plant.
- Students can contact the local or state agricultural extension for
information on how pollution is affecting the area and the plant population.
Research what plants are slowly being eliminated from the area due
to construction and man-made environmental changes.
- Students can refer to their local museums and botanical gardens
for various plant and seed types. The American Museum of Natural History
has an entire wing dedicated to plant life.