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Serendip
Where Does a Plant's Mass Come From?
Where does the mass for a growing tree come from? Scholars consider a few different hypotheses and guess which is correct. They then analyze data from different experiments to understand which concepts science supports.
May Media Group
Treatment Plants
Young scientists explore nature's water treatment plants in this simple science demonstration. By placing a stalk of celery in a cup of water mixed with food coloring, children are able to observe how plants absorb nutrients and...
AAAS
Identification and Classification of Grassland Plants
Take learning outside and start classifying grasslands. Young ecologists observe grassland plants in order to classify them into the appropriate species by family. They note their characteristics and where they grow. A true...
Education Outside
Grow an Art Garden: Plant a Rainbow
After a reading of Lois Ehlert's Planting a Rainbow, class members plan a rainbow garden, research growing cycles of the fruits and vegetables in their section, and then plant and maintain the garden.
Primary Resources
What Plants Need to Grow
What do seeds need in order to grow into plants? This presentation follows what happened every four days during a seed growth and observation study. Images compare how well two sets of seeds did under specific circumstances. Use this to...
Biology Junction
Nonvascular and Simple Vascular Plants: Mosses to Ferns
Sometimes conservationists use specific plants to prevent erosion or fight invasive species. A 50-slide presentation covers both nonvascular and vascular plants. It discusses the plants, their stages and life cycles, reproduction, uses,...
Baylor College
Do Plants Need Light?
Turn your classroom into a greenhouse with a lesson on plant growth. First, investigate the different parts of seeds, identifying the seed coat, cotyledon, and embryo. Then plant the seeds and watch them grow! Measure the new plants...
Biology Junction
Seed Plants: Gymnosperms and Angiosperms
One of the reasons plants found success on land relates to seed development. Scholars learn about many different forms of seeds and how they changed over time. It describes the structure and function of many different types of seeds in...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Mosses and Ferns
Mosses and ferns are some of the world's oldest types of plants. Here is a quality 10-slide presentation set to gentle background music for beginning botanists to view and enjoy. Accompanying captions explain that these are both...
Curated OER
Bee Pollen Popular
The world would be a much different place without the help of pollinators. Read about the important role bats, hummingbirds, and various insects play in plant reproduction, exploring the interdependence of living things in an ecosystem....
K12 Reader
Plant Life Cycles
Plant life cycles are the focus of a life science instructional activity that is designed as a reading comprehension exercise. Readers respond to five questions based on the passage.
Berkshire Museum
The Three Life-Giving Sisters: Plant Cultivation and Mohican Innovation
Children gain first-hand experience with Native American agriculture while investigating the life cycle of plants with this engaging experiment. Focusing on what the natives called the Three Sisters - corn, beans, and squash - young...
Biology Junction
Introduction to the Plant Kingdom
Plants provide humans with food, shelter, and medications. Scholars gain a better appreciation for plants after learning their functions, divisions, and early ancestors. Each sub-topic includes slides highlighting vocabulary and...
Outside Education
Plant a Plant in Anything!
Primary graders repurpose items brought from home to create containers for plants. After poking holes in their containers, kids add soil and plant seeds or transplant an item, and then observe and draw conclusions about which items...
Serendip
Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
How does energy from the sun make plants grow? Scholars move step by step through the processes that promote plant propagation during a detailed lesson. The resource illustrates ADP production and hydrolysis, then allows learners to...
Nuffield Foundation
Interpreting an Investigation of Plant Hormones
How important is the tip of a new shoot on a growing plant? Individuals learn about the results of experiments on shoot tips and must interpret them. They apply previous learning and connect complex ideas through advanced analysis.
NASA
Exploring the Moon
Can plants grow on the moon? The second lesson in a five-part series has pupils explore the resources available on the moon to determine if plant life is possible. They use lava rocks as their soil and draw conclusions about the...
Carnegie Mellon University
Transportation
Teach your environmental studies, life science, or engineering class how an internal combustion engine works using the first few slides of the accompanying presentation. Then, focus in on the resulting carbon emissions. Finally, take a...
Curated OER
Life Cycle of Trees
Turn your students into young tree-tectives with this fun science investigation into the life of trees. To begin, a class volunteer gets dressed up in a tree costume as the different parts of trees are introduced. Then, the class...
Biology Junction
Kingdom: Fungi
Based on DNA, fungi relate more closely to animals than to plants. This new scientific knowledge shifted the world view of scientists and opened up new classifications. Viewers learn about fungi's place in evolution, in the tree of life,...
Biology Junction
Mendelian Genetics
Over the course of seven years, Gregor Mendel grew more than 28,000 pea plants. The large amount of data he collected led him to postulate the rules of genetics as we understand them today. Scholars learn about Mendel, genetics, and...
Virginia Department of Education
Weather Patterns and Seasonal Changes
Get your class outside to observe their surroundings with a lesson plan highlighting weather patterns and seasonal changes. First, learners take a weather walk to survey how the weather affects animals, people, plants, and trees during...
Biology Junction
Plant Diversity
Ginkgo trees existed for more than 350 million years, and, at this time, only one species still remains. While plant diversity generally increases over geologic time, some interesting exceptions occur. Young scientists learn about plant...
New South Wales Department of Education
History of Plant Classification
Bamboo, the fastest growing plant in the world, can grow up to 35 inches in one day! Pupils learn how plants historically have been classified and determine if these traits are appropriate to use in this 17th lesson of 20. They will also...