This activity is a guided inquiry investigation where students gather data on which soil is the best for growing plants. Student will interpret their data, and develop a conclusion from the data. The student will determine which type of soil they would like to use in the next activity of making their own terrariums. The data collected could lead to further questions, which can be investigated in some extension activities.
In this biology investigation, students will make observations of the growth of bean seeds to determine what plants need to live and grow in a healthy way.
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This is a classroom activity where students will make plant rubbings and plant pressings of Minnesota plants.
Students plant sunflower seeds in plastic cups, and once germinated, expose them to varying light or soil moisture conditions. They measure growth of the seedlings every few days using non-standard measurement (inch cubes). After a few weeks, they compare the growth of plants exposed to the different conditions and make bar comparative graphs, which they analyze to draw conclusions about the needs of plants.
In this lesson, the students will build a shelter in order to protect themselves from the rain. After the shelters are built, the class will perform durability and water proof testing on the shelters.
Students watch video clips of animals and plants in their natural environments to determine what living things need to survive. They will then complete an illustration of their own real or imagined plant or animal fulfilling one or more of their needs for survival, within their natural environment. While this lesson does a good job explaining how animals meet their needs through their environments, additional lessons and experiences with plants would need to be provided in order to meet the full standard.
This classroom activity introduces the yearlong topic of phenology and how to use the Weatherguide calendar.
***LOGIN REQUIRED*** This lesson is designed as a basic introduction into botany, and understanding the parts and functions of plants. After completion of this lesson students will have identified the main parts of plants including: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit - as well as their respective functions. This lesson is geared for a 90 minute block-schedule However, activities can and should be modified to fit within other instructional periods.
This is a field investigation where students observe plants in a school forest setting. Students then compare adaptations of plants from different parts of the forest.
***LOGIN REQUIRED*** This lesson is part 2 in a 6 part unit on Biotechnology use in agriculture. It sets the foundation for the culminating project by teaching students about germination and the factors that effect germination. Students will be introduced to the factors that effect germination and then perform an experiment that allows them to evaluate germination rates.
This activity is a field investigation where students identify native MN plants and record the common name, scientific name, and important information about each.
Earth contains a variety of plants to provide food, medicine and, most importantly, energy sources for humans. In this lesson, students will categorize plants by their components and shapes. Additionally, they will learn the mechanisms behind the making of medicines and bio-fuels. It is important that the students have prior knowledge of the plant cell structures and functions. The video duration is 21 minutes, during which the students will use skills such as classification and experimentation. The students must therefore be supplied with various samples of plants. In Arabic with English subtitles.
***LOGIN REQUIRED*** Students will build on previous lessons to design their own agriscience fair experiment. These experiments can be used in a class, school, or FFA contest. This experiment is Lesson 4 of 4.
Students explore whether rooftop gardens are a viable option for combating the urban heat island effect. Can rooftop gardens reduce the temperature inside and outside houses? Teams each design and construct two model buildings using foam core board, one with a "green roof" and the other with a black tar paper roof. They measure and graph the ambient and inside building temperatures while under heat lamps and fans. Then students analyze the data and determine whether the rooftop gardens are beneficial to the inhabitants.
Where does the structure of our body come from? This unit looks at the structure of cells and how proteins are used by both animals and plants to create a framework for cellular growth. You will also learn how a material as fine as spider silk can exceed the strength of steel.
In this activity, students use models to investigate the process and consequences of water contamination on the land, groundwater, and plants. This is a good introduction to building water filters found in the associated activity, The Dirty Water Project.
The teacher leads a discussion in which students identify the physical needs of animals, and then speculate on the needs of plants. With guidance from the teacher, the students then help design an experiment that can take place in the classroom to test whether or not plants need light and water in order to grow. Sunflower seeds are planted in plastic cups, and once germinated, are exposed to different conditions. In particular, within the classroom setting it is easy to test for the effects of light versus darkness, and watered versus non-watered conditions. During exposure of the plants to these different conditions, students measure growth of the seedlings every few days using non-standard measurement. After a few weeks, they compare the growth of plants exposed to the different conditions, and make pictorial bar graphs that demonstrate these comparisons.
At his lab at the University of Pennsylvania, Vijay Kumar and his team have created autonomous aerial robots inspired by honeybees. Their latest breakthrough: Precision Farming, in which swarms of robots map, reconstruct and analyze every plant and piece of fruit in an orchard, providing vital information to farmers that can help improve yields and make water management smarter.