Structures of Life
Investigation 1: Origin of Seeds
Part 3
Seed Soak
Students compare the mass of seeds that have been soaked in water overnight to the mass of dry seeds. They also determine the quantity of water the seeds soaked up.
3. Lesson set up and Management
1.2.L Know that all living things are composed of parts made of cells.
1.2 Identify the parts of a system, how the parts go together, and how they depend on each other.
2.1.5 Record and report observations, explanations and conclusions using written, oral and mathematical expression.
Seeds undergo changes in the presence of water.
A seed is an organism, a living thing.
Seeds store food and provide protection for the young plant.
When seeds are soaked in water, they become bigger and heavier.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
1. Complete this part during the 7 days of watering and observing the sprouters.
2. This is a 2 day lesson. Day 1 is to weigh dry seeds and day 2 is to weigh the same seeds after they have soaked in water over night.
3. Show students how to set up balances, and let them explore first before beginning lesson. PLAY TIME!
4. Save time by keeping the balances set up so that they will be ready to go for tomorrow's lesson. Keep them in a safe spot until the next day.
5. Make student sheet No. 6 as a transparency and have students copy in their journals.
Have students weigh the dry beans using a variety of gram pieces. They will repeat this process after the beans have soaked overnight. |
Student Management:
1. Keep all materials at the station at which the students are working. Let the students go to each workstation and explore.
2. Let students know they need to leave the soaking seeds alone. If they mix up the containers, the next day's lesson of weighing the same seeds will not be accurate.
3. Keep Moving! If you are constantly moving, it will keep everyone on task.
1. You can lengthen or shorten the time on any lesson.
2. Use pages 2 & 3 to help guide further inquiry at the end of every section.
3. Give students time to discuss their observations with each other.
4. Keep word bank and content inquiry chart up so students can see and have more time to copy later, if needed. It's nice if you can keep the charts up all the time and just add to them as you go.
Writing Support:
1. Have students reflect on the day's lesson in their journal.
2. Start and finish each lesson with a KWLQ chart. ("What do I know?" "What do I want to know?" "What have I learned?" and "Are there any more questions to investigate?")
3. Ask students to write about how they would feel about getting so much water that they grew to be twice their original size. Ask them to explain how life would be different.
4. Have students write all word banks and inquiries in their journals.
Reading Support:
1. Read Science Stories Barbara McClintock.
2. Check the Resources section of the teacher's guide for more reading suggestions, or the literature link on this site.