Experimenting with Plants Targeted Grade Level -- 6 Developed by National Science Resource Center Distributed by Carolina Biological

Experimenting with Plants Module Overview

In this unit, sixth-graders apply the knowledge and skills they have gained in earlier STC life science units to investigate some of the variables that affect plant growth and development. The main objective of the unit is to enable students to design and conduct a controlled experiment. They begin by studying the key variables that affect the life, health, and reproduction of the Wisconsin Fast Plant(TM) and how they can manipulate these variables. Working in teams, they formulate a question concerning the plant and carry out a controlled experiment designed to answer that question. During the ensuing weeks, they observe the plants and record their data. Each team then shares its results with the class. Final activities entail germinating seeds that students have gathered from the plants and exploring tropisms.

Descriptions of the Science and Technology for Children ^tm (STC) units © 1997 National Academy of Sciences. Reproduced with permission from the National Science Resources Center (NSRC), Washington, DC. For more information about the STC ^tm program and other NSRC programs and activities visit the NSRC web site. For information on ordering the STC ^tm curriculum visit the Carolina Biological Supply Company web site.

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