Lesson Plan for Fast Plants
Lesson Title: “How do plants respond to different growing conditions?”
Lesson Length: 5-45minute classes spread out over 2weeks
Grade/Level/Course: Middle School Science
Overview:
The students will first use the 5E model for whole class and small group inquiry. They will design and conduct an experiment to answer the question “How do plants respond to different growing conditions?” Each group will share their experimental results with the class. Following the small group presentations, the class will construct an AEG as a whole class to ensure students have mastered the critical content. This lab allows students to explore the optimal growing conditions of plants, thus enhancing their understanding of plants, life cycles, and factors limiting or harming growth.
Kansas Science Standards Addressed in This Lesson:
Standard 1: SCIENCE AS INQUIRY- The student will develop the abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry and develop an understanding of scientific inquiry.
Benchmark1: The student will demonstrate the abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry.
- actively engages in asking and evaluating research questions.
- Actively engages in investigations, including developing questions, gathering and analyzing data, and designing and conducting research.
- conducting an inquiry, formulating and revising his or her scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence, and recognizing that potential alternative explanations and models should be considered.
- actively engages in communicating and defending the design, results, and conclusion of his/her, design and conduct an inquiry to investigation.
Standard 3: LIFE SCIENCE- the student will apply process skills to explore and understand structure and function in living systems, reproduction and heredity, regulation and behavior, populations and ecosystems, and diversity and adaptations of organisms.
Benchmark 1: the student will model structures of organisms and relate functions to their structures.
3. that breakdowns in structures or functions of an organism may be caused by disease, injury, infection, or aging.
Standard 7: History and Nature of Science- the student will examine and develop an understanding of science as a historical human endeavor.
Benchmark1: the student will develop scientific habits of mind.
1. The student knows that scientists practice intellectual honesty, demonstrate skepticism, display open-mindedness to new ideas, and base decisions on evidence.
Student Outcomes:
- Students will practice asking and evaluating a research question, designing and conducting an inquiry and communicating and defending their findings.
- Students will be able to explain how the (independent) variables (acidity of the water, amount and direction of light received, heat, placement of plants “geotropism” ) do or do not affect the plants ability to maintain homeostasis and grow.
Content Overview:
Students will use all AEG strategies to organize and present their claim about which variables affect the ability to maintain homeostasis and grow.
Lesson Plan:
Introduction to Lesson: Tell the students: This lesson is divided into several parts. To complete the first part we will have a short class discussion about factors that affect plant growth and health. Then you will work in groups to design, conduct and write-up an experiment. Then we will actually plant seeds and record data about their health and growth rates. It will take about 2 weeks for the plants to reach maturity. After we have watched the plants progress from seeds to reproducing adults, we will finish our formal lab write ups and your group will present your findings to the class. Lastly, we will use the data from all the experiments to make and argue a claim as a class about the ability of a plant to maintain homeostasis and growunder different conditions using an AEG as our graphic organizer.
Part one- Guided Inquiry:
Engage: Tell the Students: Today we will be clarifying our ideas about variables that affect the ability of a plant to maintain homeostasis and grow using the 5E model. Who knows what the 5E’s represent in the inquiry process?
First, let’s explore some of our ideas about plant growth and factors that affect it. Keep in mind that you will be conducting an inquiry to answer the question, “How do plants respond to different growing conditions?”
Explore: Brainstorm a list of variables that affect plant growth. Students will choose an independent variable from this list and design an experiment to determine the affect of that variable on plant growth.
Students will work as a group to complete their formal lab write up using the problem the teacher identified. Each group will write a hypothesis that relates to the problem given and will identify the independent, dependent variables, collect data, organize and analyze their data, and form a conclusion.
Explain: Students will share results of their experiments during a class discussion. Using the experimental results as a springboard, conduct a class discussion of the question- “How do plants respond to different growing conditions?” Reach class consensus on the variables as they relate to the affect they had on plant growth and health. Students should conclude that direction of light, amount of light, type of light, heat, and position of the plants does affect the growth and health of the plants.
Teacher Notes:
- FAST plants work really well and they have a kit system that makes it really easy to do this in about 2 weeks. Once the initial planting is done it will only take students about 10 minutes a day to collect data and care for the plant.
- I will be following the planting and setup directions in the FAST plants kit as the procedure when planting with my students.
Gather materials:
- Fast growing plants, planting medium, light sources, a diluted vinegar water solution (I’ve used a 5% solution of regular vinegar in the past). I make each group have a control plant(s) and an experimental plant(s).
Part Two - Scientific Argumentation and Evaluation:
Elaborate:
Cue: Now that we have collected and reviewed all of our class data, we will work together to make and argue a claim about which factors affect the growth and health of plants. The AEG is the Argumentation and Evaluation Guide. Each of you will get a blank copy. Each of you should contribute to the constructions of the class AEG and afterwards complete a copy for yourself. This is important because the process of the AEG will help you think about how to make a claim, look at evidence, reasoning and come to conclusions. Keeping your own copy will give you a reference to use as you work on arguments independently in the future.
Do: Work as small groups to investigate the hypothesis each group came up with and as a whole class to complete an AEG making sure students understand what information should be included to thoroughly evaluate a scientific claim. Correct misunderstandings as needed. See attached AEG.
Review: Go over the process of using data to make a claim that is argued using the AEG as an organizer. Revisit the original question-“How do plants respond to different growing conditions?” Make sure students understand the critical content- that the ability of plants to maintain homeostasis is dependent on several factors. This could also lead into a discussion and possible extension lab of how certain human activities affects plant growth?
Evaluate- Assessment Plan:
Have a scoring rubric that all students can see. Using their copy of the AEG they just made, have them indicate the score they would give each scoring guideline with the corresponding number of fingers.
Have students review the steps of the 5E model. Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.
Safety Plan:
- Follow all directions as given by the teacher.
- DO NOT touch another groups experiment.
- No horseplay allowed.
- Equipment should be used only as directed for the inquiry.
- Do not taste any lab supplies.
- WEAR YOUR GOGGLES!
References: FAST plants guide and teacher development
Appendix: copy of lab, blank AEG, AEG answer key,scoring rubric