Welcome Back to Class!

Materials Needed:

Dry Lima Beans (soaked in water overnight)

Toothpicks

Clear Tape

Index Cards

Whiteboard Preparation:

Draw a picture of a dissected lima bean

Literature Resources: 

 

Key Words:

germination

chlorophyll

capillary action

seed coat

embryo (seedling)

endosperm (stored food)

cotyledons

photosynthesis

dicot

monocot

Internet Resources:

 Plant Lesson Plan

Seed Parts

The Great Plant Escape

Seeds at Enchanted Learning

Questions to be answered in class today:

What is a seed? What types of seeds are there? How do seeds grow?

1) What is a Seed?

All plants have the ability to reproduce themselves (make more of themselves). The way many plants do this is through a seed. Every plant seed has the start of another plant curled up inside of it. Give me some examples of seeds. (use book) A seedling also has one more two cotyledon on them, which are the first leaves the plant produces. There are two basic types of seeds: the monocot, which is a seed that has one cotyledon, such as corn; and the dicot, which has two cotyledon, such as a lima bean.

2) What are the Parts of a Seed

Seeds are made up of three parts: the seed coat, which protects the seed and keeps the baby plant inside warm until the conditions are right for it to grow; the endosperm, which is the food that feeds the seed, and the embryo (seedling), which is the baby plant waiting inside to grow.

3) How does a Seed Grow

In the spring, the soil is warmed by the sun, and the water that was previously frozen in the soil melts. The warm and wet soil makes the seed coat swell until it bursts open under ground. This process is called germination. The plant's roots then begin to grow down into the soil. The roots take in water to drink and send it up through the plant, which is called capillary action. And the roots take in minerals (nutrients) from the soil that helps the plant make more food to grow. Meanwhile, the plant sprouts up through the soil toward the sun, because it needs the sun to grow, right? The sun also helps the plants make their own food. Once the plant has broken through the surface of the soil, it will sprout leaves and begin to make food through a process called _______. Do you remember?? Yes, photosynthesis. The more sun a plant gets, and the more water and minerals it takes in through it's roots, the bigger the plant grows. That's why plants grow so well in the spring when there is more sunlight and more water.

Now, this is a interesting fact: while most seeds sproute when the soil is damp and warm, some seeds can only sprout in the heat of a forest fire! In the western half of our country, plants called chaparral only sprout after they have been exposed to the high temperatures and the smoke of a forest fire. Some seeds of the chapparral will stay in the soil for years, waiting for a fire to come and help them sprout.

4) Bible Lesson

Read the "Story of the Seed" (Luke 8:4-21) and discuss.

5) Dissecting a Lima Bean Seed

Give each student a previously soaked lima bean seed

Have them slowly and carefully use a toothpick to remove the seed coat

Have them identify the other two parts of the seed, the seedling and the stored food

Have them tape each of the three pieces to an index card and label them: endosperm (stored food), embryo (seedling), seed coat

6) Notebook Entries

Students label the top of the page "Seed Dissection"

Have students glue their index card to the top half of the page under the title.

Have students glue the Key Words under that on the bottom half of the page. Click below to download.

 7) Nature Challenge

- Growing a Green Bean Plant

In class I sent home with the students a clear plastic cup, bag of potting soil, and a bag with green bean seeds in it. Place the soil into the plastic cup, then plant the bean seeds (about 2" down into the soil), and then water lightly. Keep the soil moist and place in a sunny location if possible, such as a window sill. The seeds should germinate in about 7 days. If you'd like, keep a plant journal to track the progress of your seed.

- Observing Capillary Action

Buy three white carnations from your local flower shop. Snip the bottom inch off of each carnation. Fill three vases or glasses with water. Color the water in the glasses with three different colors (of your choice) by putting 10 to 20 drops of food coloring in each glass. Put a carnation in each glass. Let them sit overnight. Record your actions and observations on a science journal.

- Lodgepole Pine Trees

Click on the following link and watch video number 43c "Lodgepole Pine":

 http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/insideyellowstone/videolist.htm

What does serotinous mean?

If you are interested in learning further about forest fires, I highly recommend the book Fire!: A Renewal of A Forest, by Celia Godkin.