OBJECTIVE
Students will understand the role of sunlight in the change of seasons.
Students will recognize the effects of light on plants.
Students will be able to identify different types of plants and their different needs.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What are seasons? How do seasons affect us? How do seasons affect plants? What kinds of tools can we use to help plants grow?
MATERIALS NEEDED
- Seeds (any variety of quick germinating seeds)
- Potting Soil
- Possible materials: reemay/mesh, greenhouse plastic, black tray/cardboard with holes
- “Our Light Experiment” worksheet
PROCEDURE
Introduction:
Review the lesson on seasons and light. Ask four students to describe the four
seasons and their differences.
Ask students to think about the kinds of light in each season. When is the sun the
brightest? When do we have the most clouds?
Ask students what seeds need to grow (review from Kindergarten). Sun is an
important element in growing plants. Explain that today we are going to do an
experiment to see if different types of sunlight affect plants.
Activity:
Break students up into the same 4 groups: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Explain that each group is going to be planting seeds and they are going to use a
different kind of light to help them grow.
Go through each group and explain why they are using a certain type of material (ie,
in winter there is the least amount of sunlight, so this group will have cardboard
covering their tray.)
Before we start the experiment, it is important to have a hypothesis, or a guess of
what you think we are going to find out. List the student hypotheses on a large piece
of paper.
When all students have shared a hypothesis, begin the experiment. In each season
group:
One student fills the trays with soil.
The next makes holes for the seeds.
The next student plants the seeds.
The next waters the seeds.
Finally, they put their designated material over their tray.
Review the hypotheses before the end of class.
Wrap up/ Assessment:
Class completes the “Our Light Experiment” worksheet together
Describe the steps to the experiment, share their hypothesis, perform the
experiment, and make observations.
Extensions:
Measuring, observations, tallying