Higher:
Is able to explain why seeds don't germinate straight after dispersal
Middle:
Can explain why certain processes occur during germination
Lower:
Is able to describe some key stages of germination
Mission Starter: What happens when a seed lands on good soil? Explain your ideas to your talk partner.
Ask the children if they have house plants? Some may have cacti others may have succulents and palm plants, compare the moisture of the soil.
Presentation - Starter Slide
Answer questions and take part in activities during the presentation.
Presentation
Watch the Expert Film with Florist Sam Willmott who explains how to grow flowers from bulbs.
Presentation - Expert Film
Prior Preparation
In this experiment the children will be examining how a seed germinates over four days. You will therefore need to plant seeds everyday for four days prior to teaching, so that when you come to teach this lesson the children will be to see the initial germination of the seed.
To plant your seeds:
Line the bottom of one plastic cup with a small piece of cotton wool. Then place a teaspoon of seeds on the cotton wool.
Place another layer of cotton wool over the seeds to cover them. Gently pour water into the cup. The cotton wool should be saturated. Pour away any excess water. Label the plastic cup with date you planted the seeds
Repeat this everyday for four days.
Seed to Shoot
Remove the top layer of cotton wool to reveal the seeds. Sort the cups in order of youngest to oldest. The children then examine the seeds and how they've changed (this can be done using a magnifying glass).
The children should draw how the seeds have changed over the four days. Encourage the children to label their diagrams with key things they notice i.e. seeds have swollen, tiny sprouts have formed, roots are heading down.
The children should then right a description how the seeds have changed over the four days.
plastic cups
cotton wool
seeds (cress, radishes, and peas work very well)
magnifying glass (optional)
Quiz
With their talk partners, the children are to go through the quiz at the end of the presentation and answer the questions.
Quiz in presentation
Which part of the plant grows first? Why does it grow first?
Why do the seeds need to feel the cold before germinating?
Why are bulbs so fat?
When a seed begins to grow, this is called.... (germination).
When seeds get absorb water they begin to... (swell).
Germination is the process that occurs at the beginning of a plant's life. It will only occur if certain conditions are met. These conditions vary from plant to plant so most seeds and bulbs can lay dormant for long periods of time. Seeds that are sold for planting are often dried in order to preserve them.
Some seeds and bulbs need to experience a period of cold before they germinate. This is the plants way of measuring winter. The plant is trying to detect if winter has passed and therefore is it safe to germinate.
When seeds and bulbs are first planted they absorb as much water as they can and swell. This gives the seeds and bulbs sufficient resources for its initial growth to the surface. Once the plant has breached the surface the green parts take over and it gains energy through photosynthesis.
Explore the parts that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants; including pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal.
Planet Earth - Biodiversity and interdependence - Through carrying out practical activities and investigations, I can show how plants have benefited society. SCN 2-02b
The study of the characteristics, systems, and behaviours of humans and other animals, and of plants; the interactions and relationships between and among them, and with the environment.
Exploration.
Setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests
Grade 5 Reproduction in Plants
Grade 3 - Life Science - Living Things - Living things grow and change - Plant life cycles - What is the life cycle of flowering plants
Describe that plants are generally composed of roots, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds & these parts have the corresponding function to help plants maintain their own survival