Science

Objectives

Students will:

• discover the impact of soil conditions on rainwater absorption
• learn gardening practices to help increase moisture absorption

Central Concepts

Water does not penetrate well in some soil conditions, causing runoff and erosion.

Objectives

Students will:

• learn that some plants are better adapted to survive in their local environment than others.
• discover that well adapted plants grow better with less maintenance.
• develop a list of landscape plants recommended for your site conditions.

Central Concepts

Using plants adapted for your environment helps create a sustainable landscape and makes better use natural and financial resources.

Objectives

Students will:

The following activity is from the Harvest of History, an online fourth grade curriculum that introduces students to agriculture of the past and present, emphasizing its importance in our lives.

This activity is from NGA's GrowLab®: Activities for Growing Minds. This curriculum brings plant-based explorations to life through 46 lesson plans and hundreds of extension activity ideas that spark students' curiosity about plants and invite them to think and act like scientists. Developed by NGA and written and field-tested by educators, this complete curriculum uses fun, illustrated activities to explore plant life cycles, examine plant diversity, and investigate the interdependence of plants, humans, and other living and non-living things.

Objectives

• Read Oliver's Vegetables by Vivian French.
• Discuss the edible parts of plants.
• Learn the health benefits of vegetables and why they should eat some every day.

Central Concepts:

• Vegetables are an important part of our diet because they provide essential nutrients and fiber.
• Different vegetables provide different health benefits.
  

Objectives

Students will participate in a science experiment to learn the cold requirements of spring-flowering bulbs.

Objectives

• Learn the different parts of a bulb and what they do.
• Explore the parts of the bulb through dissection.

Central Concepts

• A bulb is a plant that grows from an underground mass of food storage tissues.
• The storage capacity of a bulb is a special adaptation for survival.

Materials

• bulbs (onion and/or spring-flowering bulbs)
• a knife
• cutting board
• plastic bags
• paper towels
• paper
• pencils

Discussion Questions

1.

Objectives

• Learn the difference between angiosperms and gymnosperms
• Learn the purpose of flowers
• Investigate and identify the parts of a flower using live specimens

Central Concepts

• Flowers vary in appearance, but all possess similar structures.
• The purpose of a flower is to produce seed.

Materials

• Chart or model illustrating the parts of a flower
• Flowers, conifer cones
• Paper towels
• Tweezers and hand lenses

Discussion Questions

1.