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Dr. Hedi Baxter Lauffer
Director of the Fast Plants® Program
University of Wisconsin-Madison
May/June 2016
Are you an elementary teacher balancing a busy end-of-the-year schedule with time for science? Let Carolina’s new Wisconsin Fast Plants® seed disks simplify prep and teaching time for instruction on structure, function, matter, and energy flow in plants. In this activity, student groups germinate and grow Wisconsin Fast Plants® without soil—some plants with and some without light—for 5 days to gather evidence that plants require light to develop leaves and other structures necessary to live.
Growing Fast Plants® through their full life cycle requires soil, 24-hour fluorescent light, and nutrients. However, those 3 requirements are not needed for this quick 5-day activity to compare seedlings grown in light and dark. Seed disks containing Wisconsin Fast Plants® seeds are simply placed in a deli container, kept moist, and grown for 5 days in a location that receives a moderate to high amount of light (optimal conditions are fluorescent light 24-7, but for this activity a sunny window will work). The seedlings grown in light are then used as a comparison to the seedlings grown in the dark.
Elementary
K-LS1-1. | Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive. [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns could include that animals need to take in food but plants do not; the different kinds of food needed by different types of animals; the requirement of plants to have light; and, that all living things need water.]
Crosscutting Concept: Patterns
Science and Engineering Practices: Analyzing and Interpreting Data
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We recommend beginning this lesson on a Monday so students can make their observations daily for 1 week. This lesson is designed for 8 groups of 4 students and takes place over 5 days as follows:
Advance Preparations | Materials prep: Obtain materials and prepare as described in the materials list. |
15–30 min |
Day 1 (Monday) |
Student groups prepare 2 Wisconsin Fast Plants® seed disks in deli containers: 1 to be kept in a light-proof box or cabinet, 1 to be kept under fluorescent lights or on a windowsill. |
45 min |
Days 2-4 (Tuesday–Thursday) |
Observe plants growing in light. Do not observe those growing in the dark at this time to keep from exposing them to light; however, the teacher needs to quickly check that all are still moist and add water if needed (including once after 2 days for those seed disks kept in the dark). |
15 min/day |
Day 5 (Friday) |
Observe and compare plants growing in light with those in the dark. Develop evidence-based explanations for what is observed. |
45 min |
After Day 5 |
As an extension, plants can be returned to their dark or light conditions and grown longer to show that those without light eventually collapse and die and/or some plants that started in the dark can be placed in the light to demonstrate how development changes in the presence of light. |
optional |