"What happens if . . . "
Plant experiments
Before school dismissed for the summer, Mrs. Elsasser's fourth graders completed a unit on plants.
Each student picked an investigation related to plants. Some of the students decided to find out if water moves through a plant. To find that out, students set up an experiment using celery placed in water with food coloring. They observed that the food coloring traveled up the stalk into the leaves. Their conclusion was that water does move through a plant.
Another student investigated if dry or wet seeds will grow into plants and if the amount of light affects their growth. The conclusion was only the wet seeds will start to grow and the sprout will continue to grow into a plant if it is in light.
What happens if a seed gets turned upside down in the dirt? That was the investigation other students set up. The conclusion to that investigation varied among students. A discussion was held as to why the conclusions were different, and the students came up with variables that could have affected the outcomes. The students seemed to really enjoy the plant unit.