Plants Unit Materials

Resources You Provide

Pre-Activity 0.1GL: Keeping Track of Solids in Mixtures

You can do the investigation with students collecting their own data or with data coming from whole class demonstrations. Materials lists for each are below.

For whole-class demonstrations:

  • Calculators (1 per pair of students)
  • Dry sponge
  • Salt (about 100 g)
  • Dry plant gel crystals (1 packet per class)
  • Baby carrot
  • Salt water mixture (about 10 g of salt in 50 ml of water)
  • Ionic Grow (4 teaspoons, about 17 g; plus an additional 4 teaspoons to make a mixture, see Setup below)
  • Distilled Water (1 gallon per class)
  • Glass Petri dishes (3)
  • Digital Scale
  • Scissors or knife
  • Strainer/colander large enough for hydrated gel (1 per class)
  • Bucket or bowl (>1 gallon) to hydrate gel overnight (1 per class)

For students working in pairs:

  • Dry sponge (1 per pair of students)
  • Salt (1t per pair of students)
  • Dry plant gel crystals (1 packet per class)
  • Baby carrot (1 per pair of students)
  • Salt water mixture (about 1 cup of salt in 4 cups of water)
  • Ionic Grow (1t per pair of students; plus an additional 4 teaspoons to make a mixture, see Setup below)
  • Distilled Water (1 gallon per class)
  • Small bowls, preferably transparent (3 per pair of students)
  • Petri dish (3 per pair of students)
  • Digital Scale (1 per pair of students)
  • Calculator (1 per pair of students)
  • Scissors or knife (1 per pair of students)
  • Tape and marking pens (enough for container labels)
  • Strainer/colander large enough for hydrated gel (1 per class)
  • Bucket or bowl (>1 gallon) to hydrate gel overnight (1 per class)

Pre-Activity 0.2GL: Plant Growth Investigation Setup

  • Large (37mL) test tubes or other clear receptacle (1 per student)
  • 1 packet of gel crystals (hydrated already if completed pre-lesson 1.1) (1 per class)
  • 4 teaspoons of Ionic Grow (1 per class – not necessary if completed pre 1.1)
  • Gallon of distilled water (1 per class – not necessary if completed pre 1.1)
  • Bucket or bowl (>1 gallon) to hydrate gel overnight (1 per class – not necessary if completed pre 1.1)
  • Strainer/colander large enough for hydrated gel (1 per class- not necessary if completed pre 1.1)
  • Digital scale (to 0.1g) (1 per group)
  • Grow/Fluorescent Light
  • Test tube rack
  • Permanent markers and labels for test tubes
  • Fresh packets of radish seeds (at least one seed per student or group plus a few more)
  • Squeeze bottle to water plants

Pre-Activity 0.2PT: Plant Growth Investigation Setup

  • Small (e.g. 7X10 cm or ramekin) aluminum container (1 per student group)
  • 20 radish seeds (1 per student group)
  • 15 cm of cotton yarn (1 per student group)
  • Brown paper towel (1 roll or 2-3 sheets each student group) Note: brown, unbleached paper towel is required
  • Markers/masking tape to label containers (1 per student group)
  • A balance to measure masses (1 per student group)
  • Large trays with at least 5 cm sides to put the containers in and hold water.(enough for all containers per class)
  • Grow lights (highly recommended)
  • 1 L of water (for starting seeds)
  • 4 L of water with dilute nutrients. (E.g. Ionic Grow, Miracle Grow, etc.) for use once seeds have sprouted.

Activity 1.1: Plants Unit Pretest

  • pencils (1 per student)

Activity 1.2: Expressing Ideas and Questions about How Plants Grow

Activity 2.1: Zooming into Plants, Animals, and Decomposers

Activity 2.2: Molecules Cells Are Made of

Activity 2.3: Molecules in Cells Quiz

  • pencils (1 per student)

Activity 2.4: Questions about Plants

Activity 3.1: Predictions and Planning about Radish Plants Growing

Activity 3.2 (PT or GL): Observing Plants’ Mass Changes, Part 1

  • Containers of radish plants from the Pre-Lesson (1 per group)
  • Digital scale (1 per group)
  • Small paper bags or envelopes for drying plants (1 per container)
  • Sunny windowsill or drying oven (domestic ovens work at low settings)
  • Markers to label plants by student or group (1 per group)
  • Tubes of radish plants from the Pre-Lesson (1 per student)
  • Digital scale (1 per group)
  • Small containers to collect gel from individual tubes to mass.
  • Small paper bags or envelopes for drying plants (1 per plant)
  • Sunny windowsill or drying oven (domestic ovens work at low settings)
  • Markers to label plants by student or group (1 per group)

Activity 3.3: Observing Plants in the Light and Dark

  • Radish plants (either in tubes (GL) or containers (PT) from the Pre-Lesson. Note: 3-4 tubes or 1-2 containers will be plenty for each experiment replicate.
  • Dark box, thick black trash bag, or very dark closet (1 per class)
  • Fluorescent grow light or sunny windowsill (1 per class)
  • Label (1 per group student group)
  • Petri dish with blue BTB (1 per container/student group)
  • Petri dish with yellow BTB (1 per container/student group)
  • Sealable 6.8 liter (or 29 cup) container (1 per group)
  • (From previous lesson) 3.1 Predictions and Planning Tool for Plant Investigations with student answers

Activity 3.4 (PT or GL): Observing Plants’ Mass Changes, Part 2

Activity 3.5: Evidence-Based Arguments about Plants

Activity 4.1: Molecular Models for Potatoes Moving and Functioning: Cellular Respiration

Activity 4.2: Explaining How Plants Move and Function: Cellular Respiration

Activity 4.3: Molecular Models for Potatoes Making Food: Photosynthesis

  • Molecular modeling kit (1 per pair of students; includes 6 carbon atoms, 12 hydrogen atoms, 18 oxygen atoms, 36 or more bond links)
  • Twist ties (12 per pair of students)
  • Scissors (1 per pair of students)

Activity 4.4: Explaining How Plants Make Food: Photosynthesis

Activity 5.1: Tracing the Process of Potatoes Growing: Biosynthesis

Optional Activity 5.2: Molecular Models for Potatoes Growing: Biosynthesis

  • Scissors (1 per pair of students)
  • Removable or re-stick tape (1 dispenser per pair of students)

Activity 5.3: Explaining How Potato Plants Grow: Biosynthesis

Activity 6.1: Explaining Other Examples of Plants Growing, Moving, and Functioning

Activity 6.2: Functions of All Plants

  • computers (1 per pair of students, for option 2 in step 2)
  • blank posters (1 per pair of students or small group, for option 3 in step 2

Activity 6.3: Comparing Plants and Animals

Activity 6.4: Plants Unit Posttest

  • pencils (1 per student)