Seed Sort
Seed Sort
Students will observe and compare the difference between seeds by sorting.
Students will observe and compare the difference between seeds by sorting.
Supplies: bucket of seeds, small food trays, sorting mat
Procedure:
1. Encourage students to examine the properties of seeds.
2. Give each student one or two sorting mat (foam with 2 rectangles on it).
3. Give each student a small food tray.
4. Put a handful of seeds from the bucket in each student’s tray.
5. Have the students look at the seeds.
6. Tell each student to choose one seed to put in the first rectangle, and ask how the
seeds are alike and different? Did any of you choose the same seed? How can you tell? How are the seeds you chose alike? How are they different? How could we sort our seeds?
7. Now have the students sort the seeds into 2-4 groups.
8. After they have sorted them (set a time limit if you need to), ask them how they decided to sort their seeds. By shape, color, size, texture,...
9. How many students sorted the same? All, 1⁄2, none....
10. Go over ways the students could have sorted.
11. If you have extra time the parent can make a bar graph comparing the different ways the students sorted and which grouping was the most common.
12. When activity is done please return all seeds into the main container and stack the small food trays and sorting mats back to be used for the next class.
Background: A seed can be as big as a coconut or smaller than a poppy seed. It can be smooth, spiny, ribbed, or rough. It can drift, float, drop, or hitchhike. The different shapes and sizes have evolved due to the success of their design in protecting the embryo, providing a food supply, and dispersing seeds. All seeds have a hard durable seed coat to protect the embryonic plant and its food supply inside. Some seed coats are so tough that they must be worn away by digestive juices, exposed to fire, or rolled in a stream bed before they can sprout. Children will enjoy sorting mixed seeds. They will pick out some because they recognize them;others will sort by size and shape. Do not expect students to sort by more than one characteristic at a time, but do encourage them to expand their categories to include various textures.