What do plants need? Students examine the effects of light and air on green plants, learning the processes of photosynthesis and transpiration.

Project: Student teams plant seeds, placing some in sunlight and others in darkness. They make predictions about the outcomes and record ongoing observations of the condition of the stems, roots, and leaves. Then, several healthy plants are placed in glass jars with lids overnight. Condensation forms, illustrating the process of transpiration.

NGSS Standards: 5-LS1-1: Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.

Plants are living things; they grow and reproduce like any living thing. They follow a cyclic process of starting a new life, growing, and then returning to the starting stage (reproducing).

There are 5 stages of the plant life cycle: the seed, germination, growth, reproduction, pollination, and seed spreading.

Project: Students create a 3-D model of the life cycle of a bean plant. Students are given the opportunity to make a symbolic representation of the germination process. Students will also start researching which crops will grow best in the conditions they will be planted in, which are most resilient, and which take the least amount of time to grow.

NGSS Standards: 3-LS1-1: Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles.

Many seeds depend on animals for pollination, and many pollinators depend on plants for food. Students will learn that flowers, which have male and female parts, are structured for reproduction and that flowers are adapted to attract specific pollinators.

Project: Students, in groups, are assigned a specific pollinator. They begin their exploration by using data sheets on the number of pollination visits for 7 different flower types and making a prediction as to what 3 flower traits they think to attract the assigned pollinator. Next, students use a Pollinator Profile Card and a Flower Seeking Pollinator Data Sheet to construct explanations by using scientific data to support their claim of 3 of their flower traits that will attract their pollinator and compare this to their prediction.

NGSS Standards: MS-LS1-4: Use arguments based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants, respectively.

Plants have many crucial roles on our planet, and among these is the gas exchange that happens within their leaves. As plants take in carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, they release oxygen and retain the carbon. Students will investigate levels up close to look for the structures responsible for gas exchange.

Project: After watching a time-lapse video of plants growing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w77zPAtVTuI), students think of how plants grow and gain mass. They look closely at the surface of leaves and examine how carbon dioxide enters a leaf. Students examine the leaves under a microscope while drawing the structures they see. As a class, students bring up their sketches and show the class the structures that they believe might let air in/out of a leaf and their reasons for making that choice. Another resource (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkFPyue5X3Q) shows how seeds become plants.

NGSS Standards: 5-LS1-1: Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water. 5-LS2-1: Develop a model to describe the movement of matter along plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.