Biology/Chemistry

Fun Activities Using Seeds

Imara Abdullah	Douglas Academy
	3200 South Calumet
	CHICAGO IL 60619
	(773) 534-9263

Objective(s):

This lesson is designed to teach second grade students that seeds come in different sizes, shapes and forms. The students will be able to identify the parts of a seed and their functions in germination.

Materials:

Activity One Activity Two Activity Three Activity Four

Fresh fruits and Lima, garbanzo, dry pinto beans seeds soaked in

Vegetables, handy black, pinto, wet pinto beans water over night

wipes, paper kidney beans that have soaked hand lens

Towels, Baggies, black-eyed peas in water over magnifying glass

Construction paper small stuffed animal night, centimeter paper

Scotch tape balance scale ruler, gram and

Popsicle sticks graph paper ounce scale

Strategy:

Activity One

Give student’s pre-cut fruits and vegetables. Ask students to remove the seeds of the fruits and vegetables. Use Popsicle sticks to help remove and gather seeds. Put outer portions of fruits and vegetables in Baggies. (Save for compost). Tape the seeds to construction paper labeling the seeds by name. Discuss different sizes, and forms of seeds from fruits and vegetables.

Activity Two

Mix Lima, garbanzo, black, pinto, kidney beans and black-eyed peas together. Give student a portion of the mixture. Ask students to sort the beans noticing their sizes, shapes and colors. Pass around a small stuffed animal. Ask students to guess how many lima beans would weight the same amount as the stuffed animal. Record their estimate for lima beans. Do the same (ask how many beans would weigh the same as the stuffed animal) for all of the beans and record their estimates. Use balance scale to determine the number of beans of each variety that equal the weight of the stuffed animal.

Record the actual amounts and make a graph with data.

Activity Three

Give students dry pinto beans and pinto beans that have been soaked over night. Ask students to weigh and measure dry and wet beans. Compare size and shape of wet and dry beans.

Activity Four

Give students pinto beans that have been soaked over night. Ask students to remove seed coat and open the seed. Use hand lens or magnifying glass to identify the little plant (embryo) inside of the seed. Discuss the parts of a seed and their function. Draw and label the seed and its parts including seed coat, food storage, little plant (embryo).

Performance Assessment:

Rate performance on a scale of one to four according to level of participation (rubric).

Level one -- inattention. Student was off task. Student cannot answer questions about seeds.

Level two -- attention. Student stayed on task. Students can answer “key” questions:” Do all seeds look alike? What are the parts of a seed? How are the parts used when the seed sprouts (germinates)?

Level three -- good attention. The student stayed on task and asks questions about the activities and topic. The student can answer “key” questions.

Level four -- excellent attention. They student stayed on task and asked questions and suggested other activities and ideas about seeds. The student can answer key questions and give statement describing the sequence of a seed sprouting (germinating).

Conclusions:

In activity one, the students removed seeds from a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and taped those seeds to construction paper. The students discussed different sizes, forms and colors of seeds.

In activity two the students sorted different kinds of bean seeds and compared their weights to a stuffed animal. In activity three the students compared, weighed and measured wet and dry pinto beans. In activity four the students observed the parts of seed using a hand lens and named the part of a seed discussing the sequence of sprouting (germination) and the function of the parts in sprouting.