Background

Objectives

Students will grow radish seeds in both light and dark.
Students will transplant their radishes to the garden and observe the rest of the plant's life cycle.

Materials

Newspaper
Radish seeds
Newspaper pot maker (picture on the left)
Newspaper strips, 3 in thick (one for each student with a few extras)
Soil
Watering can

Season

Any season

Group Size

Whole class and individual work

California State
Content Standards

L.S. 2.b

0059_Aubuchon Through the process of photosynthesis, plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make their own food. For this lesson, students will focus on the need for sun and water to help a plant grow.

You will use a newspaper pot maker to make individual pots for students to grow their seeds. The newspaper will biodegrade, so you can transplant the pot directly into the ground.

Vocabulary

Soil: loose covering of broken rock particles and decaying organic matter on the surface of the Earth, commonly called dirt.

Attention Grabber

Today, we are scientists and are going to turn our classroom into a greenhouse experiment. We will determine once and for all what plants need. Are you ready?

Garden Activity

Classroom Experiment

Make small biodegradable pots with the students using newspaper. One pot per student. Some grown-ups would be very helpful to make this process move along more quickly.
The pots will be divided into 3 groups:

Sunlight and watered regularly (can be placed on a window sill)

Darkness and watered regularly (can be placed in a closet)

Sunlight with no water.

Discuss with students plants they think will grow the best.
Have students draw their observations daily for about 10 days.
From the results, have students come up with a plan that will help the plants grow the best.

Wrap Up

Review what plants and people need to survive.
How do we get our food?
How do plants get their food?

What's Next?

Students can transplant their newspaper pots in a garden plot. They will care for the radishes the way they decided plants grow best from the previous experiment. When the radishes mature, students can harvest and eat the radish.