S2U4L2 - What do plants need to grow?

S2U4L2 - What do plants need to grow?

Vitual Laboratory

Virtual Laboratory

Multiple Choice

What is the boy in the photo doing to take care of the plants in the garden?

• The boy is watering the plants.

• The boy is picking the plants.

• The boy is using shovel to take care of the plants.

What have you done to take care of plants?

You have probably also watered plants. Maybe you have also removed the weeds around plants in a garden.

Multiple Select

Look at the picture. Did every student give their plant what it needed to grow and be healthy?

• Yes

• No

How can you tell if a student gave his or her plant what it needed to grow and be healthy?

• You can look at the student's plant.

• If the plant looks healthy, then you can conclude that the student gave the plant what it needed.

What are examples of plants on the screen that are not healthy?

You can see two examples of plants that have wilted and one example of a plant that doesn't have leaves.

Can you tell from this screen what the unhealthy plants needed that they did not receive?

No, you cannot. But you'll be able to investigate this question in the lesson!

What is an experiment?

• In science, an experiment is something you do to find answers to questions.

• In this lesson, you'll compare how plants grow with and without light and water in order to answer the question "What do plants need to grow and live?"

In an experiment, is it important to compare different results?

Answer:

• Yes it is. For example, let's say you want to answer the question: "How will watering affect a plant?" You can find an answer to this question by comparing what happens when you water a plant to what happens when you don't water a plant.

How are the experiments in this lesson LIKE the experiments you'd conduct in real life?

• Using a computer, you can "grow plants" with and without light and water.

• You can see what happens as a result of these on-screen experiments. 

How are the experiments in this lesson UNLIKE the experiments you'd conduct in real life?

• In real life, you would have to set up the experiments with the necessary equipment; on screen, the experiments are set up for you.

• In real life, you don't always get the exact same results; on screen, the results are always the same. 

What is the value of doing on-screen experiments to find out what plants need?

• These experiments are designed to show you how scientists ask questions, conduct experiments, and make conclusions.

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Multiple Choice

Predict when will the plants grow and be healthy?

• light and no water

• no light and water

• light and water

• no light and no water

Multiple Choice

Why is it important to take a picture of the results of each experiment?

• to compare results

• to post in facebook

• to show friends how you took care of your plants

Why is it important to take a picture of the results of each experiment?

• In order to make conclusions, you will need to compare your results.

• Without a picture—or some other record of your results—you wouldn't be able to do this.

Looking at your results, how can you draw a conclusion from your experiments?

• In the three experiments where the bean plant was not given both water or light, the plant did not grow.

• But when the bean plant was given both water and light, it did grow.

• Therefore, a bean plant needs water and light to grow.

Multiple Select

What did the bean plant need to grow?

We know that earthworms are good for soil. Aren't they needed for the bean plant to grow?

Answer:

• No, earthworms are not necessary for a bean plant to grow.

• There's a difference between what's necessary for a bean plant to grow and what is good for the plant.

• Water and light are necessary for a bean plant to grow. Earthworms are good for the bean plant's growth, but they are not necessary.

What are nutrients?

• A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow.

• Nutrients that are needed by plants to live and grow include nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.

Where do nutrients come from, and how do they get into plants?

• Nutrients usually come from soil—from plants and other living things that have died and broken down in the soil.

• Sometimes gardeners buy nutrients to add to soil. Plants get these nutrients by taking the nutrients up through their roots.

Did the bean plant that didn't receive nutrients die?

Answer:

No, but you can see that the plant wasn't healthy.

Many times you'll notice plants that are alive but that don't appear to be healthy. In many cases, these plants are not receiving the nutrients they need.

Misconceptions

Can we think of plant nutrients as "plant food?"

Answer:

No, plant nutrients are not plant food. Plants make their own food using air, water, and sunlight. We can think of plant nutrients as "plant vitamins" that help plants live and grow.