Are Children Better Motivated by Punishment or Reward?

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5th Grade Science Standards: Click Here

Experiment 3- See how a plant grows

You will need a dried bean, paper towels, a tall glass jar, and some water.
First you will need to soak the beans overnight or for 24 hours.
Then you will roll the paper towel up and pour some water on it to moisten it.
Place the bean between the paper towel and the jar. Keep the towel moist and the jar in a well lit warm area.
This is the beginning of the sprout after 3 days. Happy Planting!!

From a bean to a plant!

Experiment #3 From a bean to a plant!

Life cycle of a bean plant

All seeds have three parts, a seed coat which protects the inside of the seed, food for the plant to grow (endosperm), and a baby plant (embryo). The seed usually begins to develop when it is exposed to water. The water swells the embryo and bursts the seed coat. During the earliest phase of growth, when the embryo has no leaves and can't perform photosynthesis, the endosperm serves as a food source. In this scientific experiment, elementary teachers can lead students through a few simple steps to help them understand how plants begin and that they need sunlight, water, soil, and air to grow.

Mini-Lesson and Standards: This mini lesson plan focuses on seeds and how they germinate. The lesson plan is for 3rd grade and it includes a book by Eric Carle and a video clip from brainpop.com*Click Here> Mini-Lesson and Standards

So Lets Review! Where do plants come from? Plants come from seeds. Each seed, when exposed to the right conditions, begins to grown into a plant. A plant needs several things to help it germinate and begin to grow. It needs soil, water, and warmth. Click here for more information.> More Info

Expierment 2- See plants drinking

You start with 4 glass containers and pour a little water and food coloring in each glass.

Next you will need several white flowers. Trim the stems of each flower.


Place a flower in each glass of colored water and wait.


After 48 hours, this is the flower placed in red water. It has red edges!


This is the flower in the blue water.


This is the flower in the green water.

How is the water absorbed into plants?

How is the water absorbed into plants?
Plants absorb water from their root hairs on the root and send it to the other parts of the organism for food and growth enrichment. This process involves the undirectional flow of water from roots to shoots against gravitational pull. If the roots of a plant are cut and dipped in water, similiar to what I did in the experiment, the plant still absorbs the water. This pull is mainly caused due to a force called "transpirational pull." Transpirational pull is the main phenomenon driving the flow of water in the xylem tissues of plants. It results ultimately from the evaporation of water from the surfaces of cells in the interior leaves.

For another view of this experiment: Click Here> Ashley

Standards For Experiment #2: Click Here

Experiment 1- Build a wheelbarrow

To build the wheelbarrow you will need: a shoebox, scissors, card for seperator, tape, spool, short pencil, two pieces of wood for handles, a plastic bag, and some small stones.

After you have your wheelbarrow built, you should place the stones in the bag.

Place the bag of stones in the back of the barrow and try to lift it. You will see that is is easier to lift in the barrow.

Now place the stones in the front of the barrow. You will now see that it is even easier to lift and you use less effort than before. This is because you transfer the weight of the rocks to the wheelbarrow which acts as a "lever" and increases the force you use to move things.

Machines and How they Make our Life Easier

The wheel and axle is a very popular simple machine. It looks like a kind of lever. The wheel and axle is a simple machine made of a large wheel secured to a smaller wheel which is called an axle.
One of the most common wheel and axles is something that most people use everyday. It is the tire of a car or truck. On most of these, the wheel and axle acts as a lever rotating around the fulcrum or the center point. On doing this the wheel rolls.
A wheel and axle is made up of a few objects. In the picture the small rod which is the axle, is stuck rigidly to a large wheel, which is the fan blades, so that when the rod that is stuck to the wheel turns, the wheel would also turn.
The wheel is probably the single most important invention of all time. The oldest wheel was found in a place that is now called Mesopotamia. It is believed to be over fifty-five hundred years old. Before that time, people did not have wheels to move heavy objects.
For more information on how machines help us> Click Here
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Lesson Plan/Webquest

Standards for grade 5: View Here