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thesis entitled

VASCULAR PLANTS
A MIDDLE SCHOOL LIFE SCIENCE UNIT
BASED ON THE STATE SCIENCE OBJECTIVES

presented by

Carim Raymond A11 Caikins

has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for

M.S. degree in BiologicaT Science

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VASCULAR PLANTS:
A MIDDLE SCHOOL LIFE SCIENCE UNIT
BASED ON THE STATE SCIENCE OBJECTIVES
By

Carim Raymond Ali Calkins

A Thesis
Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE

Division of Science and Mathematics Education

1997

ABSTRACT

VASCULAR PLANTS:
A MIDDLE SCHOOL LIFE SCIENCE UNIT
BASED ON THE STATE SCIENCE OBJECTIVES

By

Carim Raymond Ali Calkins

This seventh grade vascular plants unit is aligned with the State of Michigan’s
science standards. The focus of the unit is to use the state guidelines, constructivist
teaching techniques, concept mapping, and hands-on lab activities to assist students in
developing a working knowledge of the structure and function of vascular plants. An
additional focus of the unit is to have students become proficient in the use of the lab
form for the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test, which is a test of
student acquisition of the state science standards. The MEAP lab sheet was used during
the unit for most of the labs, demonstrations, and other hands-on activities. The unit

culminated with the students using the MEAP sheet to create their own lab protocol.

This thesis is dedicated to my long-suffering wife,
Sally Jolynn Calkins, without whom I would not
have completed this work. Let's go on a date!

iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

When I began my master's degree course work, I didn't know what to expect. I
want to thank the faculty and staff of the Division of Science and Math Education for
making the sequence of events in the pursuit of the degree easy to follow. In particular, I
would like to thank Drs. Merle Heidemann, Clarence Suelter, Howard Hagerman, Ken
Nadler, and Marty Hetherington for their tireless efforts both in and out of the classroom;
you are the people who made the time-consuming and difficult course work both
interesting and worthwhile.

I would also like to thank Helen Waldo for her approach in handling stressed-out
graduate students while maintaining her professional composure. I know fi'om
discussions with candidates for master's degrees in other departments at MSU that the
departmental and university paperwork involved in the degree is often more difficult than
the course work.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife Sally Calkins for her help in
proofreading four years worth of course work, and for taking care of me when I was too
preoccupied with my studies to take care of myself. I also want to thank Sally for not
throwing me out of the house when I found our wonderful dog Otis at Otis Lake during

my summer of studies at Kellogg Biological Station.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... vii

LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... viii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................... ix

INTRODUCTION ........................... 1
Rationale for Study ........................................................................................ 1
Review of Pedagogical Literature .................................................................. 6
Class Demographics ...................................................................................... 13

CHAPTER 1

UNIT IMPLEMENTATION ..................................................................................... 16
Description of Plant Unit Topics ................................................................... 16
Audio Visual Aids .......................................................................................... 20
Changes in Teaching Technique .................................................................... 21
Leaf Collection ............................................................................................... 22
Laboratory Activities and Demonstrations .................................................... 24
Review of Laboratory Activities .................................................................... 28
Worksheets ..................................................................................................... 37

CHAPTER 2

EVALUATION .......................................................................................................... 41
Pre-Test .......................................................................................................... 41
Summary Table of Plant Unit Tests ............................................................... 45
Sub-Unit Tests and Quizzes ........................................................................... 46
Post-Test ........................................................................................................ 49
Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation ....................................... 50
Student Interviews ......................................................................................... 54
Subjective Evidence ....................................................................................... 56

CHAPTER 3

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................ 59
Effective Aspects of Plant Unit ...................................................................... 59
Ineffective Aspects of Plant Unit ................................................................... 61
Summary ........................................................................................................ 63

APPENDIX A

ALIGNMENT OF VASCULAR PLANT UNIT WITH THE M.E.G.O.S.E .64

APPENDIX B

LABORATORY EXERCISES .................................................................................. 72

APPENDIX C

LESSON PLANS ....................................................................................................... 113

APPENDIX D

TESTS ........................................................................................................................ 123

APPENDIX E

LEAF COLLECTION ............................................................................................... 157

APPENDIX F

WORKSHEETS ......................................................................................................... 168

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................... 200

vi

LIST OF TABLES

Table l ........................................................................................................................... 27
Table 2 ........................................................................................................................... 46
Table 3 ........................................................................................................................... 49
Table 4 ........................................................................................................................... 51
Table 5 ........................................................................................................................... 53

vii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure l ......................................................................................................................... 25
Figure 2 ......................................................................................................................... 26
Figure 3 ......................................................................................................................... 47

viii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AAAS ............................. American Association for The Advancement of Science
ACT ................................ American College Test

CAT ................................ California Achievement Test

HSPT .............................. High School Proficiency Test

Lab .................................. Laboratory

MEAP ............................. Michigan Educational Assessment Program

MEGOSE ....................... Michigan Essential Goals and Objectives for Science Education
NRC ............................... National Research Council

NSES ............................. National Science Education Standards

NSTA ............................. National Science Teacher’s Association

PTO ................................ Parent-Teacher Organization

SAT ................................ Scholastic Aptitude Test

SFAA ............................. Science For All Americans

TIMMS .......................... Third International Mathematics and Science Study

ix

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

Rationale for Study

While completing this study, I had three main objectives. The primary objective
was to write a cohesive vascular plant unit that allowed me to use the Michigan
Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) lab form for lab experiences. The next
objective was to determine if the national and state science standards were useful
documents to use in the preparation of a vascular plant unit, and if so, to utilize them '
while writing the unit. An additional objective was to design the unit to make use of
constructivist teaching techniques whenever they were appropriate for the subject matter.

Current educational philosophy and teaching practices in the state of Michigan are
largely based on the requirements that students pass the eleventh grade MEAP High
School Proficiency Test (HSPT) in order to receive a state-accredited diploma. There are
other very important bases for what is taught in our schools, such as the needs of students
as they enter the workforce or some form of higher education, but many teachers and
administrators have placed great importance on the HSPT as a measure of the students’
learning of an essential core of knowledge and Skills. As such, the HSPT, which is based
on the Michigan Essential Goals and Objectives for Science Education (MEGOSE), has
pushed the MEGOSE into prominence as the defacto state curriculum, which must be
taught and learned if students are to expect to pass the test and obtain a state-accredited
diploma.

The MEGOSE details the expected outcomes at each level of a student’s science

education. It is based on constructivist teaching techniques and contains lists of

knowledge, and using scientific knowledge. The objectives are written in a spiraling,
vertically and horizontally integrated manner, and have been created with endpoints for
the fifth, eighth, and eleventh grades of school. It is at these points that the students are
tested with the state-mandated MEAP test. The MEAP test was written to assess
attainment of the MEGOSE objectives.
In light of my eighth grade physical science students’ scores on the science
portion of the 1995-1996 school year MEAP test, I decided to begin teaching a
MEGOSE-aligned vascular plants unit to begin the seventh grade life science class. My
plan was to align the plant unit first. In the future I could use the knowledge and skills
that I gained during the modification of the plant unit to help in making a systemic
change in my teaching practices. Such a change could encompass all the topics found in
my school’s seventh and eight grade science curricula. While aligning the plant unit, my
goal was to ensure that the students would learn about the importance of vascular plants
to their lives through the use of constructivist teaching methods that met the state science
objectives. Within this context, I created labs, demonstrations, and other activities that
would give them the opportunity to become proficient with the lab format of the MEAP
test. I had the additional intent of determining if the MEGOSE was a usefirl and versatile
document that could be utilized by the classroom teacher. I believe that, with the
successful implementation and evaluation of this mrit, I will be more qualified and able
to write integrated science units to completely align my entire science curriculum with
the MEGOSE, while maintaining what I know to be the high standards expected at my
school. Given a properly aligned curriculum, in the future, my eighth grade students will
be able to concentrate on the MEAP test materials themselves, rather than on the test
format.
In the past, I taught the plant unit in the fall, when the local plants are in full leaf,

because I like having the students complete a leaf collection. However, the vascular

plant chapter is chapter eight of the anficeflalmmge book, the textbook I use,
which necessitates skipping six chapters after a quick week using chapter one to discuss
lab safety and the scientific method. The intervening chapters address cells, the
characteristics of living things, classification and binomial nomenclature, and
non-vascular plants. Therefore, I incorporated these topics into the vascular plant unit to
promote a full understanding of the subject matter. I have found that this integrated
method of teaching works well with the MEGOSE, since it states which topics should be
taught by the eighth grade, but not an order in which they must be taught.

Each time that I taught the vascular plant unit during the past five years, I
changed the order and the content from the previous year. Last year (1995/96), I settled
on the following order of lessons: A Leaf Collection, Angiosperrns, Gymnosperms,
Plant Grth and Tropisms, and Ferns. I was still unhappy with the order of the lessons
in the unit, and the small amount of lab work that was completed during the unit, so it
was a logical choice for the wholesale changes that could be made during the completion
of my thesis study.

During my research summer at MSU, as I looked through mm
53131161 MQdcmBinng. WW, and other texts, it
became apparent that there was not a textbook that did a good job of presenting plant
biology to seventh grade students in forty minute class periods. I combed through the
texts for new lab work and began writing my own plant unit. I decided to make part of
the leaf collection due each Friday for five weeks, and to teach about the characteristics
of all vascular plants while the students were collecting leaves from both Angiosperms
and Gymnosperms. They did not collect ferns, but we did look at ferns while we were
outside collecting other leaves. These lessons were followed by lab work that guided the
students through a study of internal leaf structure and photosynthesis, external leaf

structure, plant growth and tropisms, roots, stems, effectiveness of gibberellic acid and

herbicides on vascular plants, and finally ferns, with emphasis on both sexual and
asexual reproduction.

This new format allowed for a logical flow from one plant-related concept to
another, with time for the students to learn the new concepts and associated vocabulary.
It also gave us time to discuss the characteristics of Angiosperms and Gymnosperrns
while the students were completing their leaf collections. Since the collection was due in
stages, rather than all at once, the students’ average scores on the entire leaf collection
rose over those of previous years. The staged nature of the leaf collection also allowed
the students to have an opportunity to get used to my teaching style while having a broad
overview of the plant topics that would be studied in more detail later in the unit. The
new lab activities and demonstrations that I will describe later (see also appendix C)
helped to change the focus of the plant unit. The unit was changed from one in which
students were essentially memorizing information about plants with little hands-on
experimentation in the lab, to a unit where the students understood the concepts at their
very root, with practical experience with plants, and much less memorization of factual
information or concepts. I was able to contextually integrate into the unit most of the
interesting plant parts and plant related pictures that I have collected in the past 8 years.
All of this was accomplished in the same amount of time as was used for the unit in
previous years.

As I prepared materials for the unit I decided not to let my science book guide the
lessons, but rather to use the book as an occasional resource, with many of my own
worksheets and labs to replace the content found in the textbook and its accompanying
resource book. As a result, I only used a few of the book’s pre-printed worksheets and
labs in the new unit. This is in contrast to the previous year’s unit, during which I
attempted to teach the same subject matter while using many of the pre-printed

worksheets from the Prentice Hall Teacher’s Sourcebook, with few worksheets of my

own. By writing so many of my own worksheets, I was more able to tailor the unit to the
educational needs and life experiences of my students, without any of the time and
content related difficulties inherent to the worksheets that are common in textbooks.
These changes allowed me to teach the topics in a clear and concise manner consistent
with the needs of my school, which will be explained later.

During my preparation of the unit, I also decided to use the Michigan Educational
Assessment Program (MEAP) laboratory exercise sheet for the laboratory experiences,
since the students were to use the form on the MEAP test in the following year. The use
of the MEAP lab sheet was consistent with my use of the MEGOSE, since the MEAP
test itself is designed to test MEGOSE objectives.

The MEGOSE was written in part to ensure that the study of science has a logical
scope, sequence and coordination. Part of this goal was to make science course work
more relevant to students’ experiences outside of the school. This unit on plants is
important to the students’ lives for many reasons. The first and foremost is that plants
are the basis for most life on earth, with the exception of photosynthetic bacteria and a
few sulfur-dependent bacteria-based ecosystems on the bottom of the ocean. Taught in
the standards-based fashion integral to this unit, the students will have a basic
understanding of plants which will facilitate their future learning about ecosystems,
classification, cells, microscope usage, the needs and internal organization of living
things, and reproduction in other organisms such as animals. This is important because
the aforementioned topics are all part of the objectives outlined in the MEGOSE

I also used this unit to teach about things that are not normally taught in the
middle school, such as the use of gibberellins to make seedless grapes (Stodola, 1958),
the importance and technique of grafiing (Esau, 1960), water content in assorted plant
parts and its relation to plant destruction and plant growth areas (Levitt, 1945), and

herbicide usage and effectiveness. I tried to let them see the usefulness of what they

were learning in life beyond the walls the school. I wanted the students to have a truly
memorable and well-rounded experience with plants before we moved on to any other
topics and to reach this goal, I had to include topics from other chapters within their

textbook, as well as from other books, magazines, and videotapes.

Review of Pedagogical Literature

The National Research Council (NRC) spent five years writing the National
Science Education Standards (N SES), which were released in 1996. Much of the content
of the NSES was based on the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s
(AAAS) Project 2061, which was released in 1985, and was the first nationally
recognized attempt to determine what it is that our children need to know about science
to become successful and literate adults. In addition to laying out a national curriculum,
the NSES delve into ways to support and maintain the usage of the fi'amework at the
local level. To help with the implementation of the NSES, there are many pages and
charts detailing the need for state and local commitments to the establishment of
curricula and lesson plans. I found these sections to be quite useful as I was trying to
plan this vascular plant unit.

When one looks at the NSES, they are not very lengthy or detailed. It is almost
as if they were written so that there would be little or no room for objection to their
content. The five life science standards are: “Structure and function in living systems,
Reproduction and heredity, Regulation and behavior, Populations and ecosystems, and
Diversity and adaptations of organisms”. (N SES, 1996)

The State of Michigan’s Board of Education released the MEGOSE in 1991, five
years prior to the release of the NSES. Like the NSES, the MEGOSE was based on
Project 2061, which accounts for their similarity. Additionally, the MEGOSE was based

on the National Science Teacher’s Association’s (N STA) project on the Scope, Sequence,

and Coordination of Science Education released in 1989, and their Lead Paper on
Science and Technology Education for the 213t Century, released in January of 1990.

When I completed my analysis of the 212 goals for science education found in
the MEGOSE, I found 27 relevant to the development of a vascular plant unit. Four of
the 27 objectives were physical science objectives, the other 23 related to life science.
Since the MEGOSE was based on constructivist teaching practices, the objectives related
to constructing new scientific knowledge, reflecting on scientific knowledge, and using
scientific knowledge. Coincidentally, by utilizing the objectives in the MEGOSE, I
found that I had also aligned the unit with the five aforementioned life science standards
found in the NSES. For a list of the MEGOSE goals pertinent to my vascular plant unit,
and the labs and activities designed to meet the goals, see appendix A.

There has been some debate among nationally-recognized educators about
whether to teach process skills or content. I found that the MEGOSE and the NSES
address this debate by allowing for the teaching of both process skills and content. Both
documents have simplified lists of objectives that detail the content as well as the process
skills that students should obtain in our schools. Passages in the documents also detail
the need for a reduction of the voluminous amount of science vocabulary, with a
subsequent increase in the amount of attention given to the thought processes of the
students. This is reflected in the design of the current version of the MEAP test.

The MEAP science test has been administered to students in the fifth, eighth, and
eleventh grades for over twenty years. After the release of the MEGOSE in 1991 , the
MEAP test was rewritten to test the science process skills of students. Roughly half of
the multiple choice questions that related to the memorization of science content were
deleted from the test, and were replaced by questions that required the students to use
science process skills. Many of the new questions required students to read

science-related passages and analyze their content in essay form. A new lab-based

section was also added to the MEAP test. In this section, science-process skills were
tested, as the students were required to complete a lab activity and submit their results on
the MEAP lab form. The 1995-1996 version of this lab form was used for labs and
demonstrations that were included in my plant unit. The slightly altered version of the
1996-1997 MEAP test lab form was printed after the completion of this study. Details of
the composition and usage of the MEAP lab form can be found in the lab section of
chapter one of this thesis. Copies of both lab forms can be found in the back of appendix
B.

The revamping of the MEAP test to match the objectives of the MEGOSE
matched the suggested framework for the implementation for science education reform
that was found in the MEGOSE. Part of this reform was to link the reception of an
accredited high school diploma to a student’s scores on the rewritten eleventh grade
MEAP test, which was renamed the MEAP High School Proficiency Test (HSPT).
During a recent telephonic interview, Dr. Paul Bielawski, the Math and Science
Coordinator for the Michigan Department of Education, said that collegiate and business
emphasis on MEAP proficiency is forming. This adds to my reasons for using the
MEGOSE and the MEAP lab form to encourage my students to develop appropriate
science process and content skills.

Afier studying the national and state science standards and their projected current
and future impact on science education, it was my newly developed knowledge of the
standards that made me decide to completely align my new plant unit with their
objectives. I also decided to make the requisite changes in my teaching technique. It is
my hope that the effort will translate into an across-the-board change in my teaching
technique, with increased emphasis on labs, and other hands-on activities for all of my
classes. My decision to align my unit with the MEGOSE was reinforced by the

comments made by Dr. Bielawski during our telephonic interview. He said that the

administration and faculty of all of the schools in Michigan are going to have to create
vertically and horizontally integrated science curricula, based on the MEGOSE
objectives, if they have any hope of their students scoring in the proficient range on the
MEAP tests.

My school’s science curriculum was rewritten under contract by Dr. Lamoine
Motz, the Science Coordinator for Oakland Public Schools. He based his work on
advance copies of the MEGOSE, and was able to complete our curriculum in 1991, just
prior to the release of the MEGOSE. In 1994, our science faculty aligned a newly
updated version of our curriculum with the MEGOSE. However, we did not make the
requisite changes to our teaching technique; we just added, deleted, and rearranged
science topics to address the MEGOSE objectives at appropriate grade levels. Rewriting
the vascular plant unit to the form found in this study gave me an opportunity to change
my teaching technique to include additional hands-on activities, concept mapping
activities, worksheets, and tests that allowed/required the students to construct, utilize,
analyze, and reflect upon scientific knowledge. (Zahorik, 1995)

Changing my teaching technique to include the previously mentioned activities
has a great deal of support in pedagogical literature. Constructivist theory is based on the
idea that students gain usable knowledge and skills through a deep understanding of the
subject matter, rather than through imitative behavior. This is in contrast to established
ideas about learning. “Traditionally, learning has been thought to be a “mimetic”
activity, a process that involves students repeating, or miming, newly presented
information in reports or on quizzes and tests.” (Brooks, 1993) With these statements in
mind, I modified my unit to include more opportunities for students to construct new
scientific knowledge of their own. This change is reflected in part by the addition of an
introductory period for each sub-unit, during which the students were given samples of

plant parts to examine either in the classroom, or during a lab activity.

10

The leaf collection was a significant example of an activity in which the students
were able to use information to gain a deep understanding of plants, rather than
mimicking information which was presented to them in class. The collection also
allowed the students to learn with curriculum that presented new information whole to
part, with initial emphasis on big concepts, followed by more specific instruction
(Brooks, 1993). First the students learned about plants in the “field” with the leaf
collection, and then they learned specific details about plant structure and function in the
classroom and in the lab.

Many of the true or false and multiple choice questions that appeared on tests and
worksheets in previous years were discarded. These questions are part of the mimetic
approach to learning, where students only need to commit information to their short term
memory, with the purpose of “regurgitating” it on an end-of-chapter-test. These
questions were replaced by open-ended questions on the tests, labs, and worksheets.
Newly included in the unit were essays, diagrams, and concept mapping exercises, which
allowed the students to write down their emerging theories about the plant world, and
illustrated their current point of view. This aided me in understanding their present
conceptions, while planning future lessons. (Spivey, 1997) Requiring students to answer
such questions was a marked difference from previous years, when I would have class
discussions to determine the students’ understanding of new concepts. During a
traditional class discussion, many of the students’ minds are not engaged, and the correct
answer from one student will lead to the teacher asking the next question. This method
of instruction does not assess student learning of skills and concepts in a consistent
manner, and “allows” many of the students to only be evaluated on tests.

Constructivist teachers “frame tasks around cognitive activities such as analysis,
interpretation, and prediction” (Brooks, 1993). This requires the teacher to budget class

time to allow students to ask questions of the teacher and one another. By aligning my

11

unit with the MEGOSE, and subsequently adding a significant number of labs and other
hands-on experiences, I was attempting to give students an opportunity for analysis,
interpretation, and prediction. This frequently led to lengthy discussions about their
rationale for answers that were developed in individual or group situations. The lesson
plans that appear in appendix C were rewritten many times to accommodate the time
required for this type of teaching. Initially, I was concerned about this, because I had a
specific end date for the unit. What I found was that the students developed an increased
ability to answer thought-provoking questions, and as time went by, they required less
input fiom me when answering questions. Additionally, after the first few weeks of the
plant unit, the students were able to learn new concepts in less time than was initially
required, and the unit finished in the amount of time originally budgeted. This was due
to the fact that with the “whole to part” format of the unit, I was able to refer back to
previous lessons like the leaf collection and lab activities to help the students quickly tie
new lessons to their existing mental framework. (Eggebrecht et a1, 1996)

As indicated previously, I created a vertically and horizontally integrated
curriculum for this unit. Integration was accomplished on both a macroscopic and
microscopic scale. The vertical part of this type of curriculum is to align current
objectives with objectives from previous and future lessons. By using the MEGOSE, I
ensured that my lessons would be part of a macroscopic and coherent plan for the
year-to-year education of my students. With the constructivist “whole-to-part”
philosophy, I was able to complete my microscopic vertical integration within the unit
itself. Horizontal integration of the curriculum was done on a large scale by using both
life science and physical science objectives. On a small scale, horizontal integration
requires students to encounter essential content in multiple and meaningful contexts
(Eggebrecht et a1, 1996). In the plant unit, I met this need by creating labs, worksheets,

and other activities that enabled the students to repetitively experience content in several

12

different contexts. The most important concepts were presented in more than one
sub-unit, and appeared on more than one test, so that the students’ construction of
meaning could be monitored.

Group work was an important aspect of the unit. “Researchers into
constructivism believe that knowledge not only is personally constructed but that it is
also socially mediated.” (Treagust et a1, 1996) While completing the hands-on activities,
and many of the worksheets in this unit, students were given opportunities to work in
both small and large groups, with a variety of partners. This allowed them to share ideas
and learn from one another as we completed the lessons. The students enjoyed this type
of learning because it meant that they were not solely responsible for completing each
task. This emphasis on group work is a basic tenet of constructivist theory and was
expounded upon in some fashion in the literature that I read about constructivism.

Another element of my unit was concept mapping, which is vital to the
construction of new knowledge by students. It facilitates “meaning-making” and enables
students to see relationships between topics. (Treagust et a1, I996) This aids students in
the development of a framework upon which to “hang” new ideas. I utilized concept
mapping several times on the chalkboard during the unit, and additionally on tests and
worksheets. It was a new experience for my students, but once they grasped the
formatting techniques inherent to concept mapping, they took personal control of their
mapping exercises and found mapping to be a simple and useful tool.

The final constructivist educational technique employed during the unit was the
use of typewritten lesson plans that were given to the students on a regular basis. These
plans gave the students an opportunity to see the “big picture” and to take ownership of
their learning. (Eggebrecht et a1, 1996) When the students were given the lesson plans,
there was an obvious change in their attitudes. Many of them appreciated the fact that

they could use the plans to best determine when to study, what to study, and what to

13

expect in the coming days in science. The amount of homework turned in on time
increased, with a concurrent decrease in late work. The plans enabled us to use our class
periods more efficiently, due to the fact that they kept the students on task and organized.
I did not have to use as much class time informing the students about the day’s plans, and
students who were absent knew which work to obtain upon their return. Parents often
used the plans to obtain schoolwork for their homebound sick children. I found such
plans to be valuable in my other classes as well. The lesson plans in appendix C are the

final plans for the unit as it was actually taught during the 1996/97 school year.

Class Demographics

My school is a private, conservative Hebrew day school open to Jewish children
in Kindergarten through the eighth grade. The sixty-four seventh grade life science
students who participated in this unit during the 1996-1997 school year ranged in age
fiom eleven to thirteen years. All of the students had been attending the school since
kindergarten or the first grade, except for one child who went to a public school for one
year and subsequently returned to my school.

Students are tracked for their mathematical ability, and generally have the same
groupings for math and science classes. Prior to the 1996-1997 school year, a drop in
enrollment caused the students to be regrouped into three non-tracked science classes
which did not mirror their groupings into four math classes. The result was an unusual
and difficult-to-teach grouping of high and low achievers in each of the three science
classes included in this study, which is unusual at my school, and is not currently the
case in the eighth grade.

The three seventh grade science classes included in this study are comprised of a
first period class that is thirty-nine minutes long, a third period class that is thirty-eight

minutes long, and a fifth period class that is forty-two minutes long. The length of the

14

class periods allows for little time for peer interaction and peer-assisted teaching/learning
during our one-hundred and seventy-two day school year. We expect to give our
students a full education in both Hebrew and English subjects during the nine period
school day, which results in an average of two hours of homework per night per student.
Additional problems preventing the completion of classwork or homework were caused
by the morning services, religious aspects of each weekend and numerous holidays, and
the Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies and parties that occurred each weekend. We also
have thirty fewer minutes of class time on Fridays, which shortens each class period by
three to four minutes.

Although the students are expected to complete up to two hours of homework per
night, we have the same type of difficulty as the public schools with incomplete and late
homework. The difficulty is caused by mandatory lunch time activities for students, a
three minute break between classes, and over 95% of the students riding busses or
car-pooling to and from school.

The parents are very supportive of our work at the school. We have an active
PTO and other opportunities for parents to get involved with the school, including a
curriculum night and conferences, both of which are attended by nearly all of the parents.
As a result, we have the mechanisms in place to help promote maximum student effort
and achievement. The students who are not academically or socially performing at grade
level are subjected to testing by our newly formed special education department. If
necessary, they receive help from our resource room staff in English and/or Hebrew
subjects. I have seventeen seventh grade students receiving additional help in science at
this time. This seventh grade class is unique in that the greatest number of students
receiving additional help in any past year has been four. The parents of many of the

“resource room” students visit my room at least once every week, and I am in constant

15

contact with all of the seventh grade parents by sending tests home to be signed, and by
using computerized grade reports every two to three weeks.

The students generally have parents whose education and experience provide
incomes that vastly exceed the national average. However, roughly one-third of the
students are receiving tuition assistance to defray the $7,500 annual tuition expenditure.

The sixty-four seventh grade students have twenty parents who have earned
Ph.D.'s, and most of the other parents are college graduates with advanced degrees. In
fact, there are two parents who are currently working on their master's degrees. It is no
coincidence that I had no difficulty in obtaining 100% agreement fiom the parents to use
students' data for my thesis.

The students live in several communities in the northwest Detroit area. Graduates
attend high schools in Walled Lake, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Farrnington
Hills, Oak Park, Southfield, Birmingham, and Huntington Woods. This requires our
curriculum to address the needs of a wide array of high school expectations, and we have
had professional help in designing our curriculum and aligning it with the MEGOSE
objectives. The plant unit was neglected in the process, so, as I previously indicated, I
have written the unit to address the MEGOSE objectives while also addressing the future

academic needs of the students.

CHAPTER ll

Chapter 1

UNIT IMPLEMENTATION

Description of Plant Unit Topics

This seventh grade vascular plant unit has been written to be used in classes that
are less than 42 minutes long. I found many of the activities in the lab activity books and
textbooks noted in the lab activity and worksheet chart found later in this chapter. The
chart notes the name and origin of each activity. I created my own labs for the objectives
that I felt were not addressed by lab activities found in textbooks or lab activity books.
Many of the professionally written labs had to be heavily modified from their original
format to function within the time available.

Based on my pedagogical research and the objectives found in the MEGOSE, I
developed the lessons listed in the outline for the vascular plant unit, which can be found
on the following page . The same information, in a more detailed format, can also be
found as day-by-day lesson plans in appendix C. The students received a copy of all of
the day-by-day lesson plans as we progressed through the unit, so that they knew what to

expect, and to eliminate the “I didn’t know I needed to do that” excuse.

l6

17

Vascular Plant Unit Outline

1. Sub-Unit #1 - Leaves and Photosynthesis - (32 Days Allotted)
A. Leaf Collection
B. External Leaf Structure
1. Transpiration Demonstration
2. Phototropism Lab Activities
C. Internal Leaf Structure
1. Photosynthesis Lessons
2. Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide? Lab Activity
3. Oxygen Production in Plants Lab Activity
4. Leaf Cross Section Observations/'1‘ each Microscope Usage/Cell Structure
Lessons
5. Is Starch Stored in Leaves? Lab Activity
6. Frost Damage Demonstration
7. Structures of Stems Lab Activity
D. Test on Leaf Collection, Internal and External Leaf Structure, and Photosynthesis
II. Sub-Unit #2 - Roots and Stems (18 Days Allotted)
A. Root and Stern Worksheet #1 and #2 - Structure and Function, Grafting, Erosion
Control
B. Corn Seed Tropism Lab
C. Root Hair Growth and Observation Lab
D. Gibberellic Acid Lab
E. Herbicide Lab
F. Test on Roots and Stems - Structures and Functions
III. Sub-Unit #3 - Flowers and Seeds (12 Days Allotted)
Flower and Seed Worksheet #1 and #2 - Sexual Reproduction, Food Production
Seed Observation Lab
Flower Lab
. Plant Foods Lab Activity
Vegetative Propagation Activities
Dirt Usage By Plants Lab - Student Designed Lab Activity
. Gravitropism and Phototropism of Stems Lab Activity
. Test on Flowers and Seeds
IV. Sub Unit #4 - Ferns (5 Days Allotted)
A. Fern Worksheet, Plant Kingdom and Five Kingdom Concept Mapping Exercises
B. Class Discussions and Observations of Fern Parts and Asexual Reproduction
C. Plant Succession - final discussions, is part of each sub-unit
D. Fern Quiz
V. Plant Unit Post Test
VI. Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation

mmwweow?

18

The alignment of this unit with the MEGOSE can be found in appendix A. When
read, one should notice that many of the objectives are met by all or part of several of the
lessons in the plant unit. The MEGOSE, NSES, and articles referenced in my
pedagogical review indicate that it should be a goal of educators to teach lessons
pertaining to each objective several times during a child’s education, in order to allow the
students ample opportunity to obtain desirable knowledge and skills. I intend to re-teach
those objectives that are not met more than once in this unit once again at a later date.
This will generate a curriculum that is both vertically and horizontally integrated in the
fashion detailed in the MEGOSE and the NSES.

When completed, this unit required forty-eight days for new plant-related
instruction. Small portions of twenty other days were also needed when one plant topic
was completed with a test and another topic started, or lab observations were made after a
current event presentation. Parts of many days during the plant unit were spent
discussing the recurring themes of ecological succession; plant food, water, and mineral
transport; and the importance of plants to life on earth, with increased attention given to
the importance of plants to my students’ daily lives.

The unit began with a pre-test which showed that the students had little working
knowledge of plants (see appendix D, and part one of chapter two for details). Following
the pre-test, the unit was introduced with classification systems and the modern system of
classification, so that the students would better understand the meaning and context of
terms such as Angiosperrn and Gymnosperm. We then started the leaf and
photosynthesis sub-unit, during which time the students completed a leaf collection (see
appendix E) and learned about the internal and external anatomy Of true leaves, as well as
photosynthesis. We completed two worksheets (see appendix F for all worksheets) and
our first few lab activities during our study of leaves. At this point, I introduced them to
the MEAP lab form (see appendix B for all lab work), which was to be used for most of

the remaining labs that the students would do in my class.

19

While leaming about leaves, the students learned how to use the microscopes;
Students looked at leaf cross sections so that they could clearly see the intemal leaf
structures that we had been studying. We ended the leaf sub-unit with their first test (see
appendix D for all test materials), which covered internal leaf structure, external leaf
structure, and photosynthesis.

Next we began the "Roots and Stems" sub-unit, which included worksheets with
essay questions for an added emphasis on student analysis of lab work and classroom
discussions. This sub-unit contained three weeks of lab work, including the "Corn Seed
Tropism" lab, "Root Hair Growth and Observation Lab", “Gibberellic Acid”
demonstration, “Herbicide Specificity” demonstration, and the "Structures of Stems" lab.
During this time they learned about many aspects of roots and stems. This twenty three
day sub-unit culminated with the “Stern and Root Test” and was followed by the Flower
and Seed sub-unit.

The Flower and Seed sub-unit began with worksheets designed to familiarize the
students with flowers and seeds. We progressed with seed and flower dissection labs.
After using the "Fruits, Vegetables, and Spices/Tree Basics, Planting and Care"
worksheet as an introduction in class, we began the "Plant Foods" activity. Students
wrote down the plant-related foods that they ate for seven days of their choice, and made
a final total of all of the stems, roots, leaves, flowers or buds, ovaries, and seeds that they
ate, which we tallied during class. “Seed and Flower Worksheet #2” gave the students
their first Opportunity to create their own lab. They were required to design a lab that
would help them determine whether or not plants obtain mass from dirt as they grow, and
if so, how much mass? I named this lab the “Dirt Lab”.

As indicated in the outline, we finished our sub-units with a study of ferns.
Following the fern sub-unit, the entire plant unit ended with the “Plant Unit Post-Test”.

Six weeks later, I administered the “Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation”, which

20

was designed to determine if the students had retained the most important concepts of the

plant unit.

Audio Visual Aids

I use audio-visual aids extensively. At each step of the way during the unit I used
appropriate models and samples to enhance student understanding of the concepts being
taught.

During the initial portion of the unit we studied leaves and photosynthesis. While
we were on that topic, I took the students outside to show them the leaves while they
were on the tree. I also provided samples of each of the leaves that were needed for the
leaf collection, hanging laminated examples of the leaves due each week above the
chalkboard during the week. When we studied internal leaf structure, I used prepared
slides of hydrophytic, mesophytic, and xerophytic leaves to assist the students in
translating the drawing in their books into real images.

As we entered the root and stem sub-unit, I used as many root and stem sections
as possible. I tried to vary the size to keep students from garnering misconceptions about
the relative sizes of plant parts. I used woody stems samples from six mm to twenty eight
centimeters in diameter, and herbaceous stems from three mm to six cm in diameter.

This size variation helped to avoid the development of the misconception that woody
stems are always bigger than herbaceous stems, which I had observed in earlier years. I
showed the students both living and dead stems, as well as living and dead fibrous and
tap roots, taken from trees, grasses and carrots to attempt to dispel the misconception that
fibrous roots are always small and only belong to herbaceous plants.

During the seed and flower sub-unit I used monocot and dicot seeds and flowers
that the students were accustomed to seeing. The seeds that I utilized were pumpkin,
sunflower, grass, kidney bean, and pea seeds. I also Showed the students examples of

perfect and imperfect flowers which included orchids, roses, freesias and pinks.

21

Obtaining flowers for dissection proved to be expensive, but I did use the freesias and
pinks for flower dissection with students in groups of four.

The ferns sub-unit required the use of fem fronds with and without sori present. I
ordered archegonia and antheridia to use in aiding the students’ understanding of the
difference between the sporophyte and garnetophyte stages of the fem’s unique life cycle.

An additional visual aid was the video “Tree” from Was, available through
DK Multimedia. I found out about the video midway through the unit. I didn’t have
room to fit the video into the lesson plans at that point, so I showed it at lunch and after
school for two weeks. It is an excellent video that covered many of the topics in the plant
unit in fine detail. The students enjoyed the video at the point that I showed it in the unit,
but next year I will show it at the start of the unit in order to help the students obtain a

grasp of what we will be studying.

Changes in Teaching Technique

I am happy with the recent changes that I made in my teaching style. I removed
many of the short quizzes and note-taking assignments from the text in favor of new
worksheets with both rote questions and longer, higher order thinking skills essay
questions, which required analysis or reflection about a particular topic. As evidenced by
students’ answers to the questions on the post-test, the time that I gained by not having
the seven quizzes used in previous years allowed for time to help the students develop a
more complete appreciation of the complexity of plant life and its value to the planet, and
ultimately themselves. As analyzed in chapter 2 of this study, from their behavior in
class and their response to essays on the labs, worksheets, and tests, it became apparent
that for many of the seventh grade students it was the first time that they really had to
think in a science class. The constructivist style of teaching provided for
thought-provoking questions and assignments that were much different from many

assignments in previous years for which students just “found the answer in the book” and

22

copied it down. For example, in previous years I had used the question, “True or False,
Angiosperms make flowers to reproduce”, which gives students a 50% change of
guessing the correct answer. This year I rewrote that question as, “Why do Angiosperms
make flowers?”, which required an answer, in essay form, and appeared on a lab,
worksheet, and two tests. This constructivist teaching format did not only allow students
to guess and get the question 100% correct; it also provided them with ample opportunity
to improve upon their original answer in response to additional learning and classroom
discussions. Rather than true or false questions or multiple choice questions, this type of
essay question appears on all of the labs, worksheets, and tests, for everything from why
vascular plants make leaves, roots, and stems, to the progressive nature of ecological
succession. These questions can be seen on the labs, tests, and worksheets found in
appendices B, D, and F, respectively.

Changes were also made to the hands-on activities. The biggest change that I
made was the addition of eleven new labs and demonstrations, and the modification of
three existing labs, which left only the two introductory microscope use labs and the
structure of stems lab unchanged. These additions and changes are detailed in the
“Laboratory Activities and Demonstrations” section of this thesis. The leaf collection
was another hands-on activity that I altered for this year. Changes to the leaf collection

protocol are detailed in the following section of this thesis.

Leaf Collection

I have taught the plant unit with the use of student-made leaf collections for the
last Six school years. The materials for the leaf collection have been developed during
that period. I have made use of many sources during that time, and I can not provide
documentation for all of the drawings found in the leaf collection manual. Some of the

drawings were traced from real leaves. Many of the drawings and descriptions were

23

originally based on those found in the book MichiganlmeslloflhKnoMng, by Norman
F. Smith. The title of the book has recently been changed to W

Region, but I have not used the new version.

I made several modifications to the collection for this plant unit. The first
modification was to run the leaf collection for ten days over a period of five weeks, with
three to five leaves due every Friday. In previous years I would spend six days
explaining the assignment and going outside to collect the first four leaves, and then the
students were on their own for four weeks, with the entire collection of sixteen leaves
being due in the fourth week. By changing to this new format, I was able to make a
detailed list of information that the students were to gather fi'om each plant, much more
detailed and challenging than in the past years. As a result of (and in spite of) these
changes, I didn’t have any students earn less than sixty percent of the points possible,
whereas in previous years students earned scores as low as thirty percent. The scoring
rubric for each leaf can be found with the leaf collection materials in appendix E. Based
on their responses to leaf-collection-related concepts in class discussions, worksheets, and
tests throughout the rest of the unit, I know that the students retained more information
from the leaf collection this year than students in previous years. Part of the increase in
grades on the collection was due to the fact that we graded leaves in class each week,
which helped the average scores rise each week as they learned from their previous
mistakes. The more detailed leaf description sheets that the students filled out during the
collection this year facilitated discussion of the key concepts of the plant unit. New
entries on the Sheets included: Angiosperrn (monocot or dicot), Gymnosperm (cycad,
conifer, or gingko), and Fern. In previous years, students did not have to determine to
which of these groups a leaf belonged. The sheets also gave me a new way to relate the
collection to the concepts that would appear throughout the unit. When we started the
collections, the students observation skills were very weak. During the second week of

collecting leaves, many students came in with appropriate leaves that they found in their

24

own yards, they also said that they could now recognize many of the trees in their
neighborhoods as they drove past them, and they were becoming visibly more excited
about their leaf collections. I had the benefit of knowing exactly what the students were
doing on each part of their collection by having them turn it in to me in stages. With
some reteaching of the differences between plants, few students made the same errors
twice. I knew that students learned more this year than in past years when I was able to
hold up examples of leaves that were unrelated to the collection, and students were able
to tell me whether they were Angiosperms, Gymnosperms, or ferns. Many of them were
also knew the type of venation that the leaves exhibited, and in some cases, the common

name of the plant.

Laboratory Activities and Demonstrations

During the new plant-related instruction, 1 added nine new laboratory activities
and two new demonstrations to my class instruction. I also modified three existing labs,
in part to include the usage of the MEAP laboratory sheet. Three other lab activities and
demonstrations remained relatively unchanged. As I wrote the additional labs for this
vascular plant unit, I wrote them with the MEGOSE objectives in mind. As can be seen
in appendix A, the nine new hands-on experiences that I added were each written to
satisfy certain MEGOSE objectives, while fitting in to the overall integrated pattern that I
had chosen for the unit. Each new lab utilized the MEAP lab form, had several
thought-provoking questions at the end, and was later referenced in essay questions on
worksheets and/or tests of the attainment of the objectives. This approach was markedly
different that of previous years, where there were few labs, and none of them were later
referenced on worksheets or tests. All of the lab activities which are listed in the chart on
the following page are summarized in the next few pages and can be found in their

entirety in appendix B.

25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

m, IF NEW, HOW
ORIGINAL REWRITI'EN, TAUGHT
TITLE OF LAB OR ACTIVITY SOURCE OR NEW PREVIOUSLY

Transpiration Demonstration Sci Plus new discussion
Phototropism - Color of Light Demonstration Fast Plt new discussion
Do Water Plants Use 0027 Lab Sci Plus new not taught
Structure and Function. of Microscopes Lab AIMS existing
The Enormous 'E" Lab AIMS existing
Oxygen Production in Plants Demonstration Sci Plus new worksheet
ls Starch Stored in Leaves? Lab me new discussion
Com Seed Tropism Lab PHLS rewritten
Root Hair Growth and Observation Lab me new discussion
Gibberellic Acid Demonstration Fast Plt new discussion
Herbicide Specificity Demonstration me rewritten
Structures Of Stems Lab PHLS existing
Seed Observation Lab me new worksheet
Flower Lab me new worksheet
Plant Foods Activity PHLS rewritten
Dirt Lab - van Helmont's Experiment Sci Plus new not taught
Phototropism/Gravitropism of Stems Demo Fast Plt new discussion

 

Figure 1: Names and Origins of Labs and Activities

KEX:

Original Source = text or lab manual from which lab was obtained
Sci Plus = Science Plus, Blue Version

PHLS = Prentice Hall Life Science

AIMS = AIMS Magnificent Microworld Adventures
Fast Plt = Wisconsin Fast Plant Lab Manual

Me = Activity that I created

Existing, Rewritten, or New

Existing = Activity that was unchanged from previous year
Rewritten = Existing activity that was rewritten for this year

New = New activities for this unit

 

26

All of the activities listed in the chart on this page were completed by students
using an information sheet that contained directions for the activity, and frequently
contained post-activity questions. Each activity was completed using the MEAP sheet
(see below) except for the two microscope labs, the “Structures of Stems” lab, and the
“Plant Foods” activity. These four activities were obtained from lab manuals or
workbooks, and all came with their own set of questions and problems for the students to
solve. As a result, the MEAP sheet would not have been useful, or was redundant.

The MEAP sheet used for the lab activities and demonstrations is shown in

condensed form below. It may be found in its complete, expanded form in appendix C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRONT OF MEAP SHEET
QUESTION
HYPOTHESIS
R—EASONS FOR HYPOTHESIS
MATERIALS
PROCEDURES
BACK OF MEAP SHEET

 

 

ORGANIZED PRESENTATION OF DATA (table, graph, paragrapIIT

 

CONCLUSION(S) (What is your answer to the question?)

 

EVIDENCE (How do your data support your answer?)

 

 

 

Figure 2: MEAP sheet used for lab activities

Students were required to read the activity information sheet and then complete
the fiont of the MEAP Sheet prior to the date of the activity. During the activity, students
would complete the back of the MEAP sheet. The MEAP sheet would be due the next

27

day, at which point I would grade the students’ work as detailed in the following
paragraphs.

Each lab-related activity was graded using the following rubric: a correct or
nearly correct answer was worth ten points; an attempt to answer, if incorrect, was worth
five points; and if they did not attempt to answer, or had answered in an unacceptable
fashion, they earned a minus in the gradebook, which was not worth any points. With
this grading method, I was able to go around the room and grade one paper while the
students were working on another paper. I used this method on seven of the sixteen
lab-related activities. I only graded certain portions of each lab, with the appropriate
responses to the other sections being discussed during class on the same day. My goal
was to have the students write, in its entirety, their own lab by the end of the plant unit.
With this in mind, I began the year by just grading their hypotheses on the first two labs.
We then discussed the composition of an appropriate data section and conclusion for each
lab. On later labs, I looked at the hypotheses and made spot corrections, but graded the
data section. Finally, on the last few labs, I looked at the hypotheses and data sections,
but graded the conclusions and/or evidence for conclusions. This allowed the students
time to get used to the lab format, without being penalized for techniques that they had
not had an opportunity to master. Scores on the graded lab-related activities can be seen
below. Students who didn’t earn any credit were comprised of a small group who

generally did not turn their work in on time.

Title of Lab or Credit Credit Credit

 

- van

Table 1: Student Scores on Lab-Related Activities

28

At the end of the unit, when it was time for them to design their own lab protocol,
I had very little explanation to give the students, and as shown in the table above, their
performance remained consistent with that of previous activities. This final lab activity
was based on the concept of van Helmont’s experiment. An example of a student’s work

on this lab can be found in appendix B.

Review of Laboratory Activities
What follows is a complete summary of the lab activities and demonstrations,
with the purpose and results of each. The lab sheets and teacher notes for each lab can be

found in appendix B.

1. "Transpiration Demonstration"

PURPOSE: A demonstration of the amount of water released during transpiration that a
large tree leaf or group of leaves can produce in 24 hours. I also used it to begin student
usage of the MEAP lab format.

RESULTS: For each class period I used a large, transparent trash bag and put it over a
group of leaves on a tree branch for one day. The water was clearly visible through the
bag at the start of the next class period, and the students were amazed that water actually
could be captured as it transpired from the leaves. With this being their first opportunity
to use the MEAP lab sheets (for a copy of the MEAP lab sheet used for most of the
experiments, see appendix B), I had to spend time teaching them to use the sheet
properly. I gave them examples of the proper format for each section of the sheet during
class. For many of them the lab and questions were easy, but the completion of the
MEAP sheet was challenging. Students had difficulty deciding how to determine the
amount of water that was transpired. The typical hypothesis was “Yes, it can” or “No, it

won’t”, but a few of the more attentive students wrote their hypotheses in a complete

29

sentence. Their conclusions suffered fiom a lack of information as well. We went over

their answers in class SO that they could rectify their errors.

2. "Phototropism - Color of Light" Demonstration

PURPOSE: A demonstration to illustrate that plants are attracted to blue light more
strongly than other colors (wavelengths) of light. It also serves as an introduction to the
term “tropism” and its usefulness while studying plants.

RESULTS: The students did a much better job phrasing their hypotheses and
conclusions for this demonstration than they did on the “Transpiration Demonstration”.
Thirty percent of the students had the same problem as on the previous demo, writing the
“Yes, it can” or “No, it can’t” types of hypotheses and conclusions. Many were amazed
that plants could turn to face toward a particular color of light, especially when they
found out that it wasn’t the color that was most beneficial for photosynthesis. This led to
a rather lengthy rainbow-based discussion of the colors that are present in sunlight, and
that if a plant turns toward one of the colors, it will automatically expose itself to the rest
of the colors. I lead them to the idea that you can only test one variable (color of light) at
a time in each window on the box. As the plant was repeatedly tumed during a span of
three weeks, the plant had little difficulty in turning itself every three or four days to face

the blue window.

3. "Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide?" Lab

PURPOSE: To determine that plants use C02 when they are placed in the light, but not
when they are in the dark.

MY RESULTS: Student results for this lab can be found on page 105 of appendix B.
Due to the fact that this lab did not work properly during the teaching of the plant unit, I
am including my results from my summer study at MSU, when the lab went as follows:

After 16 hours the lab had run to a successful completion. The plants in the light were all

30

the same deep color of blue, including the two that started out yellow due to the
introduction of C02. The yellow and blue controls in both the light and the dark were
unchanged. The plants which were initially placed in a tube of yellowed Bromthymol
Blue (BTB) and then in a dark cabinet were unchanged, Since they were just respiring and
not using the light reactions of photosynthesis. The blue BTB plants placed in the dark
were now a greenish-yellow, due to the fact that they evolved C02 while they respired,
but could not use the light reactions of photosynthesis to liberate 02. These observations

were even more obvious after 24 hours.

(4 and 5 are two consecutive labs)

4. "Structure and Function of Microscopes" Lab

5. "The Enormous E" Lab

PURPOSE: To learn more about the microscope and Observe a leaf cross section.
RESULTS: Many of the students made drawings of the wrong leaf (there were three leaf
cross sections on some slides and only one on other slides), and the students had trouble
sharing the microscopes due to their desire to make accurate drawings. Some students
also made drawings of water spots, eyelashes, cover slips and other objects before I could
get them on the right track. Next year I intend to invite a parent into my classes to help
with this lab. The students made comments about how small the cells actually were, and
had a hard time believing that there are actually structures inside of the cells. I did not
use MEAP lab sheets for either lab, as I believe they were not conducive to the use of the

lab sheets.

6. "Oxygen Production in Plants" Demonstration
PURPOSE: To demonstrate and quantify 02 production by Elodea plants.
RESULTS: I set this demonstration up during each of my three classes while the students

observed and prepared their MEAP sheets. I had to let it run for three days due to the

31

Elodea being half-dead. At the end of the three days we took measurements in each of
the classes and averaged the results. The students made a data chart and then drew their
conclusions and provided evidence for their conclusions. I did not individually grade
their lab Sheets, but went over them in class to reinforce the concepts from the
demonstration, as well as to reiterate my requirements for the proper completion of the

MEAP lab form.

7. "Is Starch Stored in Leaves?" Lab

PURPOSE: To determine that starch is stored where chlorophyll is located in a leaf.
RESULTS: 1 made a last minute change to the lab when I decided not to use the Bunsen
burners for time/safety reasons. This confirsed the students, as did my oral direction to
trace the leaf before they boiled the leaf so that they would have something with which to
compare the decolored leaf. A modification of the length of time to boil the leaves as a
result of the lack of decoloration in acetone (which can be used instead of ethanol) during
the first class of the day also was a cause of some difficulty. The leaf needs to be boiled
longer and takes a longer time to decolor when acetone is used. The leaves that I used
were Bishop’s Weed leaves that were obtained the night before the lab. They were
clearly green and white and did not have brown edges or any signs of deterioration due to
the time of year. However, when the students put their I/KI solutions on the leaves, they
had a hard time seeing any color change in any parts of the leaves. I am going to grow
my own Bishop’s Weed and Coleus plants indoors to use with the lab next year.
Although the color difference was easily visible when I tried the lab at MSU, the
students did have to look closely to see the difference between the white areas and the
green areas where the starch was stored. I made sure to take the most obviously stained
leaves around the room for all of the students to see, and then allowed them to look at
their leaves again, before they made their conclusions. The students had little difficulty

with the laboratory portion of the activity once the directions were clarified. When I

32

checked the lab sheets, I graded the “conclusions” and “evidence for conclusions”
sections. Many of the students were still having trouble with the completion of the
“evidence for conclusions” section. After grading many of the labs, I realized that the
grades on these two sections were not acceptable, so I stopped grading the labs. Later I
used class time to once again go over the expectations for the “evidence for conclusion”
section of the lab sheet, since my goal was to get them to do the work properly. The lab
has been rewritten to mirror the way that it was taught this year and appears in its

corrected form in appendix B.

8. "Corn Seed Tropism" Lab

PURPOSE: To determine if seed orientation has any effect on seedling growth; does the
presence or absence of light have an effect on seedling growth.

RESULTS: This is the first opportunity for students to grow their own plants in class.
All of the dishes tipped over in the drawer where they were placed for the weekend to be
in the dark, but this had little effect on the plants, as most of them did not germinate
before Monday. Due to being tipped over, a few of the seeds sprouted oddly. However,

' as expected, when the dishes were properly oriented the shoots grew upward (negative
geotropism), and the roots downward (positive geotropism). They spiraled around the
seed to orient in the "right direction", and then grew in a relatively straight path until they
hit compressed paper or the edge of the dish, then they turned to go around the obstacle.
The most interesting roots and shoots were those that grew right through the paper towel.
Due to some school functions, I had to go over the expected results in class, and to create
a chart on the chalkboard into which I entered and tabulated the class results as reported

by the students so that they would be able to draw their conclusions.

9. "Root Hair Growth and Observation Lab”
PURPOSE: To observe dicot root hairs.

33

RESULTS: This lab ran concurrently with the corn seed tropism lab, which allowed
students to see monocot and dicot root hairs at the same time. Due to school scheduling
conflicts, this lab did not run as expected. The lab question was not on the original
worksheet, and the students had a great deal of difficulty formulating their own questions.
This was due to the fact that I had rearranged the labs, and the students had not yet
completed the lab work that was referenced on the original lab sheet. The lab has been
rewritten to mirror the fashion in which it was taught this year, and appears in its revised
form in appendix B. Fortunately, the students learned more about root hairs, which is
what was intended by this lab. Their clear understanding of the structure and function of
root hairs was evidenced by what I read when I collected and graded their MEAP sheets,

as well as by our class discussions.

10. "Gibberellic Acid Demonstration/Lab"

PURPOSE: Students observe the effects of Gibberellic Acid (GA) applied to the leaves
of rosette and wild type Wisconsin Fast Plants as well as corn plants.

RESULTS: After the students helped me transplant the plants fiom the corn seed and
root hair labs into bins that contained 72 plants each, I explained the protocol for the
demonstration to the students. They each wrote their own problem and hypotheses for
the lab. This was the first time that they decided how to word their own problem based
on a protocol, rather than just copying the problem directly from an information sheet. I
sprayed the plants daily for six days. AS measured, the rosette fast plants, wild type fast
plants and corn plants which were sprayed with GA grew 20% to 100% larger than the
control plants of the same type. The corn plants showed the least change in growth, while
the rosette plants averaged a 90% increase in size. I had students measure the plants on
the last day of the lab, and then, during class, each student made their own data chart and
all of the average heights of the control and variable plants were written on the board for

them to incorporate into their charts. After the students copied the data, they were

34

instructed to analyze the data and complete their conclusions and evidence for
conclusions sections on their MEAP Sheets. I collected the Sheets to read their problems
and conclusions to determine if they had understood the lab. I graded the labs based on
the hypotheses and conclusions sections. I went over their work in class, and told them

that future labs would be set up and graded in a similar fashion.

11. "Herbicide Specificity” Demonstration

PURPOSE: Students observe the effects of herbicides on corn and on “Wisconsin Fast
Plants” to determine specificity of broadleaf herbicides verses grass-specific herbicides.
RESULTS: After five days we finished the lab, since the Grass-B-Gone had wilted or
killed most of the corn plants, and the Weed-B-Gone had a similar effect on the
Wisconsin Fast Plants. The Grass-B-Gone only caused slight wilting on the Wisconsin
Fast Plants, and the Weed-B-Gone had a slight wilting effect on the corn. Students made
comments that indicated that they were amazed by how specific the herbicides could be,
and the lab served its intended purpose of showing that herbicides can be specific to
either monocots or dicots. Next year I will also use a broad-band herbicide (one without
mammalian toxicity) on a mixed grouping of monocots and dicots to illustrate that some

herbicides are not specific to one group of plants.

12. "Structures of Stems" Lab

PURPOSE: To study the structures of herbaceous and woody stems, and the fashion in
which water is transported in stems.

RESULTS: While all of the students made positive comments about the color change
that occurred in the stems and flowers of the white camations when they transported the
colored water, the students either loved or hated the lab write-up. The thirty percent who
hated it wanted to use a MEAP sheet for their data, hypothesis, etc. Approximately

seventy percent of the students asked where they were supposed to put their reasons for

35

hypothesis after they stated their hypothesis, so I had them add reasons at the bottom of
the page. The students who loved the lab were the ones who previously had trouble
writing appropriate hypotheses, reasons for hypotheses, conclusions and evidence on their
MEAP sheets. They were happy not to see the MEAP sheets. This lab was a watershed
event for me because it made me believe in the organizing and thought-provoking effect
of the MEAP sheet as I never had before, and I know that I will use MEAP sheets for
most lab work in the future. Regardless of their feelings toward the lab, the students had
no trouble completing the lab and the lab questions, which required students to write

much of the same information needed to complete a MEAP lab sheet.

13. "Seed Observation Lab"

PURPOSE: To observe familiar plant seeds to determine whether they belong to
monocot or dicot plants.

RESULTS: The lab went well and progressed quickly. The students made comments
like “Is that it?” and were able to finish in less than twenty minutes. The only snag was
that they had a lot of trouble separating the sunflower seed into its two halves, and some

of them decided that it must be a monocot.

14. "Flower Lab"

PURPOSE: To see flower anatomy and that all flowers do not have all of the parts that
flowers can have. Students learn the terms “perfect” and “imperfect” as they apply to
flowers and have a chance to see all of the parts of a flower.

RESULTS: I didn’t use a MEAP sheet for the lab this year, but I will use a MEAP Sheet
in 97/98. I couldn't use the write-up that appears in appendix B or the MEAP sheet since
the copy machine was not working properly during the previous week. I did a quick
rewrite on a transparency and used the overhead in class, with the students copying the

shortened lab off of the screen. The students' lab reports were very disorganized as a

36

result. This lab was not graded, due to the fact that we did not have a set format for the
write-up. The students learned that since their are male and female plants in certain
species, some flowers don’t contain petals, sepals, pistils, and stamens. This learning was
evidenced by the 95 % of the students who correctly answered the lab-related question on

the “Flower and Seed Test”.

15. "Plant Foods" Activity

PURPOSE: This lab was intended to be a culmination of all of the plant work that we
had done up until that point. The idea was to have the students keep track of all of the
stems, roots, leaves, ripened ovaries, seeds, and flowers or buds that they ate in a seven
day period. We would then create class totals on the overhead screen to determine if
there was a particular plant part that is eaten most often or least often.

RESULTS: When I checked their plant food reports, the students had done an excellent
job on this activity, with many different methods of organizing the information. The
most frequently eaten plant part was seeds, followed closely by stems, and then ripened
ovaries. The least common part was the flower. The students indicated that they enjoyed
the lab, but that it was difficult to figure out what plant parts were found in some of the

foods that they ate. For an example of a student’s results on this activity, see appendix B.

16. "Dirt Lab" and "van Helmont’s Experiment" sheet - also referred to in lesson
plans as MEAP sheet for question #14 on "Seed and Flower Worksheet #2

PURPOSE: The students were to use a MEAP sheet to design a laboratory investigation
that will determine whether or not the mass of the soil that a plant is planted in decreases
as the plant grows.

RESULTS: The lab progressed in the fashion that I expected, with the dry mass of the
soil in the vials decreasing, but not significantly, while the dry mass of the plant increased
beyond that of the plant’s seed. The students readily accepted that some of the soil was

lost when it stuck to the roots of the Wisconsin Fast Plant when the plant was removed

37

fiom the soil, and stuck to the felt and the vial when the soil was removed from the vial.
The students also understood that very little of the mass that was lost must have been due
to the plant absorbing minerals from the soil through the xylem in the plant’s roots. This
led to a lengthy discussion about the fact that elements can’t be created, and that when a
plant makes sugar during photosynthesis, the sugar doesn’t contain iron or potassium or
any of the other elements that we call minerals. Knowing that we can get the minerals
from plant foods meant that the minerals must be absorbed from the soil. At that point,

we spent time discussing the purpose of fertilizer and so-called “plant foods”.

17. "Phototropism and Gravitropism of Stems" Demonstration

PURPOSE: To determine the phototropic effect of light and gravity versus that of
gravity alone.

RESULTS: The students thought that this demonstration was amazing. They made
many comments about the plants being able to turn upward so quickly while growing
very little. It seems as though they had forgotten about the results of the Phototropism -
color of light lab, the corn seed lab, and the root hair lab, all of which addressed the same
topic. I think that the activity was properly included at this point in the unit, and it

worked well to reinforce what they had learned earlier in the unit.

Worksheets

This year I developed all new worksheets for the plant unit. I was not satisfied
with the questions that were provided with the Prentice Hall Life Science textbook, and I
had not written many questions of my own, except for tests, quizzes, and review sheets.
In accordance with the recommendations of my pedagogical resources, I decided that the

students needed one or two extensive, thought-provoking worksheets to go with each

38

sub-unit of the plant unit. The result was seven worksheets that ranged in length from
twenty to thirty-seven questions. These worksheets were to be answered over a one to
two week time span while the students were completing labs and readings during the
sub-unit. The worksheets were designed to give the students an opportunity to organize
their thoughts while responding, in writing, to the subject matter and ideas conveyed
during class discussions, reading assignments, lab activities and demonstrations. Each
worksheet was composed of at least 50% short answer and essay questions designed to
encourage critical thinking by the students. Other questions included concept mapping
exercises, labeling drawings, and detailed life cycle drawings. Students had to create
their own lab activities in response to questions on two of the worksheets. (see appendix
F)

I wanted to include thought-provoking essay questions in each of the worksheets,
so that the students couldn’t just look up an answer to each question and copy it down
word-for-word from the source. The “drawback” to this idea was that the students would
ask endless questions in class, some because they were being lazy and didn’t want to
think for themselves, others because they genuinely didn’t understand the material. It
took quite some time to get to know the academic abilities of my students so that I could
decide why they were asking certain questions.

The worksheets were generally completed by the students in the time that I had
allotted in my lesson plans. As evidenced by the scores in the following paragraphs, the
students accurately answered the majority of the questions on the worksheets when they
got used to the format. They were required to pay attention during class discussions and
on lab activities in order to be able to answer all of the questions. I did not grade all of
the questions on any of the worksheets, due to the length of time that would have been
required. For each worksheet, I used scoring rubrics to grade specific essay or process

skill questions and a few rote-type questions. This method allowed me to obtain a

39

balanced score for each student, after which we went over the rest of the questions in
class, so that I could be sure the students had ample opportunity to learn the material.

I used a similar scoring rubric to grade ten to fifteen questions on each of the
worksheets, except the fern worksheet, which was graded in a fashion detailed later. I
chose the questions to be graded based on the extent to which the students had been
exposed to the material relating to the questions, with questions that related to subject
matter taught several times being chosen for grading. I decided upon the correct answer
to each of the questions to be graded, and then assigned point values to each piece of the
complete answer to the question. This rubric allowed students to earn points for answers
which were partially correct. After grading the worksheets in this manner, we would
review all answers during class, so that students could more fully understand the subject
matter.

The average score on the first worksheet, “External Leaf Structure” was 66%, a
“D” on my grading scale. This was their first written assignment graded in this fashion,
and many of them didn’t take it seriously. On the next written assignment (“Internal Leaf
Structure”), the students did a much better job, and the average score rose to an 83%.

The third assignment was “Stern and Root Worksheet #1”. Once again, the scores
rose, with the average being 86%. The students seemed to understand the format of the
worksheets at this point, and I expected the grades to continue to rise. However, on
“Stern and Root Worksheet #2”, the average score dropped to 68%. Upon further
analysis of the scores, it became apparent that the lower average was due to nine students
turning their work in late or incomplete, with their average score being 29%. This was
triple the number of late assignments on any previous worksheets. Without those scores,
the average score for the worksheet would have been 89%.

The class average continued to rise with the next two worksheets (the seed and

flower worksheets). The averages rose to 90% and 92% respectively.

40

l graded the fern worksheet for completion, not content, so students earned full
credit (ten points), half credit (five points), or no credit. When averaged, their scores
equaled 90%. Based on the trend of increasing grade averages on each of the previous
worksheets, the 90% average on the fern worksheet is reasonable.

I feel that the worksheets were a useful teaching tool. These worksheets helped
the students to organize their thoughts while deciding what was the most important
information to learn. Next year I do plan to allow for more time to discuss the worksheet
in class, and I may reduce the length of the worksheets by removing some of the easier
questions. I should be able to reduce the number of questions because many of the
questions are repeated on the labs, or are found on more than one of the worksheets. I
repeated questions intentionally to ensure that the students would know the answers, but
this approach created an excessive amount of work for the students. I am pleased with
the real gain that the students showed on their scores as we progressed through the

vascular plant unit.

CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2

EVALUATION

Pre-Test

When I created the plant unit pre-test (see appendix D for all tests, including a
detailed list of the answers to each question on the pre-test and post-test), I wanted to
know what the students knew about plants. I purposely wrote open-ended questions so
that the students could write as much as they knew about each topic on the test. My hope
was that their knowledge and understanding of plants would be revealed in their answers,
as well as their misconceptions about plants and the living world.

I have used a pro-test before, but never one that was this lengthy or this detailed. I
also never made time to go over the pre-test, question by question, to analyze the students
thoughts. It was not my goal to have percentage-style grades on the test, since it was
informational in nature, and was not designed with a scoring rubric in mind. When I
analyzed the results of the test, I made a list of all of the answers to each question, with
the number of times each answer was given. AS a result, a student that wrote a five-part
answer to a question would be counted five times, once for each answer. This makes it
very difficult to accurately tabulate the results for comparison with the post test, as I do
not have individual grades for each question. I was able to compare some of the more
important questions, as detailed later in this chapter.

I was surprised by some of the comments that I heard as they took the pre-test,
such as: “I can't do this”, “I don't know any of this stuffl”, “Do I have to do this?”,
“Why are we doing this anyway?”, and “Can I guess?” It was obvious that the pre-test

fi'ustrated the students for many reasons. Students, as a group, hated the idea of a test so

41

42

soon in the school year, and they felt that it was unfair not to let them study first, even
though they understood the concept of a pre-test, and had the reassurance that it wouldn’t
have any impact on their grade in my class.

As I looked at the results of the pre-test, it became apparent that the students had
little working knowledge of plants, in spite of their daily exposure to plants and their
previous instruction involving plants in elementary school. In excess of 90% of the
students did not know that there were vascular and non-vascular plants or why vascular
plants have roots, stems, and leaves. Students also did not understand the purpose of
photosynthesis or its relationship to respiration. The results of the pre-test reinforced the
focus of my summer research at MSU, which was that the students would need to
develop a working knowledge of the structure and function of plants, as well as the
proper way to work through a lab activity using MEAP guidelines and forms.

I don’t intend to give a complete analysis of all of the questions on the pre-test,
just a presentation of some of the more interesting information that I gleaned from
scoring the tests. I will note that if all of the students’ answers to each question were
added together, the resulting list of information would contain all of the elements of a
correct answer to each question. However, if each student had been scored individually,
with points being awarded on a partial credit basis for partially correct answers, the
highest score would have been near 95%, and 80% of the students would have earned
failing grades for scoring below 60% correct. I scored all of the essay and short answer
questions on the other tests using the partial credit method, but rather than scoring the
pre-test using this method, I just listed the number of students giving each answer. This
provided me with an opportunity to gauge the cumulative value of correct and partially
correct answers, as well as the common misconceptions held by the students.

On the first question, basically, what constitutes a plant, more than half of the
students knew that most plants are green. However, I was surprised that not one student

mentioned that plants contain chlorophyll. I was happy to note that not one student had

43

what could be considered a completely incorrect answer. After speaking to the students, I
found out that the first question was so easy for them that it bolstered their confidence
and encouraged them to try harder on the rest of the questions.

Question number two about the difference between trees and grass was
intentionally vague and was a hard question to answer. I found it interesting that nineteen
students thought that a difference was that trees have leaves, implying that grass doesn’t
have leaves. That combined with the fact that none of the students listed grass as giving
off oxygen, while three wrote that trees gave off oxygen, was a big surprise for me.

I was happy to see that, in question three, fifty-four students wrote “yes” while
only three answered “no” to the question of whether or not trees can have flowers.
Although many of the students didn’t write reasons, and may have been guessing, some
"yes" reasons showed a great deal of thought, for example: "In a way a tree is like a
plant, it has leaves, why not flowers?" or "On zucchini plants there's a flower that turns
into the zucchini, so maybe an orange or apple or a cherry tree has a flower to start off."
The three "no" reasons were "because I haven't seen one", "flowers grow on the ground,
not on trees", and "flowers are separate plants”. Many of the students who answered
“yes” thought that the flowers turned into leaves. This question was included on the
post-test and the concept retention evaluation, where the content of the students’ answers
showed improvement.

I was dismayed to find that the students thought that plants make flowers in order
to give animals food much more frequently than they indicated that the flowers were for
reproduction. While twenty-seven wrote “food for animals”, only ten had
reproduction-related answers. This was important to know, because it indicated a bias
toward animal life as well as a lack of understanding about plants. This animalcentric
bias carried through many more of their answers, and was immediately evident in

questions five through seven.

On question number ten, 1 was happy to see that most of the fifty-seven students
understood that vascular plants have roots, stems, and leaves. Roughly half thought that
they also have flowers, which is of course, a major misconception that needed to be
addressed during the plant unit. This question will be included on a pre-test for next year,
but it will be rephrased to read “What parts do all vascular plants have in common?” I
hope to eliminate the “flowers” answers by rephrasing the question. When this question
was included on the post-test and concept retention evaluation the students’ answers did
not include flowers, which showed that they did learn that not all plants have flowers.

Question number eleven was about van Hehnont’s experiment. I used this
question on the pre-test just to see what the students would write. I knew that I had a lab
activity planned to help answer the question, and the pre-test seemed to be a good place
to find out about any misconceptions. Although many students didn’t supply reasons for
their answers, I was happy to see that twenty-four students, or slightly more than half,
thought that the mass of the soil would stay the same or roughly the same. However, it
was apparent that seventeen other students thought that the entire mass of the plant would
come from the soil. I had some very interesting class discussions about this question
before and after we completed the related lab work.

Question fourteen, which asked the students to separate all plants into big groups
based on how they look, showcased the students’ difficulty with forming an organized,
written presentation of data based on their mental framework of the data. Flowering
plants, trees, grasses, and bushes are all subdivisions in two of my plant identification
guides for field usage, and were the majority of the answers given by the students. I
related these answers to Angiosperms, Gyrnnosperms, monocots, and dicots when we
began those topics.

Questions fifteen and sixteen were about the usefulness of plants to humans and
other animals and the usefulness of humans and other animals to plants, respectively.

Most of their answers to both questions were appropriate. However, the animalcentric

45

bias of many of their previous answers was repeated in their answers to these questions.
All of the students were able to think of plenty of ways that plants are useful to humans
and other animals, but eight students were unable to indicate any ways that animals could
help plants.

As I indicated previously, I learned a lot from the pre-test. I plan to give a plant
unit pre-test and pre-tests for other units to my students in the future. In addition to
keeping the pre-test as an infroduction to plants, I am considering breaking the pre-test up
into manageable pieces, and asking the questions again throughout the unit. My intention
is to make the questions a more usefirl measure of the students’ knowledge, and a more
immediate gauge of what needs to be taught or re-taught at the start of each sub-unit. I
will be able to use the analysis of the questions from each year’s plant pro-test to garner

an understanding of the shorter sub-unit pre-tests that I give in the future.

Summary Table Of Plant Unit Tests

As is evidenced in the scores written in the summary table on the next page,
students scored highly on the plant unit tests. The mean score only varied by 9% for the
five tests and the concept retention evaluation. The median scores were higher than the
mean for each test, which indicates that the majority of the students scored above the
mean on each test. There were a few extremely low scores on each test, which accounts
for the very large standard deviation numbers. I used my first semester grades from the
last two school years to determine that, in comparison to those years, the mean scores for
the semester during which the plant unit was taught were roughly five percent higher for

this new plant unit.

46

can
Score (%) Score (%) Score (%) Score (%) Deviation

 

Table 2. This table shows the cumulative statistical results for each of the plant un
tests. The results for all of the life science classes were summed and th
statistics were calculated using Grade Quick 3.0.

Sub-Unit Tests and Quizzes

During the unit, I evaluated the students’ progress by administering three sub-unit
tests and one sub-unit quiz. Copies of these tests can be found in appendix D, along with
the pre-test and post-test. All of the tests had questions that were taken from tests and
quizzes used in previous years, but I added many new questions, especially essay
questions. I also deleted most of the old multiple choice and true or false questions that I
used in previous years. My goal was to write tests with questions that required student
use of analysis and application, rather than rote memorization. I was able to use some of
the questions from my old tests and quizzes, due to the fact that all of them contained at
least twenty percent essay or lab practical questions. In the following few paragraphs, I
will detail the highlights and problems with each test, as well as the average scores.

When the students finished the leaf sub-unit, they took their first real test of the
year. The test was based entirely on the leaf test review sheet (see appendix D), which
was written to organize the students’ thoughts about the most important information

relating to leaves, and was completed during the week prior to the test. The students

47

understood the test questions, finished the test in the time allotted, and answered all of the
test questions. As shown in the graph below, the low grades were much lower than I
expected them to be, with the lowest grade being a 52%. There were several students
who scored 100% on the test, which helped raise the mean to 87%. The median was
89.8%, which shows that a large percentage of the students had scored above 90%. The

disparity between the highest and lowest scores generated a standard deviation of 9.83.

Graphical Analysis of Student Scores
Leaf Test

Number of Students

 

 

0.
50 to 59 60 to 69 70 to 79 80 to 89 90 to 99 100

Scores as a Percentage

Figure 3: The scores of the sixty-four students who were graded on the LeafTest.

After evaluating the scores on the first test, I decided that I must be going at an
appropriate pace, and made up my mind to continue at the same pace. Seventeen of my
sixty-four students were receiving special services. These services included modified
tests, oral exams, shortened assignments, books on tape, and a myriad of other forms of
assistance, all of which were based on my worksheets and tests, but were administered as
needed by the special services department. I took this into account when creating future
lessons and tests, and had several students who took all of their other tests in the resource

room. I have decided that I am going to eliminate some of the true or false and multiple

48

choice questions from this test for next year, so that the students will have more time to
fully answer the other questions.

The second test was the stem and root test. I didn’t give the students a review
sheet for the test, opting instead to review in class from the two stem and root
worksheets. This new format for studying for the test gave the students some problems,
and it showed in their grades on the test. The high and low scores were nearly the same
as on the first test, and as can be seen in the chart at the beginning of this section, this
pattern of scores was repeated for each subsequent test. On the first test, the scores were
acceptable to me, but I didn’t think that the students had learned the material well enough
to go on, so I allotted additional time to discuss the test when it was returned to the
students.

The next test was the seed and flower test. In response to the scores on the
previous test, I increased the time scheduled for reviewing for this test. Once again, I
used the sub-unit worksheets to review for the test. I believe that the students increased
the amount of time that they spent studying for this test, because the grades improved
somewhat, and the test was reported as being more difficult by the students. This test
was difficult for many of the students, because it was composed of six short answer and
essay questions, without any other questions. I felt comfortable with the test when I
wrote it, because I had distilled the entire sub-unit down to six higher order thinking skill
test questions, but I think that I will add a few true or false and multiple choice questions
for next year.

The final sub-unit evaluation was the fern quiz. This quiz was only worth half of
the value of the other sub-rmit evaluations due to the short duration of the fern sub-unit. I
am completely satisfied with the overall performance of the students on this quiz, and I

don’t plant to make any changes for next year.

49

Post-Test

When I prepared to give the post-test, I decided to shorten it up considerably fi'om
the pre-test. I had asked many of the pre—test questions on the sub-unit tests and
worksheets, and other questions were inappropriate for scoring, so I eliminated them from
the post-test. I settled on seven detailed questions designed to test the unit objectives, and
written with a scoring rubric in mind. I wrote the test this way because I wanted to be
able to fairly grade it, and I did not want the students to have difficulty with the format of
the test.

In an analysis of the questions that the pre-test and post-test had in common, I
found a marked improvement. This improvement can be seen in the percentage of correct
answers for each of the questions listed in the following table. The percentages for the
Pro-Test answers were calculated using the answers listed in the Pre—Test analysis in
appendix D. The Post-Test percentages are the actual scores, based on the grading rubric
detailed in appendix D. The scores on the Pre-Test show that most students answered the
questions incorrectly. The Post-Test scores Show that all of the students had a correct or

nearly correct answer to each question.

 

 

 

fPre—Test Pre-Test ’ Post-Test | Post-Test
lCompletely Partially Completelyj Partially

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Question Correct (% Correct (% Correct (% Correct (%)
What is a vascular plant? 17 39 78 22
Why do some plants make flowers? 25 unknown 93 5
Why do vascular plants have leaves? 14 9 69 30

 

Table 3: Comparison of Percentage of Correct Answers to Pre-Test and Post-Test
Questions.

Two other questions that the tests had in common showed improvement similar to
that noted above. I was pleased with their increase in understanding on these topics, and
was happy to hear “this test was so much easier than the pre-test” from more than one

student, even though they had several questions in common. The other test questions

50

were not phrased or graded in a fashion that allowed for quantitative comparison between
the two tests.

The scores on the post-test followed the general pattern set up by the sub-unit
tests. The mean on the test was 89.2%, while the median was 92.6%. The median was
high due to the fact that thirteen students earned perfect scores on the test. There were
also many students who scored in the high 90% range. The low scores in each of the
three classes were 48%, 56%, and 73%. The students with the lowest two scores
admitted to the fact that, even though the written lesson plans indicated that the test was
coming, they didn’t study outside of the classroom at all for the test. Due to the wide
range in the test scores, the standard deviation was 15.8. Knowing my students, I am
satisfied with the results on the post-test and I think that they showed that, as a group, the
students had acquired the skills and knowledge that I had intended for them to learn. For

a question by question analysis of the post-test, see appendix E.

Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation

Seven weeks after I had completed teaching the vascular plant unit, I administered
the concept retention evaluation (see appendix D). I based the evaluation on the most
important concepts presented during the vascular plant unit. The first eight questions
were answered by the students during class time, with no warning that they were going to
be tested. Question 8B, which required the students to make a plant kingdom concept
map, and question 9, which asked the students to design a lab using a MEAP sheet, were
answered by the students over a three day weekend. The test questions and an evaluation
of the students’ performance on each question can be found in the next few paragraphs.

Questions 1A, 1B, 2, 3, and 4 related to leaves, flowers, and plants as the basis of
life on the Earth. I prepared a scoring rubric for each test question, and students earned
points based on the aspects of the rubric which they properly addressed. As can be seen

in the analysis chart below, the students averaged between 92% and 99% accuracy in

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answering these questions. I am delighted with the results, because they indicate
retention of several key concepts of the vascular plant unit, over at least a seven week

period.

mean score as
number possible score a percent deviation

 

Table 4: Student Scores on Vascular Plant Concept Retention Evaluation, questions 1-7.

Question number 5 asked the students, “What is the relationship of photosynthesis
to respiration?” The average score of 73% on this question was somewhat low by my
standards, but we were not yet finished with lessons on respiration, since we were
studying invertebrates at that point in the school year, and had yet to complete the
respiration lessons that would be part of our study of mammals. We had discussions
about respiration during the vascular plant unit, but it had not been a tested item during
the unit. The students wanted to discuss their answers to this question in the days
following the test, and this question became a pre-test of sorts for our future lessons on
respiration.

Question number 6 was, “Why do some plants in Michigan lose their leaves in
winter?” Students earned an average of 8.4 out of the 10 possible points. This question

was discussed and then illustrated with a demonstration during the vascular plant unit,

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and students had little difficulty in formulating acceptable answers. My rubric awarded

the points listed below for answers that met the following key elements:

Mints: Plants with leaves that contain a lot of water can’t keep the leaves in
the winter, because if the leaves froze, the cell membranes would rupture, and the
cell contents would leak out, damaging or killing the leaf and perhaps the tree.

mints: Plants have water in their leaves that would freeze and cause damage.

Spoints: Plants remove/stop making chlorophyll in response to fall conditions,
leaves are shed at that point.

5_p_Qints: Lack of liquid water available in winter, so plants shed leaves.
mints: It’s too cold for leaves, so they fall off.

Question number 7 had results similar to question number 5. This two-part
question asked, “What does the term vascular mean? How does the term vascular apply
to many organisms?” The students averaged 7.7 out of 10 possible points on this
question. I was happy with these results due to the fact that at the point that the test was
administered, we had not completed all of our work with vascular tissue, since we had not
yet studied the vascular tissue found in vertebrates. The students recently had begun to
study the concept of invertebrates having vascular tissue, but on the second part of this
question most students only noted that plants have xylem and phloem for their vascular
tissue. When further questioned about their omission of animals in their answers, the
students stated that they wrote vascular plants because they (correctly, I think) decided
that plants were a “large group of organisms”, and as such, students decided plants were
the only answer needed for this part of the question. After further review of their papers,
I graded the question to accept vascular plants as a complete answer to the second part of
the question. The resulting change in their averages raised the scores to 8.5 out often
possible points, which was a much more acceptable level of achievement, and accurately

reflected their understanding of the term vascular at that point in the school year.

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mean score as
number possible score a percent deviation

 

Table 5: Student Scores on Vascular Plant Concept Retention Evaluation, questions 8-9.
Question number 8 was a two part question. Part A asked “ What do all plants
have in common?” Twenty-four of the sixty students tested earned four out of the five
possible points by answering “roots, stems, and leaves”, rather than “chlorophyll and cell
walls”, which was the answered required to earn full credit in my scoring rubric. When
asked about their answers to the question, many of the students commented that they
understood the question to be based on vascular plants, not all plants. This
misunderstanding resulted in their “roots, stems, and leaves” responses to the question.
Part two of question 8 required the students to create a plant kingdom concept
map which included the plant phyla and classes studied during the vascular plant unit.
Nine of the sixty students tested created concept maps that were nearly identical to the
concept map that was part of the “Fern Worksheet”. Twenty-eight of the students earned
perfect scores for their concept maps, which positioned the mean at 91.5%. To earn a
perfect score, the scoring rubric required the students to write a concept map which
included at least fifteen plant-related terms in an appropriate sequence, with relationships
clearly detailed. Key terms were Plant Kingdom, vascular plant, non-vascular plant,
Angiosperm, Gymnosperm, Fern, Monocot, Dicot, Cycad, Conifer, Gingko, root, stem,
leaf, covered seeds, uncovered seeds, flowering plant, seed plant, sexual reproduction,
and asexual reproduction. During class review time after the test, students indicated that
this question was not particularly difficult, due to the fact that it had been one of the last

lessons of the vascular plant unit. Additionally, we had referred to the format and content

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of their vascular plant concept maps during preparation of additional concept maps for
our study of other organisms after completing the vascular plant unit.

The final question on the concept retention evaluation required the students to use
a MEAP lab sheet to create a lab that would help them determine if a plant found
alongside the road was a vascular plant. The result of their work on this take-home
portion of the test was a mean score of 17.8 points out of a possible 20 points. I was
pleased with their effort on this lab because of the fact that all but two of the sixty
students formed complete and appropriate problems and hypotheses. One area of
difficulty was forming a procedure to indicate what the results of their lab would tell
them. What I mean by this comment is that the students wrote procedures that would
give the reader directions to look for veins in the plant, but did not tell the reader what the
presence of veins should mean to them. Eighteen students also lost at least one point due
to the fact that they did not include the plant in their materials for the lab. The proper
usage of the MEAP form was a key element of my implementation and teaching during
this unit, and I am pleased with the students’ overall mean percentage of just over 89% on
the lab portion of the concept retention evaluation.

The concept retention evaluation was a worthwhile endeavor, as it showed that the
students retained the key concepts of the vascular plant unit with a mean score of 88.5%,
and with a standard deviation of only 6.4. The median score of 90.2% showed that the
majority of the students were above the mean, a pattern that was found in the analysis of
each test in the unit. I was pleased with the results of the tests, and I think that the scores
show that the students had real improvement in their science skills and understanding of

vascular plants as a result of this unit.

Student Interviews
In order to learn more about what my students thought about science, their status

as scientists, and the world around them, I decided to conduct student interviews at the

55

start of the plant unit. Five students were interviewed during the five lunch periods in the
first full week of the school year. I interviewed three females and two males, and each
student was asked the same set of questions.

Five interviews do not lend themselves readily to statistical analysis. However,
some of the information that I gleaned from talking to the students is both interesting and
useful.

The first question that I asked the students was “Of what use is science?” All of
the students indicated that it was usefirl to help us “figure things out”, when I asked what
this meant, they said that we could learn more about the world around us by using
science. Two wrote that it will teach us anything that we want to know. This question
led naturally into the second question, which was “Does everybody need to understand
science?” The consensus among the students was that we all need to know and
understand science, but that some people will know a lot more and will be able to figure
out new things everyday. When asked if science ever changes, the students all said yes,
and they elaborated by saying that we constantly discover new things, make new
machines, and have advances to technology.

When asked if they were interested in a career in science, three students said that
they would be interested. Two of them already had careers in mind: a meteorologist, and
a marine biologist. The other student was just interested in science and knew that he
wanted a career in science. The two students who didn’t want to be scientists because,
while they thought science was interesting, they thought other topics were more
interesting.

When asked what they liked about science, the students said that they liked the lab
work and learning about different things. They didn’t like reading from the text, having
to be organized, gross things like dissection, topics that they had trouble understanding,

and tests and quizzes. These were not the same answers that they gave when asked about

56

what they didn’t like about school; in answer to that question, they unanimously indicated
that they didn’t like homework.

In response to the question “Do you think of yourself as a good science student?”,
four of the students said that they thought that they were good science students due to
their previous grades and due to the amount of effort that they put into their work. The
other student felt that they had not been in science for long enough to answer either way.
This surprised me a bit, and when I asked him to elaborate, he said that things could
change for better or worse as he got older and his interest or ability changed. This was
the first time that I had ever asked any students about science and I was happy to see their
positive attitude toward science. I am confident that the answers would not have been

much different if they were being asked the same questions by a different interviewer.

Subjective Evidence

Students love to grow plants. This was evidenced by their reactions to each of the
plant labs. When their corn seeds spouted, they made comments such as “I can’t believe
it, it doesn’t even have any dirt!”, and “I didn’t know that the root came right out of the
seed”. The students wanted to “rescue” their corn plants at the end of the lab, and take
them home. They were happy when I helped them transplant their corn for use in the
Gibberellic Acid Demo, so I was careful not to tell them that the Herbicide Demo would
follow the Gibberellic Acid Demo. Several students kept track of their corn plants after
they were transplanted, and turned it into a contest: “Mine is growing faster than yours
is!”, “Oh yeah? Well mine has more leaves!” and other similar comments were heard.
Three students even decided to use plants for science fair projects.

After the root hair and corn seed labs were over one of the classes had several
students who expressed their gratitude for all of the interesting labs and said that they
hoped that we would continue to do lab work every day, since labs were fun, and they

"didn't have to learn much from their books to understand the labs". When I spoke to one

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of the better students about the lab work She said, “I don’t mind all of the lab reports and
writing that we have to do because the labs are interesting, and we can actually see
something happening.”

I had trouble getting students to complete some of the worksheets in the time
allotted in my lesson plans due to the voluminous amount of discussion that they
generated. For example, the students were very interested in grafting when it was
included in “Root and Stem Worksheet #2”. They couldn’t believe that a branch from
one type of tree could be hooked to another type of tree. I had to prove it to them by
showing them pictures of grafted English Walnut trees that I took at KBS, I also took a
picture of my grafted plum tree and Quanzen Cherry tree that I have at home. This
resulted in another round of questions such as “Could you have a tree with cherries on
one branch and apples on another?” and “Can I graft watermelons and pumpkins onto the
same stem?” They also wanted to know if grafting could produce fi'uit that was a mixture
of two fruits, meaning that a cherry tree branch grafted onto an apple tree would produce
apple-Sized cherries. I love cherries, but I hate to think of what it would do to your
insides if you ate a few of those monsters!

Many of the students thought that a nail pounded into a large tree at chest height
would get farther off of the ground with each passing year. This led to a great class
discussion about how students grow, and when I asked if any of them had clotheslines or
bird feeders hooked to trees, they said “Yes”. When I asked them to think about what
would happen if the tree grew up from the bottom, they thought for a second, and then it
was as if the “switch of understanding” had been flipped, and they answered with
comments such as “It can’t grow from the bottom, or the wash line would be way off of
the ground!” This conversation occurred in each of the three classes on the same day.

The students asked so many questions on some of the days that I had to change
my lesson plans to accommodate their questions. I frequently had to give them more

homework than I had intended because the class period would be taken up by interesting

58

questions that I wanted to have time to discuss. This is always a “problem” when
students are interested in a topic, but it sure beats the alternative. I did have to change
some of the lab work to demonstrations in response to the lack of time created by class
discussions. Two labs that became demonstrations in this way were the “Transpiration
Demonstration” and the student-designed “Dirt Lab” (van Helmont’s experiment). I
wanted to do these labs with the students performing the actual experimentation, but I had
to move on to the next topic.

When I armounced that we were almost finished with the unit and that we were
moving on to animals and animal dissection, I had a mixed reaction. Some of the
students were very excited, because they were “tired of studying plants” and others were
excited because they had been “waiting to dissect” ever since their older sibling had me
as a teacher several years ago. There was also a contingent of students who wanted to
continue on with plants. One of the students actually brought in two pine seedlings and
planted them in a pot in my lab. He has been faithfully measuring them for growth every
day or two since they were planted, and said that he is interested in plants and wants to
“study them some more”. I hope that he does just that, that is essentially how I became a

science teacher.

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Effective Aspects of Plant Unit

When I take everything into account, this was the best unit that I have ever taught.
I am pleased with the amount of material that I was able to teach and the depth of
understanding that was evidenced by my students. By starting from “scratch” on the unit
and the lesson plans, I believe that I was able to eliminate all of the ineffective lessons,
“busy work”, and filler that I had unconsciously put into the unit in the past five years. I
also made the time to rewrite the lessons, including many new labs, to meet the demands
of my short class periods.

The new format for the leaf collection, with three to five leaves due every Friday
for five weeks, was much more effective than the old format. The students had a time to
learn from their mistakes, and no student turned the entire leaf collection in late, as was
often the case in previous years. I was also able to make a much more detailed version of
the leaf information sheet that was to accompany each leaf, because the new format gave
me more time to teach the students what they needed to know to fill out a more complex
sheet. I will continue to use the leaf collection in this fashion in future years. The only
change that I intend to make is that I will have the students collect a fern frond along with
the other leaves in future collections.

I was particularly pleased with the new lab activities and demonstrations that I
included in the unit. I think that the “Transpiration Demonstration” was an excellent,
easy to complete lab activity. I do plan to have the students work in small groups during

this lab next year, because it provides them with an opportunity to use the scientific

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60

method while gaining hands-on experience with the three beam balance. It is an
appropriate first lab for seventh grade, because it helps to set the tone for what is yet to
come, is easy to understand, and gives the students a chance to become familiar with the
MEAP laboratory sheet.

Another lab that I was pleased with was the “Corn Seed Tropism Lab”. By
changing the lab from the W version used in previous years, I was
able to teach the students more about tropisms, while growing corn to be used for two
additional labs. I enjoy lab work the most when I know that it is leading up to something
more than just a “conclusion and clean-up”. The students also enjoyed growing the corn,
and it was easier to see than in past years because of the change to one seed per Petri dish.

The “Gibberellic Acid Demonstration” was a new addition for this year. The idea
that a growth hormone could be sprayed on the leaves of a plant to get the plant to grow
to a larger than normal size generated a lot of discussion. Many of the students wondered
if it would work on them, which led to a discussion about human growth. Several
students also indicated that they or their fiiends had been checked by their doctors to see
if they were going to grow to a normal height, some knew students who took growth
hormones. This lab touched a nerve with the students because they are at an age where
they are concerned about their bodies and just want to be “normal”.

The new worksheets that I wrote for this year were a good idea. They gave the
students a chance to organize their thoughts on paper, and helped them to understand
which topics were the most important in each sub-unit. I liked the idea of having analysis
and application questions down on paper for the students to thoughtfully answer. This
was the first time that all of the students had to answer these questions, rather than just
the students who raised their hands when the questions were asked orally, as in previous
years. I feel that the students learned more by having to write their own answers to the

questions.

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The “sub-unit test” approach was better than the “multiple quiz leading up to a
large test” approach that I used in the past. By having just one test for each sub-unit, I
spent less time reviewing and had more time for additional lab work. I added eleven new
activities and was able to finish the plant unit in roughly the same amount of time as in
previous years.

The best new teaching technique that came out of this unit was the use of written
lesson plans which were handed out to the students (see appendix C). Many times I was
able to plan for several weeks in advance, and the students and their parents were able to
use the lessons to obtain worksheets and other activities for time that was going to be
missed due to fimerals or vacations. The plans also helped keep students, who missed
work due to illness and other unforeseen problems, on track. I also didn’t have to listen
to nearly as many students ask “What are we doing today?” or “What did I miss
yesterday?” as I did in previous years. This is the one teaching technique from this unit
that has already spilled over into my other classes. I now have plans for my other science
classes written in the same fashion, and have been able to reduce the amount of late and
missing work by about 20% due to this format. I am also fifteen days ahead of where I
was last year in my physical science class, because of the organizing effect that the plans

have had, and the careful planning that must occur to make such plans work.

Ineffective Aspects of Plant Unit

There are several parts of the unit that need to be improved for the future. I have
never been completely satisfied with any unit that I have taught in the past eight years, so
I haven’t lost any sleep over the idea that some aspects of this unit need to be eliminated
or “tweaked”.

The first item that I will change is the usage of the pre-test. In addition to being
administered at the start of the entire unit, it needs to be broken up into smaller pieces

that are administered before the start of each sub-unit. This will help the students focus

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on what they need to learn, and it will help me analyze their prior knowledge from the
previous sub-units. I don’t feel that any changes need to be made to the content, except
for the rephrasing of two or three questions as noted in the analysis of the pre-test in
chapter two.

Another problem that cropped up throughout the unit was the length of the
worksheets and tests and the lack of time for discussion and review of them. Next year I
plan to put an extra day into the plans every ten school days to use for discussion of labs
and worksheets, review of any tests, and the use of an entrance poll. An entrance poll or
exit poll gives students an opportunity to write down one or two things that they don’t
understand, and one or two things that they feel they understand very well. They hand
this slip of paper to the teacher, who then reviews or explains the most pressing issues
during class. I think that the addition of such a day will save time in the long run, it will
also give us a chance to catch up on any work missed as a result of unexpected school
events such as unannounced programs, lengthy morning services, snow days, or fire
drills. I also plan to shorten some of the worksheets by eliminating a few of the multiple
choice and true or false questions. The leaf test needs to be shortened in the same
manner, but I think that the seed and flower test, fern quiz, and post-test could benefit
from the inclusion of such questions.

Even though the students understood the concept of starch being stored in leaves,
and scored highly on lab-related questions on the sub-unit test, the starch-testing lab did
not show as much of a color difference in the leaves as I was expecting. Next year I am
going to grow my own Bishop’s Weeds and Coleus plants in my lab. I have also
obtained ethanol for the lab, and plan to try it out again during the summer, to do a
side-by-side comparison of the lab when done with acetone and ethanol. I used ethanol
when I tried the lab during my summer study, and it worked very well. I was told that it

would work just as well with acetone, but perhaps it doesn’t. Another change that has

63

been suggested is to allow the students to take ownership of this lab by allowing them to

use other solutions of their choosing to decolor the leaves.

Summary

I am very satisfied with the outcomes of the unit. Based on their performance on
the Vascular Plant Unit Post Test and the Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention
Evaluation, it is apparent that the students learned the concept that I had intended for
them to learn as I prepared the vascular plant unit. After informal questioning of my
students from previous years, I believe that this group of students learned more about
plants than any previous group of my students. Based on their preparation of the MEAP
lab forms for the Concept Retention Evaluation, I know that they are also well on the way
to achieving my additional goal of being successful users of the scientific method and the
MEAP lab form, which mirrors the scientific method. Additionally, it was apparent from
their positive comments that the students enjoyed this unit more than students had in
previous years, primarily due to the usage of the additional lab experiences and
demonstrations.

I think that the preparation of this thesis had a positive effect on my teaching style
as well. The changes in lesson planning that I have made are permanent. I have carried
the new emphasis on lab work over to my physical science classes.

As I prepare to write a high school science curriculum for the high school that we
intend to open in the fall of 1998, I am sure that I will do a much better job than if I had
started out before completing my thesis. There will be ample opportunity for students to
do meaningful lab work in my new curriculum, and I hope to be able to be the one who

teaches them. This is truly an exciting time in my life.

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX A

ALIGNMENT OF VASCULAR PLANT UNIT WITH THE M.E.G.O.S.E.

The following pages outline the alignment of the seventh grade vascular plant unit with
the middle school state goals and objectives that are expressed In the Michiganfissential

GoalsandflbjestiyesforScienceEducationIKdZ). written by the Michigan State Board
of Education In August, 1991.

* Please use the following as a key:
C = Objectives related to constructing new scientific knowledge
R = Objectives related to reflecting on scientific knowledge

U = Objectives related to using scientific knowledge - will be followed by one of
these codes and a number:

LC = Life science/cells

L0 = Life science/organization of living things
LI-I = Life science/heredity

LEC = Life science/ecosystems

PME = Physical science/matter and energy

PCM = Physical science/ changes in matter
PMO = Physical science/motions of objects

WW

C7 = Generate scientific questions about the world, based on observation
Level of achievement: Reinforced
Assessment: Flower and Seed Worksheet #2, question #14

Leaf Collection
Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation

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65

C8 = Design and conduct simple investigations
Level of achievement: Reinforced
Assessment: Flower and Seed Worksheet #2, question #14 - design investigation
Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation
All other laboratory investigations - conduct investigations
C10 = Use measurement devices to provide consistency in an investigation.
Level of achievement: Reinforced
Assessment: Leaf Collection
Transpiration Demonstration
Gibberellic Acid Demonstration
C11 = Use sources of information to help solve problems
Level of achievement: Reinforced
Assessment: All laboratory investigations
Flower and Seed Worksheet #2

Leaf Collection
Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation

C12 = Write and follow procedures in the form of step-by-step instructions, recipes,
formulas, flow diagrams, etc....
Level of achievement: Reinforced
Assessment: Flower and Seed Worksheet #2, question #14
Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation
R3 = Describe ways in which technology is used in everyday life.
Level of achievement: Reinforced
Assessment: Herbicide Specificity Demonstration

Gibberellic Acid Demonstration
Flower and Seed Worksheet #2

66

R4 = Develop an awareness of the impact of human activity on the environment.
Level of achievement: Reinforced

Assessment: Herbicide Specificity Demonstration
Leaf Test
Root and Stem Worksheet #2
Flower and Seed Worksheet #2
Structures of Stems Lab
Leaf Collection

R6 = Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of claims, arguments, or data.
Level of achievement: Reinforced
Assessment: Gibberellic Acid Demonstration

Herbicide Specificity Demonstration
Structures of Stems Lab

R8 = Show how common themes of science, math, and technology apply in real-world
contexts
Level of achievement: Reinforced
Assessment: Herbicide Specificity Demonstration
Gibberellic Acid Demonstration
Structures of Stems Lab
Leaf Collection
R9 = Describe the advantages and risks of new technologies
Level of achievement: Introduced
Assessment: Herbicide Specificity Demonstration

Gibberellic Acid Demonstration
Root and Stem Worksheet #2

67

ULC2 = Describe similarities/differences between single-cell and multicellular organisms
Level of achievement: Introduced
Assessment: Structure and Function of Microscopes Lab
Plant Unit Post-Test
Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation
ULC3 = Explain why specialized cells are needed by plants and animals
Level of achievement: Introduced
Assessment: Flower and Seed Worksheet #2
Structures of Stems Lab
ULC4 = Explain how cells use food as a source of energy
Level of achievement: Introduced
Assessment: Internal Leaf Structure Worksheet
Leaf Test
ULO6 = Compare and classify organisms into major groups on the basis of their structure
Level of achievement: Introduced
Assessment: Plant Unit Pre-Test
Leaf Collection
Fern Worksheet
Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation
ULO7 = Describe the life cycle of a flowering plant
Level of achievement: Mastered
Assessment: Flower and Seed Worksheet #1

Flower and Seed Worksheet #2
Flower and Seed Test

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UL08 = Describe evidence that plants make and store food
Level of achievement: Reinforced

Assessment: Is Starch Stored in Leaves? lab
Internal Leaf Structure Worksheet
Leaf Test
Leaf Collection

ULO9 = Explain how selected systems and processes work together in plants and animals
Level of achievement: Introduced

Assessment: Transpiration Demonstration
Phototropism - Color of Light Demonstration
Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide? lab
Is Starch Stored in Leaves? lab
Structures of Stems Lab
Phototropism and Gravitropism of Stems Demonstration
Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation

ULH3 = Describe how heredity and environment may influence/ determine
characteristics of an organism

Level of achievement: Introduced

Assessment: Gibberellic Acid Demonstration
Transpiration Demonstration
Phototropism - Color of Light Demonstration
Corn Seed Tropism Lab
Phototropism and Gravitropism of Stems Demonstration
Herbicide Specificity Demonstration
Root Hair Growth and Observation Lab
Structures of Stems Lab

69

ULEC8 = Describe how all organisms in an ecosystem acquire energy directly or
indirectly from the sun

Level of achievement: Reinforced

Assessment: Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide? Lab
Is Starch Stored in Leaves? Lab
Internal Leaf Structure Worksheet
Leaf Collection
Leaf Test
Flower and Seed Worksheet #2
Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation

ULEC9 = Describe the likely succession of a given ecosystem over time
Level of achievement: Introduced

Assessment: Flower and Seed Worksheet #2
Leaf Collection
Leaf Test

ULEC10 = Identify some common materials that cycle through the environment
Level of achievement: Introduced

Assessment: Oxygen Production In Plants Demonstration
Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide? Lab
Leaf Collection
Flower and Seed Worksheet #2
Flower and Seed Test
Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation

ULECll = Describe ways in which humans alter the environment
Level of achievement: Introduced

Assessment: Herbicide Specificity Demonstration
Leaf Test
Root and Stem Worksheet #2
Leaf Collection
Flower and Seed Worksheet #2

7O

Structures of Stems Lab
ULEC12 = Explain how humans use and benefit from plant and animal materials

Level of achievement: Introduced

Assessment: Oxygen Production In Plants Demonstration
Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide? Lab
Leaf Collection
Plant Unit Pre—Test
Plant Unit Post-Test

UPME8 = Measure physical properties of objects or substances
Level of achievement: Reinforced

Assessment: Leaf Collection
Oxygen Production In Plants Demonstration
Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide? Lab

UPCM4 = Describe common physical changes in materials: evaporation, condensation,
thermal expansion

Level of achievement: Introduced

Assessment: Transpiration Demonstration
Leaf Collection
Flower and Seed Worksheet #2

UPCMS = Describe common chemical changes in terms of properties of reactants and
products

Level of achievement: Introduced

Assessment: Internal Leaf Structure Worksheet
Leaf Test
Oxygen Production In Plants Demonstration
Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide? Lab

71

UPMO6 = Describe the forces exerted by magnets, electrically charged objects, and
gravity

Level of achievement: Introduced

Assessment: Corn Seed Tropism Lab
Phototropism and Gravitropism of Stems Demo
Root Hair Growth and Observation Lab
Root and Stem Worksheet #2
Root and Stem Test
Phototropism - Color of Light Demonstration

APPENDIX B

APPENDIX B

LABORATORY EXERCISES - WITH TEACHER NOTES

The labs and related activities can be found on the following pages, in the order

listed below. Teacher notes for each lab are written at the end of this appendix.

1. "Transpiration Demonstration"

2. "Phototropism - Color of Light" Demonstration
3. "Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide?" Lab
4. "Structure and Function of Microscopes" Lab
5. "The Enormous E" Lab

6. "Oxygen Production in Plants" Demonstration
7. "Is Starch Stored in Leaves?" Lab

8. "Corn Seed Tropism" Lab

9. "Root Hair Growth and Observation” Lab

10. "Gibberellic Acid” Demonstration

ll. "Herbicide Specificity” Demonstration

12. "Structures of Stems" Lab

13. "Seed Observation Lab"

14. "Flower Lab"

15. "Plant Foods" Activity

16. "Dirt Lab" and "van Hehnont’s Experiment" sheet - also known as MEAP sheet for
question #14 on "Seed and Flower Worksheet #2

l7. "Phototropism and Gravitropism of Stems" Demonstration
18. MEAP Science Investigation Report - 1995/96
19. MEAP Science Investigation Report - 1996/97

72

73

IRANSPIRAIIONJEMONSIRAIION

* Lab has been modified from the one found in Science Plus, Blue Version

BADKGBQUNQINEQBMAIIQN; Leaves generally have a waxy covering

called the cuticle to cover their epidermis (skin). The cuticle reduces water
loss. Leaves lose more water during the day than they do at night, since
they have their stomata (leaf pores) Open for the light reactions of
photosynthesis during the day. They also lose more water when it is windy
or hot than they do when it is calm or cool. If it gets hot enough or dry
enough, the stomata will be closed as the guard cells surrounding them lose
enough water pressure to shrink and close the stoma that each pair of guard
cells forms.

EBQBEEWIZQDES I In“: Can transpiration Irom a group 0' tree leaves 56

observed and measured in nature?

 

 

mm;

Tree, with large leaves Clear plastic bag (not a Ziploc)
Masking tape 3 Beam balance

within-I'm '

1. Read this lab, and fill out the front of your MEAP lab form. Be sure to
include (in your hypothesis) the volume of water that you think will exit the
leaves by transpiration in 48 hours.

2. Obtain the plastic bag, use the three beam balance to find its mass (be
sure to record the mass in the data section of your lab form), place the bag
over a group of leaves on an average-sized tree, and tape it shut with
masking tape.

3. After 48 hours, remove the bag from the branch, remove the tape from
the bag, and find the new mass Of the bag. Record the new mass in your
data chart, and calculate any change in mass due to the leaves' transpiration ’
of water.

4. At the end Of lab, write your lab conclusion and the evidence for the
conclusion in the appropriate spaces on your MEAP sheet.

Ms; - answer these on a separate sheet of notebook paper.

 

1. How many grams of water were transpired from your leaves? How much
water is that per leaf for one day?

2. Estimate the total number of leaves on the tree, and calculate how much
water the tree may lose to transpiration each day.

74

W

* A modified version of a lab found in the WWW

 

   

37101 (0‘1 391'] r‘ l D] l r‘ | 10) ii 1'! M I I.) r '

Plants have Optimal growth in red and blue light. They need plenty of red
and blue light to best be able to make food during photosynthesis.
Chlorophyll absorbs red and blue light, but does not absorb green light, which
is either reflected Off of the plant, or passes through the plant (that's why
most plants appear to be green to our eyes).

 

01'! it! I [01 r '

When presented with red, green, and blue light, to which color of light are
plants most phototropic? (which color are they most attracted to?)

m

 

Based on the background knowledge, you should be able to make a
hypothesis about in which color (or colors) of light it would be best to grow
plants.

 

m

- 3 Wisconsin Fast Plant Seeds (wild type) - 1 Petri dish (glass or plastic)
- 1 large box, with lid - Scissors

- Clear tape - Marker

- MEAP Science Investigation Report - 3 fertilizer pellets

- 1 film vial, with felt wick in hole in bottom - Potting soil
- 1 place each of red, blue, and green cellophane (3 cm by 3 cm square)

EBQQEDLIBE;

1. Read this lab, have a good look at my demonstration lab setup, answer
lab question #1 on a separate sheet of paper, and then fill out the front of
your MEAP Science Investigation Report.

2. We will allow the plants to grow for a week, then we will open the box
and make our final observations, and you will write your data in the space
provided on the MEAP form. You also need to draw a picture of what the
lab setup looks like, including the box, and the plant setup.

3. Write your conclusion, and answer the lab questions.

75

 

EQESIEINS; - Answer these questions in complete sentences on a separate
sheet of paper.

1. Look in an encyclopedia, earth science book, or dictionary and find out
which colors are found in sunlight (white light). Based on what you find,
write a paragraph about why sunlight is good for plants.

2. Why is it important for a plant to bend toward the light?

3. To which color Of light is a plant most attracted? Why doesn't a plant
need to be equally attracted to all colors of light?

76

”A; {':k :ii.k|0.|° :3
* Lab has been modified from the one found in Science Plus, Blue Version

 

WIDE; You have been told that plants use carbon
dioxide and water to make glucose sugar (food) and oxygen. You have also
learned that the carbon dioxide gets into the plant through the stomata. This
lab uses Bromthymol Blue (BTB), an acid/base indicator, to visually show you
when there is carbon dioxide (or another acid-forming substance) in the
water. You breathe in air that is about 80% nitrogen, 19% oxygen, and 1%
of other gases. When you breathe out, your breath is still 80% nitrogen, but
you have used some of the oxygen for body processes known as respiration,
so you only breathe out about 15 or 16% oxygen. The carbon dioxide is a
waste product of respiration, and it makes up about 3 or 4% of what you
breathe out. It is the carbon dioxide that you breathe out that we will use
for this lab!

 

WON: Do vascular water plants use carbon dioxide that
they find dissolved in the water?

 

MEIEEIALS:

100 mL of Bromthymol Blue solution in 250 mL beaker

Elodea (water plants) - 10 cm long Scissors (to cut Elodea)
MEAP laboratory investigation form 4 test tubes with caps
Masking tape (to label test tubes) Drinking straw

Test tube rack Apron and Goggles

 

   

Hilfilildilllfl '
1. Read this lab, obtain the materials, and fill out the front of your MEAP
form. Don't forget to make a hypothesis that covers each Of the 4 test
tubes!

2. Fill a test tube (completely full!) with the Bromthymol Blue and put the
cap on the tube.

3. Cut two similar pieces of the Elodea, make them 10cm long.

4. Put one of your pieces of Elodea in a test tube, fill the tube up with the
BTB, and put the cap on the tube.

77

5. Put the straw into the beaker with the rest of the BTB. Without
overflowing the beaker, blow through the straw until enough of your Carbon
Dioxide has dissolved in the BTB solution to make enough Carbonic Acid to
turn the solution bright yellow (not just green).

6. Fill a test tube with the yellow BTB and cap the tube.

7. Put the other 10 cm long piece of Elodea in the last test tube, fill the tube
with yellow BTB, and cap the tube.

8. Label all four test tubes with your name(s), class period, and a list of the
contents of the tube (yellow BTB, Elodea, etc.)

9. Put the tubes in the test tube rack and put the setup over in the plant
stand.

10. Observe the test tubes after 24 hours and fill out the back of your lab
sheet.

1 1. Empty the test tubes, put the Elodea in the large beaker on the front lab
table, clean up the test tubes, and put all of your other supplies away.

 

m - answer these on a separate sheet of notebook paper.
1. What is the purpose of the two tubes without any Elodea plants?

2. Look up respiration in your book, then write a summary of what happens
during respiration (hint - it's not just breathing!)

3. Do you think that plants undergo respiration?

4. How are photosynthesis and respiration related? - be very specific!

78

TEACHER DEMONSTRATION TO GO WITH "DO
WATER PLANTS USE CARBON DIOXIDE? (LAB)"

TEACHER NOTES: The BTB needs to be diluted to a light blue so that you can see the
Elodea. I used sealed vials for the lab, but it works about the same for unsealed vials.
BTB does not test for C02, it is a pH indicator that turns yellow in the presence of the
carbonic acid produced by the C02 from your breath. Be sure that your students blow
enough Carbon Dioxide into the BTB to turn it yellow (not just green) for the test vials. I
plan to save on materials by having each group only make 2 controls (one yellow, 1 blue)
and 2 test vials (1 yellow, 1 blue) for the light. We will then compile class results before
they write their conclusions. I will make 2 controls and three of each of the yellow and
blue BTB/plant vials for the dark - these will be shown to the students after they have
finished their labs and written their conclusions. I am doing this to avoid confusion on
the part of my students. I will use my demo to discuss respiration and photosynthesis in
detail, so that I can lead into a discussion of respiration as it pertains to other organisms.

LAB SETUP:

cap """

vial ------

  
 

Elodea"" -

79

W

This demo is modified from the one found in "Science Plus", Blue Version.

 

W Plants release oxygen as a by-product of
their food-making process, photosynthesis. The plants release the oxygen
during the light reactions of photosynthesis, as they use the energy of the
light that is absorbed by their chlorophyll to break down water into H2 and
02. Most of the oxygen in the air has been released by water plants and
other photosynthetic water-dwelling organisms like algae, and we will use a
water plant called Elodea for this lab. Animals need this oxygen to undergo
respiration in our bodies.

 

 

Hilildl11'17I01|1=I~‘ill011 ° Can the amount of oxygen released from a plant in
24 hours be measured in a laboratory?

 

MEIEBIALS:

MEAP lab form 18 x 180mm test tube
Large glass funnel Large glass jar

Water Elodea plants

Sodium bicarbonate or C02 tank Glowing splint

3 beam balance Grow light

 

   

3:010! 31'1” :1 '

1. Read this lab, view the lab setup, and fill out the front of your MEAP lab
form. in your hypothesis, don't forget to include the volume of gas (it's not
air) that you believe will be released in 24 hours.

2. Set the lab up as shown below, be sure that there is no air in the test
tube or bubbles in the funnel before the start of the lab. Also be sure to put
a few pellets of Sodium Bicarbonate or some COZ from a tank into the
water, so that the Elodea will have a ready source of C02. Before placing
the Elodea in the lab setup, shake off the excess water on the Elodea plant
and find the mass of the plant. Be sure to enter this information in the data
section of your lab sheet.

/ \

i ' ‘ water level

 

' ' test tube

— . , , funnel

glass jar ' ' ’
‘ ‘ Elodea

 

 

 

 

 

80

3. After 24 hours, observe the lab, mark the Oxygen level in the test tube,
and disassemble the lab setup, making sure not to turn the test tube over.

4. Light a wooden stirring stick on fire, blow it our, and while it is still
glowing, insert it up into the test tube. If the splint re-lights, the tube
contained oxygen. Enter the results in the data section of your lab sheet.

5. Turn the test tube over, and fill it up with water to the mark that you
made earlier. Now pour the water into a graduated cylinder and you can
determine the volume of oxygen that was produced by the plant. Enter the
information in the data section of your lab sheet.

6. At the end of lab, write your lab conclusion and the evidence for the
conclusion in the appropriate spaces on your MEAP sheet.

 

m - answer these on a separate sheet of notebook paper.

1. What is the by-product of our respiration that plants need to do
photosynthesis?

2. Name the tissue that transports water and minerals from the roots of a
plant to the rest of the plant.

3. If you had 200 of these Elodea plants in a large fish tank with a grow
light, how much Oxygen might they produce in one day?

4. There are at least one million Kg of photosynthetic water organisms in
local lakes in the summer, if they are producing Oxygen like our Elodea
plants, how much oxygen do they produce each day? (hint: 1 Kg = 1000
9, so calculate how many Elodea plants you need for 1000 g and then
multiply this number by 1 million to get the number that you are looking for
to multiply times the amount of oxygen that our Elodea produced.) We will
do this question in class!

5. Our area of the world has very few green plants making Oxygen during
the winter, why don't we run out of Oxygen in the winter?

81

W

* I wrote this lab.

 

   

3:101L(¢1:(01|lr‘l-llr‘liilill'lhulth‘° ants make glucose sugar during
photosynthesis. This sugar that is not immediately used to keep the plant
alive and growing is easily stored as starch in the plant. Much of this starch
is found in plant parts such as stems and roots. Iodine/Potassium Iodide
solution is a starch indicator that turns black or blue/black in the presence of
starch. We have chosen to do starch testing in leaves because they are easy
to obtain and relatively easy to prepare.

 

WIDE: ls starch stored in Bishop's Weed leaves, and if so,
where in a leaf is it most likely to be found, the green area or the white area?

 

MEIEEIALS;

Half of a Petri dish 100 mL plastic container
MEAP laboratory investigation form 80 mL of 95% ethanol or
acetone

Apron Goggles

Boiling Water Coleus or Bishop's Weed leaf
Tongs (to hold leaf) 2 sheets of Kleenex

Iodine/Potassium Iodide solution (l/Kl) in Barnes bottle with eye dropper, (|/Kl
solution is pre-mixed from Flinn chemical)

 

 

micron-run -

1. Read this lab, obtain the materials, and fill out the front of your MEAP lab
form. (Don't forget to write a hypothesis that attempts to answer the
question!)

2. Put on your apron and goggles, if you haven’t already done so.

3. Make two accurate tracings of your leaf in the data section of your MEAP
lab sheet, be sure to shade in the green areas on the first picture, but to
leave the second picture unshaded for use on day two, after the leaf has
been stained with the l/Kl solution.

82

4. Use the tongs to firmly grasp the leaf, then plunge the leaf into the water
that l have boiling at the far side of the room for 2 minutes or until it is very
wilted, but not destroyed.

5. Bring your leaf and your 100 mL plastic container up to the front lab
table. Get your 100 mL container filled with ethanol or acetone 12me note
the number of the container, put your leaf in it, seal the container, and leave
the leaf in it overnight.

6. Remove your leaf from the ethanol (be careful, it will be crispyll, leave
the ethanol at the front table, and wash your leaf off in the sink in the front
lab table. Now go back to your seat.

7. Once you have washed your leaf and returned to your seat, you are ready
to test for starch. Put the leaf in the Petri dish, and use the eye dropper in
the Barnes bottle to gently cover the leaf with a thin layer of the l/Kl
solution.

8. When the leaf has turned a darker color in many areas, but still has other
areas that are light colored, remove it from the l/Kl solution, rinse the leaf
quickly and gently in the sink, and gently pat it dry with some Kleenex.
Clean the Petri dish and lay the leaf back in the dish.

9. Using the second tracing of the leaf from day one shade in the areas of
the leaf that are now darker. Then clean up your lab station and return to
your seat.

10. Compare your two drawings, and write your conclusion. Then answer
the questions on this page.

 

QUESILQNS: - answer these in complete sentences on a separate sheet of
notebook paper.

1. What was the pattern of leaf darkening caused by the l/Kl solution?
What does that tell you about where starch is stored in a leaf?

2. What is the food substance that plants make during photosynthesis?
What do plants do with that substance to make it easier to store an excess
of that substance? Name at least three plant parts where food may be
stored.

3. Why do you think it was necessary to boil the leaves at the start of the
experiment?

83

W

This lab is loosely based on PHLS. "Observing a Tropism" lab

 

QUESIIQN;

Read the purpose for this experiment, and based on what you learned in the
"Phototropism Lab", formulate your own question to place on your MEAP lab
form. Your question should include something about planting seeds upside
down.

m

 

We all know that most roots grow down into the ground. How do we know
which and goes up, and what happens if you plant a seed "upside-down"?

In addition, does the presence of light have any effect in the first week of
plant germination and growth? This lab will also give you a chance to see if
there are any differences between the roots on young monocot Angiosperms
and the young dicot Angiosperms (the Wisconsin Fast Plants for the root hair
lab).

 

 

m

- 4 corn seeds (soaked for 24 hours in water) - 4 Petri dishes

- Paper towel - Scissors

- Clear tape - Pen or grease pencil
- MEAP Science Investigation Report - 2 sheets of plain paper
m

1. Read this lab, then obtain your materials and fill out the front of your
MEAP Science Investigation Report. Use a Petri dish to trace six circles on a
piece of notebook paper so that you will have spaces to make life-sized
drawings of the seeds as they grow.

2. Place each seed in the center of the bottom of its own Petri dish, out two
or three paper towel circles the size of the bottom of the dish, wet them, and
place them over the seed. Use more crumpled-up, wet paper towel to fill the
dish and hold seed in place (see drawing #1).

3. Tape each dish shut with clear tape, then write 3 on one dish, 6 on
another, 9 on the third, and 12 on the last Petri dish lid (it is easiest to write
with pen on the tape, or a china-marking pencil on the glass or plastic).
Next, write your namels) and class period on the dish.

84

4. Place the dish on its edge in clay so that the pointed end of each seed is
aimed at the clock hour which you have written on the dish (see drawing
#2). Then write "up" on the edge of the part of the dish that is supposed to
be aimed upward.

5. I will determine which groups will place their dishes in a dark area and
which groups will be in the light. Observe the seeds daily for five days.
Record results using life-sized drawings on a separate (blank) sheet of paper,
he sure to indicate the date of each observation.

 

 

DRAW

Sldevleuolpotridsh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

,QBAlNle- notice that the seeds are much larger than life size - let me
know if you can draw a better picture to import into this document for some
extra credit!

PETRI
SEED\\ ’1’,’ DISH

  

 

 

 

 

6. When we are done, you should be able to answer your question for your
conclusion, and you should also have answers to all parts of the problem
from the start of this lab. Write those answers and the evidence to support
them in the spaces provided on your MEAP sheets.

7. CLEANUP: Remove the corn from the Petri dishes and give it to me to
plant in the plant bins that are on the front lab table. (we will use it for the
herbicide lab later) Have one lab partner clean the Petri dishes while another
one plants the corn.

 

85

{00 u

'01-;LIOi is UL:

j»
r-
r

* I wrote this lab.

 

WIDE Roofirairs are microscopic extensions of the
cells on the surface of a root. They increase surface area so that the root
can absorb more water and minerals. They are not light sensitive, that is,
they don't respond to light. This lab is designed to allow observation of
roots and root hairs as they grow.

 

W1 Does fight have an effect on germination percentages
or stem or root length up to 5 days after planting?

 

W

- Black polyester felt, enough for 2 Petri dishes

- 9 Rosette Wisconsin Fast Plant seeds - Stereo microscope

- Petri dish - Scissors

- Fertilizer pellets - China marking pencil

- MEAP science investigation report - 2 sheets of plain paper

 

   

“(010] =1 '1'] :l

1. Read this lab, obtain the materials, and based on what you have learned
in class, fill out the front of your MEAP form. Be sure to mention both
germination and root length in your hypothesis.

2. Put your name(s) and the word "light" on your Petri dish with the china
marker.

3. Cut the felt into a circle to fit in the bottom (part with the smaller
diameter) of your first Petri dish, then wet the felt and put it in the bottom of
the dish.

86

4. Wet your finger enough to get a seed to stick to it (or use tweezers) and
put the seeds, one at a time (obviously) onto the felt in the Petri dish. Space
the nine seeds evenly, just like in the drawing, and be sure to leave room for
the fertilizer.

 
 
    

Petri dish - \

\
\

‘;. rosette seeds (9)
felt “““

x

“ ‘\ fertilizer pellets (3)

5. Get three evenly sized pieces of fertilizer, and place them on the felt in
the dish, as shown in the diagram. Put the lid on the dish and place the dish
under the grow light.

6. Set up the other dish in the same fashion. Be sure to label the second
dish with your namels) and the word "dark" and place it in the dark cabinet.

7. On your sheet of plain paper, use a Petri dish to draw 4 life-sized circles
in which to draw your "light" dish observations, make a sheet for your four
days of "dark" observations as well (hint: put 2 circles on the front of each
page). Observe the seeds daily for four school days, being sure to make
LIFE-SIZED drawings of the seeds and any roots and stems each day. Be
sure to label the sheets as "light" or "dark", label which day each drawing is
for, and label the root, stem, root hairs, and seed for at least one seed in
each drawing! Also note in the data area of your MEAP sheet how many
seeds have sprouted (germinated) each day in both the light and dark dishes

8. Obtain a dissecting microscope, and observe the root hairs under the
microscope, I will show you how to set up this part of the lab. You need to
draw what you see on the same page where you have made your other
drawings.

9. Write your conclusion to the lab. Be sure to mention any affects that
light had on the root and stem thickness or length as well as the germination
percentages of your "light" and "dark". Also, on you MEAP sheet. in the
evidence area, answer the question of "Why is it better to have a lot of test
groups, rather than just a few?" Be sure to fill in the evidence area of the
form with your evidence (the numbers) that backs up your conclusion.

87

GIBBERELLICACIILDEMONSIRAIION

This lab is adapted from the "Effects of GA” lab in the Wisconsin Fast Plants manual.

W Gibberellins (also known as Gibberellic Acid
or GA) are a group of very expensive plant hormones that cause the stems of
plants to elongate (grow longer). They are made by vascular plants and
some other organisms, but are found in differing quantities, based on the
genetics of the plant. There is a genetic mutant type of Wisconsin Fast Plant
that is a dwarf because it does not make gibberellins. These short plants
form what is called a rosette with their leaves and flowers, so they are called
Rosette Fast Plants. Gibberellins were discovered when scientists studied
some rice plants that grew so tall, so fast that they fell over and died. When
they died, there was a fungus called Gibbere/Ia fujikuroi growing on them and
eating them. Scientists studied the fungus and found out that it made a
chemical that caused plant stems to grow longer, they named the chemical
Gibberellic acid after the fungus. You will be using the GA on the dwarf
rosette plants to see if it can cause them to grow to normal height. A similar
example exists in Humans who are tested by a doctor and found to have
trouble with growing to a normal height. They can receive injections of
Human Growth Hormone to grow to be taller than they might otherwise be,
as long as they receive the treatments before they are adults.

 

EEKEEMZDUES I IDNE If gl55ere||lns are applied to tfie leaves and stems of

a genetically short plant, can the plant be made to grow to a normal height?

 

MEIEBIALSI

Sprouted rosette type Wisconsin Fast Plants, 8 days old Apron and Goggles
Gibberellin solution in Barnes eyedropper bottle MEAP lab form
Beaker with distilled water and eye dropper

 

W

1. Read this lab, obtain the materials, and fill out the front of your MEAP
form.

2. Divide up the fast plants into two equal groups - for size, shape and
color. You should have three plants in each group. If you need to, you may
trade plants with other groups. (why? - answer questions #1 and #2).

3. Label your fast plant groups with masking tape on each vial. Include your
name(s), class, date, and to which of the two groups each of the plants
belongs.

88

4. Put on your apron and goggles and get the three plants that will have GA
applied to them. Put one drop of the GA/distilled water solution on all
leaves.

5. Get your other three plants and apply one drop of distilled water to each
leaf (why? - answer question #3). Be sure to keep the groups of plants
separated from one another (why? - answer question #4).

6. Make a data chart in your data area of your MEAP sheet, include room for
five height measurements for each of your six plants, and for the date of
each of those measurements. Measure each of your plants (in cm) right
now, and enter the data in your data chart.

7. Put your fast plants into the two separate areas that I will have set up in
the plant stand.

8. We will repeat steps 4, 5, and 7 every other day until we have 5
measurements of each plant. Record all the height measurements in the
chart you made in the data section of your MEAP sheets.

9. At the end of the lab, write your lab conclusion and the evidence for the
conclusion in the appropriate spaces on your MEAP sheet. Be sure to
mention your hypothesis in your conclusion. Then put your fast plant vials in
the area of the plant stand that I will provide, we will use them for the
herbicide lab later.

 

Mucus; - answer these on a separate sheet of notebook paper.
1. Why should you have at least 3 fast plants in each of your plant groups?

2. What are the two groups of plants for this lab, why do we need two
groups, rather than just one?

3. Why do you need to put water on each leaf of the 2nd group of plants?

4. Why do you need to keep your two groups of plants separated from one
another when you are spraying the gibberellins?

5. Answer this question after we have compared data in class: How can
you explain the variation in height found from group to group for the GA
treated plants? How can you explain the variation in height found from
group to group for the distilled water treated plants?

6. What other factors can have an effect on the length of a plant's stern?

89

' H l ' lulu t; It

* I wrote this demonstration.

 

WW Herbicrdes krll plants. Herbicides are avarlable to
kill all plants at once, these work in several different ways, such as by causing the plants
to grow themselves to death or by interrupting photosynthesis. There are dozens of
herbicides on the market, many of them are very toxic, and can kill water animals as well
as land animals. In concentrated form, they can kill humans, so be very careful when
handling herbicides. I will be spraying the Grass-B-Gone myself, and I will provide you
with the Weed-B-Gone when you have on your apron and goggles and are ready for to
spray your plants. This lab is designed for you to have an opportunity to study the effects
that herbicides have on monocots and dicots. We will study Weed-B-Gone and
Grass-B-Gone to see if they have an equal effect on corn and fast plants.

BEBEENDQDES I IDE ': MUST IierBrcrdes liave HIE same CIICCI 011 monocots and

dicots, or can herbicides be specific to a particular group of Angiosperms?

 

MATERIALS:
Corn (from corn seed tropism lab) Apron and Goggles
MEAP laboratory investigation form Grass-B-Gone (I will spray this)

Weed-B-Gone (I will help with this)
Wisconsin Fast Plants (from phototropism and gibberellin labs)

 

1. Read this lab, obtain the materials, and fill out the front of your MEAP lab form.

2. Divide up the fast plants into three equal groups - for size, shape and color. If you
need to, you may trade plants with other groups, or combine your plants with another
group. You Should have at least three fast plants in each of your three groups of plants
(why? - answer question #1).

3. The corn seeds that we planted after the corn seed tropism lab will remain in the large
plant bins - don't do anything to them. I will divide the bins into three equal groups by
removing or transplanting some of the corn. (since you have read the lab, what are the
three groups that we will be dividing the plants into? - answer question #2)

4. Label your fast plant groups with masking tape on each vial. Include your name(s),
class, date, and to which of the three groups each of the plants belongs.

9O

5. Put on your apron and goggles and get the herbicides from me, so that you can spray
the proper groups according to the herbicide's directions while I watch. Be sure to keep
the groups separated from one another (why? - answer question #3).

6. Put your fast plants into the three separate areas that I will have set up in the plant
stand. I will spray the corn seed bins with the herbicides after everybody has finished
with their fast plants.

7. Observe the plants daily for 5 days, record all the data changes in appearance, height,
etc. in the data section of your MEAP sheets.

8. At the end of five days, write your lab conclusion and the evidence for the conclusion
in the appropriate spaces on your MEAP sheet. Then take apart your fast plant vials and
put the parts in the bins that I will provide.

 

QUESTIONS: - answer these on a separate sheet of notebook paper.
1. Why should you have at least three fast plants in each of your three groups of plants?

2. What are the three groups of plants for this lab, why do we need three groups, rather
than just one or two?

3. Why do you need to keep your three groups of plants separated from one another
when you are spraying the herbicides?

4. Why don't we need herbicides for Gymnosperrns and Ferns?
5. Is com a monocot or a dicot? Is com a broadleaf plant or a grass? How do you know?

6. Are fast plants monocots or a dicots? Are they broadleaf plants or grasses? How do
you know?

91

* I wrote this lab.

 

W You know that the vascular plants that we have

been studying have been classified as angiosperms, gymnosperms, and ferns. We will
study ferns in the next part of our plant unit. The gymnosperrns that we will study use
cones or berries to reproduce. All of the gymnosperms produce uncovered seeds. We
will begin this lab by looking at several types of "pine cones", which are the reproductive
structures of certain gymnosperms. Next, we will study angiosperms, which we will
divide into two groups, the monocots and the dicots. Monocot angiosperms plants have a
one-part seed (mono) and dicots angiosperrn plants have a two-part seed (di). The seeds
of angiosperms are called covered seeds are found inside of what we commonly call fruits
and (sometimes) vegetables. To a botanist, there really isn't such a thing as a vegetable.
For example, a potato is actually a modified stem (tuber), lettuce is actually leaves, a
carrot is a tap root, and a cucumber is actually a fruit, since it contains seeds! A fruit is
actually a ripened ovary, and the ovary is the part of a flower that contains one or more
eggs (the female part). The seed is formed in the ovary by the joining together of pollen
(the plant equivalent of a male's sperm) and an egg. When pollen and an egg come
together, this is called fertilization (which is not what you are doing when you fertilize
your lawn, same word - different meaning).

 

PROBLEM: Can seeds be observed to deterrnrne whether they belong to a monocot or
dicot plant?

 

MEIERIALS:

MEAP lab form Scalpel
Kidney bean seed Pea seed

Pinto bean seed Pumpkin seed
Corn seed Sunflower seed
Hand-held magnifying glass Goggles

Bean seed on low power under stereonricroscope Pine cone

 

WHERE;
I. Read this lab and fill out the front of the MEAP form.
2. Obtain materials - follow my directions in class for this part.

3. In the data area, make a chart for the following information: Type of plant seed is
from, hypothesis (monocot or dicot), actual type of seed (monocot or dicot).

92

4. Use the scalpel to remove the protective covering (seed coat) from the seeds, then try
to carefully open the seeds to see if they have two equal halves (cotyledons), or are only
made of one cotyledon. Enter the information in the data table.

5. Take one of the larger dicot seeds and look between the two cotyledons. You should
find the young plant (embryo) close to one end of one of the cotyledons. Use the
magnifying glass to closely observe the embryo. Draw what you see in the data section
of your MEAP sheet. Be sure to use your "Comparing Monocots and Dicots"
information sheet to help you label your drawing.

6. Try to repeat the process with a monocot seed. It will be much more difficult, but you
should be able to find the embryo, make a drawing, and label the parts.

7. Write your conclusion, and the evidence for your conclusion.

8. Answer the lab questions.

 

QUESTIONS:

1. Based on the type of seed it forms, would a sunflower have branching veins or parallel
veins?

2. Are beans fiuits or vegetables? Explain your answer clearly!

3. What is pollen? What does it do for a plant?

4. What is fertilization? What is the difference between fertilization and germination?
5. What is endospenn? What does it do for a young plant?

6. What is the reason that plants make seeds?

7. What do you think, are there such things as male plants and female plants? Explain
your answer.

8. Could there be such a thing as a plant that had both male and female parts? Explain
your answer.

93

* I wrote this lab.

 

WW - You know that flowers are the reproductive
structures of Angiosperms. In this lab you will take apart

 

W - Do all flowers have male and female parts?
MEALS;

 

Flowers - freesias and pinks Scalpel Magnifying Glass

 

PROCEDURE;
1. Read this lab, obtain the materials, and fill out the front of your MEAP lab form.
2. Use scissors to cut off a freesia (Pink and white) and a pink. (Pink!)

3. Use scissors and a scalpel to take the flowers apart (one at a time) (Be sure to cut each
ovary.)

4. Trace the parts on white paper and Completel; label them. (Use your flower
worksheet.) Also, write the number of pistils, stamens, sepals, and petals that there are
on each flower.

5. Clean up your lab station, throw plant parts out, and put your materials back in their
proper place.

6. At the end of lab, write your lab conclusion and the evidence for the conclusion in the
appropriate spaces on your MEAP sheet.

 

QUESTIONS; - answer these on a separate sheet of notebook paper.

1. Do all flowers have male and female parts?
2. What parts are Sepals and Petals?

3. What does a ripened ovary do?

4. What makes the parts of a perfect flower?
5. What make an imperfect flower imperfect?

A 5 LII. .

94

IIILKI

* This lab was loosely based on the “Plant Foods” lab in PHLS.

DayflneofPlantEoodLah

cereal

PlantPart

Breakfast

corn seeds, rice seeds,
wheat starch, ground
sugar cane, oat starch,
vegetable oil, corn

syrup (ground up corn
stems)

toast

BlantJZart

Breakfast
ground up
wheat seeds

Lunch
salad, salad dressing

Lunch

lettuce leaves, green and
red pepper ovaries, carrot
roots, cucumber ovaries,
red pepper ovaries,

Dinner
kugel, vegetable stir-
fry, challah, grape juice

Dinner

noodles (wheat seeds)
ground sugar cane,
cauliflower flowers/buds
green bean ovaries, pea

carrot roots, parsley leaves seeds, water chestnut roots,

wheat seeds, grape ovaries

Wall

Imnch

broccoli omelet

Lunch

Broccoli flowers/buds

Dinner
potatoes, challah,
applesauce

Dinner

potato stems, ground garlic
stems, pepper ovaries,
ground paprika seeds, onion
powder (ground dried onion
stems), wheat seeds

mashed apple ovaries

.>

95

DathreecfPlantEoodLah

Food

Bleakfasl Lunch

cereal pasta with tomato
cantaloupe sauce, rice, peas
ElanLPart

Breakfast Lunch

corn seeds, rice seeds, wheat seeds and mashed
oat starch, ground tomato ovaries, grains

sugar cane, vegetable oil, of rice seeds, pea seeds
corn syrup (ground corn

stems), cantaloupe ovary,

wheat starch

Eood

Breakfast Lunch

spinach cheese dip on tuna on a sesame bagel

rye bread with cucumbers
PlanLEart

Breakfast Lunch

spinach leaves, tomato wheat seeds, sesame seeds,
ovaries, wheat seeds, sliced cucumber ovaries
rye seeds

Dinner
vegetable soup with tomato
base

Dinner

carrot roots, celery stems,
bean seeds, squeezed
tomato ovaries

Dinner
salad, salad dressing

Dinner:

lettuce leaves, red cabbage
leaves, green pepper ovaries,
red pepper ovaries,

carrot roots, parsley leaves

96

DauEirLLQfElantEoodLah

Eood
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Cheerios, bagel, and orange a bread and butter pizza
juice sandwich, cantaloupe, and
honeydew
PlantPart
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
corn seeds, rice seeds, wheat seeds, cantaloupe wheat seeds, mashed

wheat starch, oat starch, ovaries, honeydew ovaries tomato ovaries
ground sugar cane,

vegetable oil, corn syrup

(ground up corn stems),

ground up wheat seeds,

squeezed orange ovaries

Food

Breakfast Lunch Dinner

bagel macaroni French fries, ketchup, pickles
PlanLBart

Breakfast Lunch Dinner

wheat seeds semolina wheat seeds mashed potato stems, mashed

tomato ovaries, ground
sugar cane, squeezed apple
ovaries, onion stems

cereal

PlantBart

Breakfast

corn seeds, rice seeds,
wheat starch, ground
sugar cane, oat starch,
vegetable oil, corn

syrup (ground up corn
stems)

97

Lunch
grilled cheese, lemonade

Lunch

ground up wheat seeds,
lemon ovaries, ground
sugar cane,

Dinner
vegetable stir-fry, challah,
grape juice

Dinner:

broccoli flowers/buds, water
chestnut roots, pea seeds,
celery stems, wheat seeds,
squeezed grape ovaries

98

.:.U' 0|: si'i';{|i;, IL

* Loosely based on van Hehnont’s Experiment, as written in Science Plus, Blue Version.

 

 

QUESTION

How much will the mass of the soil decrease as the plant grows?

 

 

 

 

 

HYPOTHESIS
The mass of the soil will decrease by 10% - 15% as the plant grows.

 

 

 

 

 

REASONS FOR HYPOTHESIS

I anticipate that the mass of the soil will decrease by 10% - 15% because a plant needs the
nutrients fi'om the soil to grow. Also, the xylem carries the water and other minerals from
the roots (which came from the soil) to help the plant mature. A number of plants that I
observed lost about 10% of the mass of their soil fi'om the time they were planted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MATERIALS

MEAP lab form Two pounds of soil (907.18 grams)
Six Wisconsin Fast Plant seeds Three Beam Balance

Water

PROCEDURES

1. Read the lab, obtain the materials, and fill out the front of the MEAP sheet.

2. Weigh two pounds of soil (which will be your control) on a three beam balance. Also,
weigh the container that the soil will be placed in.

3. Fill up two containers with a pound of soil in each. Place three seeds in each

container, at equal distance from one another, and water the seeds (alter measuring

the amount of water).

4. Put your name and class on both containers.

5. For seven days, observe the soil level, and measure any change. Record the
information in your data section along with the height of the plant each day.
Compare it to the change in the soil.

6. On the seventh day, record the total height, and give the plants to Mr. Calkins for
another possible experiment. Then measure both containers of soil, and subtract
from it the weight of both containers total. Clean up.

7. In your data section, record the total mass of the soil, and compare it to the mass of the
control. Fill out the back of the MEAP sheet. Be sure to include the change of
mass and the rate that it decreased in your conclusion.

 

 

 

 

 

99

’-0010' Usk" trlfltl' it. In In!
Modified version of a lab from the Wisconsin Fast Plants manual.

BAQKGBQUNDJNEQBMAIIQM As you know, tropisms are plant responses

to stimuli. You also know that, in general, stems grow upward and roots
grow downward. This lab is designed to help you determine if stems are
responding to gravity or light (or both) when they grow upward.

 

 

WON; Are stems responding to gravity, light, or both
gravity and light when they grow upward?

 

MEIEEIAEST

Petri dish, with lid Shoe Box Protractor
4 film vials, no lids MEAP lab form 4 felt wicks
12 fertilizer pellets Potting soil

12 Wisconsin Fast Plant Seeds - wild type

 

W

1. Read this lab, obtain the materials, and fill out the front of your MEAP
form.

2. Plant your fast plants according to the "fast plants planting directions"
sheet. One change you need to make is to have a wick that hangs out of the
bottom of each vial far enough to be in water when the vial is placed on its
side next to a Petri dish full of water.

3. Label your fast plant vials as control - light, control - dark, test - light, and
test - dark by using masking tape on each vial. Also include your name(s),
class, and the date. Put the plant vials into a Petri dish full of water in the
plant stand.

4. Wait 3 - 5 days for plants to sprout and get tall enough for the rest of the
lab. Be sure to monitor the water levels of the plants.

5. On day five, place your control - light plant upright in a Petri dish full of
water under the lights in the plant stand, then place the test - light plant on
its side next to the dish, making sure that the wick extends into the dish so
that the plant doesn't dry out. Use a piece of clay to keep the vial from
rolling ever. (see my example setup and the drawing on page two)

6. Do step five for the dark plants, but set it up in a shoebox with a lid, so
that it is dark. (see drawing below)

100

 

 

 

 

------- fast plants

I

I

LAB SETUP ggfllq‘ ‘ xvialsx‘ \

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

wick’

 

 

 

 

7. Observe the plants daily for 2 days, record all the data changes in
appearance, height, etc. in the data section of your MEAP sheets.
Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words - you may draw your plants
in the data section. You will need to use the protractor to determine the
angle at which the plants are growing, be sure to write the angle down!

8. At the end of two days, write your lab conclusion and the evidence for
the conclusion in the appropriate spaces on your MEAP sheet. Don't forget
to mention your hypothesis in your conclusion! Then put your fast plant vials
upright in their Petri dishes in the spaces that l have provided in the plant
stand, we will use them later for the herbicide lab.

 

QUESILQNS: - answer these questions in full sentences on a separate sheet
of notebook paper.

1. What type of tropism would it be if a stem grew away from the ground in
the dark? Why do plants need to be able to do this? (hint: think about what
happened to the stern of the plant after you planted the seed underground!)

2. What is the name for the tropism when a plant grows away from the
ground, or around an object to get to the brightest light possible? Why is
this important to a plant?

3. Roots grow toward gravity, what type of tropism is this?
4. Roots also grow toward water, propose a name for this tropism.

5. Why is it important to put plants in the light and in the dark? What is the
purpose of having a control plant in the light and in the dark?

6. Propose an experiment to determine whether roots grow away from light,
or toward gravity, or both. Be sure to list the steps that you would take, in
order, to do the experiment. Also be sure to make a hypothesis about what
you think the results would be. (this question will take more than 5 lines on
your paper!)

101

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION REPORT, 95/96

 

 

QUESTION

 

 

HYPOTHESIS

 

 

REASONS FOR HYPOTHESIS

 

MATERIALS

 

PROCEDURES

 

 

 

102

 

ORGANIZED PRESENTATION OF DATA (table, graph, paragraph)

 

CONCLUSION(S) (What is your answer to the question?)

 

EVIDENCE (How do your data support your answer?)

 

 

 

103

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION JOURNAL, 96/97

 

QUESTION:

 

 

HY POTHESIS:

 

MATERIALS:

 

PROCEDURE:

 

 

 

104

 

DATA:

 

EVIDENCE (Graphs and Charts):

 

CONCLUSION (also Elude reasons why you made the conclusion):

 

WASONS FOR ERROR (Error Analysis):

 

 

 

105

Teacher Notes for Lab-Related Activities

1. "Transpiration Demonstration"

TEACHER NOTES: I handed out the lab sheet and students followed the directions.
Although this could be done as a lab by small groups of students, I did it as a demo to
save class time for other labs. It is important that you do not use a Ziploc bag, since they
are hard to seal around a petiole. I measured the mass of the bags prior to class, and

showed the students how to find the mass of the bags at the end of the experiment.

2. "Phototropism - Color of Light" Demonstration

TEACHER NOTES I placed a Petri dish containing water and sprouted (3 cm tall) fast
plants in film containers into a large box with a colored window on each side (one blue,
one red, one green). Fluorescent grow lights were placed 2 cm in front of each of the
three windows (don’t use incandescent lights, they will bake your plants), and left over
the weekend. I also closed the box so that no light could get in through the top or
bottom. After the weekend, all five of the plants that were in the box turned toward the
blue "window". The plant need not be of specific heritage and can be used for other
studies later. The demonstration should also be handed out a few days early, so that the

students will have an opportunity to answer question #1.

3. "Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide?" Lab

TEACHER NOTES: The Bromthymol Blue (BTB) needs to be diluted to a light blue so
that you can see the Elodea plants. I used sealed vials for the lab, but it works about the
same for unsealed vials. BTB does not test for C02 directly, rather it is a pH indicator
that turns yellow in the presence of the carbonic acid produced by the C02 from your
breath. Be sure that your students blow enough Carbon Dioxide into the BTB to turn it

yellow (not just green) for the test vials. I saved on materials by having each group only

106

make 2 controls (one yellow, 1 blue) and 2 test vials (1 yellow, 1 blue) for the light. I
made 2 controls and three of each of the yellow and blue BTB/plant vials for the dark.

To avoid confusion on the part of my students, these were shown to the students to
discuss respiration and photosynthesis in detail, but only after they finished their labs and
wrote their conclusions. There was some difficulty with the health of the plants, but we
went ahead with the lab. The plants turned brown quickly in the test tubes, and the
yellow tubes stayed yellow, while the blue tubes fumed yellow. I obtained fi'esh Elodea
to repeat the lab as a demonstration, and spend a lot of time explaining respiration and
bacterial decomposition before I was ready to do so. The students, when setting up the
tubes, found out that they all had the misconception that they were breathing out pure
carbon dioxide, when they were actually breathing out closer to six percent carbon
dioxide. Their MEAP lab write-ups were much better than before on this lab, with all but
five of the sixty-four students earning full credit on their hypothesis and conclusion
statements. When we discussed their “reasons for hypothesis” section after I returned
their MEAP sheets, it was obvious that this previously ungraded area needed attention

during future lab exercises.

4. "Structure and Function of Microscopes" Lab

5. "The Enormous E" Lab

TEACHER NOTES: These labs were included in the unit because many of my students
did not know how to properly use a microscope; none of them used a microscope during
their sixth grade earth science class. They are not included in this appendix, but can be

found in the resource book MagnificentMicmruorldAduentmes produced by AIMS as
listed in my bibliography.

107

6. "Oxygen Production in Plants" Demonstration

TEACHER NOTES: This lab worked well as it is written, and during my research
summer when I used three large Elodea plants, there were nearly three mL of 02
produced in one day. If it is done to quantify the amount of oxygen produced, this lab

has to be a demonstration due to a lack of time and materials.

7. "Is Starch Stored in Leaves?" Lab

TEACHER NOTES: To make the iodine/potassium iodide solution, dissolve 2 grams of
KI in 100 mL of dHZO, then add 1 gram of iodine for your stock solution. Dilute this
stock solution by approximately 5 0% before you put it on the leaves or they will turn
completely blue/black, obscuring your results. The I/KI solution can also be purchased
from Flinn at a reasonable price. To prepare the leaf, boil it in water for 40-80 seconds or
until it is very limp. Next, submerge the leaf in 95% ethanol (keep away from the flame)
for 5 - 15 minutes or until the chlorophyll is removed. If, after 5 min., no chlorophyll is
removed, boil the leaf again and drop it back into the ethanol. The ethanol will turn very
green before it loses its ability to de-color a leaf. Waste ethanol can be washed down the
drain with copious amounts of water. Wash the de-colored leaf with water, then put it in
a Petri dish and drop the I/KI solution onto it until the portions of the leaf that were
originally green turn dark blue or blue/black. The white portions of the leaf should still
be relatively white. Variegated Hostas and Gerarriums didn't work well, but Bishop's
Weed and the Coleus worked properly. Apparently the thicker leaves have a thicker

cuticle, and just don't de-color in the amount of time available in a class period.

8. "Corn Seed Tropism" Lab
TEACHER NOTES: This lab is done to Show that seed orientation has no effect on
germination, and would only have an effect on plant germination if you planted them

upside down and just deep enough so that their endosperrn wouldn't give them enough

108

energy to grow their sprout out of the ground. I also use the lab to introduce the fact that
grasses are the source of much of our food, and that com is related to the grass that grows
in their yard at home. The lab is done in the dark to show that the stem grows upward,
even without light. This lab is a nice opportunity for students to see the decrease in
germination time due to soaking seeds in water for 24 hours prior to planting. They also
learn that chlorophyll isn't made in large quantity until the plant is exposed to light; we
usually place the plants in light after the first week of growth in the dark. Mold growing
in the dishes can be confused with roots/root hairs. Extra water can be added by turning

the dish upside down and leaking some in around the edges.

9. "Root Hair Growth and Observation” Lab

TEACHER NOTES: This lab worked well and was a quick, low-tech way to obtain roots
for observation. The roots show up very nicely on black felt. If left for long enough -
about 10 days, those seeds that are closest to the fertilizer will die, while those that are
furthest away will continue to grow. This is either due to over-fertilization directly, or to
the fertilizer causing microorganisms to grow and kill the plants. I will use it to show
that fertilizer is not always desirable. Overall, it is apparent that stems grow more slowly
when exposed to light, and the root hairs are more prolific in the dark, being two to three
times as long, and more numerous than those in the light. Since this lab was done to
study root hairs, I will concentrate on those plants grown in the dark when I need to have

the students grow roots for my class.

10. "Gibberellic Acid” Demonstration

TEACHER NOTES: To make the GA/dHZO solution, mix 0.1 g GA powder with 100
mL of dHZO. The results of application to both rosette and wild type Wisconsin Fast
Plants are readily visible after two or three applications of the GA, with the GA plants

being 10 to 15 cm taller than the controls. The plants can be used later for the herbicide

109

application lab. Although I made the solutions for my summer research at MSU, I was
able to purchase pre-mixed GA solution from Carolina at a reasonable price, and I

sprayed it on the plants with a small window cleaner type of sprayer.

ll. "Herbicide Specificity” Demonstration

TEACHER NOTES: The herbicide lab is my own creation from the previous year. At
that time students observed the lab and we discussed what happened, without any written
work on their part. This year I used it to reinforce the idea that com and all monocots are
grasses, and that the rest of the Angiosperms that we studied are dicots. The students
transplanted plants from previous labs into bins that would contain 72 plants. I used
“Weed-B-Gone” and “Grass-B-Gone” from Ortho for my herbicides. I had a little
problem when I sprayed my plants from the side to avoid soaking the soil: the trash can I
placed behind the plants as a "back-splash" allowed the herbicides to "bounce off" and
land on some of the control plants in the same plant bin, thereby heavily damaging
approximately one-third of the control plants. The herbicides are toxic enough that they
will kill all of the plants if they are dosed too heavily. After I sprayed the plants, students
observed the qualitative change in the plants over a five day time span. The vials and the
felt from the fast plants used in the root hair lab are reusable after being washed in bleach.
However, the soil from all of the film vials and the plant bins may be contaminated with
herbicides and/or GA after the completion of those activities, so it might be best to obtain

new soil each year.

12. "Structures of Stems" Lab

TEACHER NOTES: Although a copy of this lab is not found in my thesis, this lab can
be found in the WW. I like the lab questions
that are associated with the lab, however, it does not lend itself well to the use of a MEAP

lab sheet, so I didn’t have the students use them. I will rewrite the lab for next year in

110

order to use a MEAP lab Sheet with the lab, but I will utilize a Similar format and most of

the questions.

13. "Seed Observation Lab"

TEACHER NOTES: I made this lab up shortly before we were to study seeds. I didn’t
have an appropriate lab activity to use, and I knew that I wanted the students to study
seeds with which they were familiar. Next year I will also use acorns, maple tree seeds,
and laminated leaves from all of the plants so that the students can compare their seed
observations with the venation of the leaves of the plants. This will be useful reinforcing
activity since all of the monocots that we studied have parallel veins, and all of the dicots

have branching veins.

14. "Flower Lab"

TEACHER NOTES: Like the seed lab, I created this lab just before I needed it for class.
In the past, the students hadn’t learned enough about flowers from the diagrams on our
worksheets. I passed around a rose and an orchid in the days prior to the lab, just to
familiarize the students with the parts of a live flower. The $20 cost of the flowers was
paid for by the school, but was more than I really wanted to pay for the lab. It was costly
because I had to buy expensive “Freesia” and “Pink” flowers to obtain “showy”
reproductive parts. Carnations and other cheap flowers don't seem to have reproductive

parts that are easy for the students to find in a short lab period.

15. "Plant Foods" Activity

TEACHER NOTES: In preparation for this lab, we completed the “Fruits, Vegetables,
and Spices” worksheet (available in Prentice Hall Life Science Teacher Resource Book -
see bibliography) in class so that the students could recognize which plant parts they were

eating. I also had the students take notes on the plant parts contained in some common

111

foods. The notes included the fact that most pasta, cereals, and bread come from wheat
seeds unless the label indicates otherwise. I let them know that sugar generally comes
from sugar cane plant stems, and that drinks like colaS contain plant flavorings such as
cola beans along with sugar if they aren’t diet colas. I answered a few other questions in
each class and gave them the “Plant Foods” lab sheet to help them get an idea of how to
prepare a data sheet for their own lab before they left for their two week December

vacation. Examples of student wok on this lab appear in this appendix.

16. "Dirt Lab" and "van Helmont’s Experiment" sheet - also known as MEAP
sheet for question #14 on "Seed and Flower Worksheet #2

TEACHER NOTES: After the students designed their investigations, I gave them the
sheet about van Helmont’s experiment and spent time in class discussing what he had
done. I let them read some of their experiments out loud to the class and compiled their
suggestions into a lab that we could actually complete. My goal was to get them to
decide that something similar to the vials that I had already set up for the “Phototropism
and Gravitropism of Stems” would be acceptable for the lab. This was because I found
the mass of the dirt in each of the vials while I was setting up the lab, and I wanted the
students to use them for their data collection procedures. An example of a student’s work

can be found in this appendix.

l7. "Phototropism and Gravitropism of Stems" Demonstration

TEACHER NOTES: This lab is based on Investigation H from the section titled "Plant
Responses to Light and Gravity" in the Wisconsin Fast Plants Lab Manual. The film vial
Wisconsin Fast Plants all sprouted and could be used for this lab, with a little piece of
clay to keep them from rolling and to keep them elevated so that water didn’t just leak
through the vial due to the wick. I planted the plants 10 days before the start of the lab.

The biggest challenge was keeping the wicks wet and keeping the plants watered during

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the time that they were on their sides for the test period. Initially, I decided not to do this
lab after completing the corn seed and root hair labs, since the students seemed to
understand the concepts of gravitropism and phototropism. Upon further class discussion
and review, it became apparent that the lab needed to be completed before I ended the
plant unit, so we completed the activity during the flower and seed sub-unit. I felt
comfortable using the lab during the flower and seed sub unit because it led to additional
discussions and evidence for how roots and stems “know” which way to grow. The
problem with the lab was that the plant that lays on its side needs to be less than one cm
tall when laid on its side, or it will fall over and die, as did two of my duplicates (I set up
four copies of the lab during the school day, so that the students could observe the lab as
it was prepared). Luckily, I still had one setup in the dark and one in the light that
worked.

18. MEAP Science Investigation Report - 1995/96

This was the lab sheet used with most of the labs for the plant unit

19. MEAP Science Investigation Report - 1996/97

This lab sheet is new for the 1996/97 MEAP test. I intend to use it for some of the plant
labs next year.

APPENDIX C

APPENDIX C

LESSON PLANS

DAY 1: Introduce plant unit, hand out plant pre-test and have students answer all
questions to the best of their ability. After taking test, students are to read and
take notes about the information on classification systems from their textbook and
take notes fiom the chalkboard on the modern system of classification.

- weekend - 16 - 17 SEP 96
*Note: Insert “Tree” video here for 1997/98 plant unit. (see p. 21 of this study)

DAY 2: Discuss (briefly) classification systems. Show students several leaves, including
the elm, catalpa, and an oak leaf. Have students discuss the general appearance of
the leaves. Lead students to an understanding of the idea that leaves have
different margins and different venation patterns. Hand out the six page leaf
collection instruction sheet packet, the Kensington Metropark leaf guide, and the
leaf collection grade sheet. Now use the leaves from earlier in the lesson to have
the students determine the type of leaf, and to have them learn how to use the
Kensington leaf guide. Students are to put the leaf packet and its grade sheet into
a binder of some sort by day six. Tomorrow the students are all to bring the leaf
collection sheets, a clipboard or something to write on, a plastic bag to collect
leaves, and their jacket, as we will be going outside to collect the leaves that will
be due on day six. With ten minutes left in the class period, I will hand out two
leaf description sheets, which I will briefly discuss as follows: I will use this time
to lead them to an understanding that Angiosperms are flowering plants, and that
the American Elm and the Riverbank Grape (which we will collect on day 3) are
both examples of Angiosperms. We will discuss Gymnospenns and ferns later.
We will talk about one part seeds (monocots) and two part seeds (dicots) and the
types of venation found in such flowering plants. The students will then be able
to fill out the leaf number, leaf name, Angiosperm, and the monocot/dicot portion
of their leaf information sheets to prepare for day 3.

DAY 3: When students arrive, they are to assemble their items for today's leaf collecting
expedition and put on their coats. We will then go directly outdoors to begin
collecting leaves. While outside we will collect the American Elm and the
Riverbank Grape. I will use the extra time to show students how to estimate the
height of a tree, how to determine leaf arrangement on a branch, how to determine
bark color and texture, and give them a chance to fill out their leaf identification
sheets. The day will end with a quick trip over to see a fern, and a simple
explanation that ferns are vascular plants that are different from the flowering
plants and the cone bearing plants that they are used to seeing. The students are to

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bring the same materials to class for day four as they did for day three. At the end
of class I will show them examples of how to preserve the leaves for the leaf
collection.

DAY 4: Have students obtain 2 more leaf identification sheets upon entering room.
Spend five minutes reviewing what was learned on day two and day three, then
head outside to collect a blade of grass, a Staghom Sumac leaf, and a Honey
Locust leaf. While outside use the leaf collection sheets to discuss simple and
compound leaves (use simple/compound sentences to introduce idea), leaflets, and
the fact that most monocots are grasses. Finally, take a minute to Show students a
grass plant's flower and discuss the fact that not all flowers have pretty petals, lead
students to decision that such plants must be pollinated by wind currents.

DAY 5: I will Show the students more about the manner in which the leaves will be
preserved, mention that each page needs to have the leaf number printed in large
print in a comer, and reiterate that both sides of the leaf must be able to be seen
when it is preserved. We will then go outside to replace lost leaves, as well as to
get them for students who were absent. I will also spend a few minutes discussing
plant succession, as well as the fate of dead leaves and fallen branches (nutrient
cycling). Show the students examples of the Shagbark Hickory and Cottonwood,
which are due on day 9.

DAY 6: We will grade the 5 leaves due this week in class. Students will trade leaf
collections, then we will grade the leaves one at a time, for ten points each.
Students will get their graded leaves back, have an opportunity to ask questions,
and then I will collect the grade sheets to enter the grades in my grade book.

- weekend - no school on Monday or Tuesday either - 23 - 26 SEP 96

DAY 7: We will begin the day with a discussion of where to find this week's leaves,
which are due on day 9. The leaves are the Shagbark Hickory, Cottonwood, and
White (not Gray) Birch. Students will obtain more leaf description sheets, as
needed. The rest of the class period will be spent with the students obtaining and
working on the "External Leaf Structure" worksheet, which will be due on day 9.

DAY 8: Help students with "External Leaf Structure" worksheet. Go over leaves that are
due on day 9. Hand out 3 leaf articles, students are to read articles and write
summaries of all three for day 11. Rest of class may be spent working on
homework.

DAY 9: Grade Shagbark Hickory, Cottonwood, and White Birch in class. "External
Leaf Structure" sheets due (collect). Discuss 5 leaves that are due on day 14.

- weekend - 30 SEP - 1 OCT 96

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DAY 10: Collect leaf article summaries. Begin "Transpiration Demonstration" discuss
needs of leaves for photosynthesis and structure and function of epidermis,
cuticle, stomata, guard cells, and transpiration. Have students look out window at
bag over branch that was placed on tree before class. Help students begin filling
out front of MEAP lab form. Teacher plants fast plants to put in window to show
phototropism on/after day 14.

DAY 11: Prep students for current events program. This lesson is not related to plant
unit.

DAY 12: Finish "Transpiration Demonstration". Take class outside to count leaves on
branch. Mass bag/water in class and have students write data, conclusion and
reasons for conclusion. Students are to answer lab questions, due on day 13.

DAY 13: Return "External Leaf Structure" worksheets/ go over them. Returrr/discuss
leaf article summaries. Hand out "Looking At Leaves" worksheet - homework for
day 15. Check/go over "Transpiration Demonstration" lab questions.

DAY 14: Grade 5 leaves in class: Basswood, Red Maple, Silver Maple, Black Willow,
Weeping Willow. Help with "Looking At Leaves" Assign 4 leaves that are due
on day 19 to and leaf collection. Teacher needs to plant seeds for "Phototropism -
Color of Light" demo to start on day 15. Put fast plants in window and discuss
with students what they predict the outcome will be if plants are left over the
weekend. ‘

- weekend - 5-6 OCT 96

DAY 15: Check "Looking At Leaves"/go over in class. Hand out "Phototropism - Color
of Ligh " demo, help fill out MEAP lab sheet, and explain light requirements for
photosynthesis. Show students plants that have sprouted for lab, put plants in
prepared box with plenty of water and 25 watt incandescent bulbs shining through
colored panels from a distance of 6 cm to prevent overheating of plants. Discuss
plants in the window and what has happened to them since day 14.

DAY 16: Observe "Phototropism - Color of Light" demo. Hand out page 1-2 of
"Internal Leaf Structure" worksheet (due on day 18). Help students make table of
contents for leaf collection - due on day 21 for final grading. Hand out "What Do
Leaves Do?" - do in class.

DAY 17: Help with "Internal Leaf Structure", pp. 1-2. Observe/measure "Photosynthesis
- Color of Ligh " demo. Hand out page 3-4 of "Internal Leaf Structure", due day
21.

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DAY 18: "Internal Leaf Structure" pp. 1-2 due - check in class. Help with "Internal Leaf
Structure", pp. 3—4. Observe/measure "Phototropism - Color of Light" demo,
students are to finish MEAP lab sheets and answer lab questions for day 20.

DAY 19: Leaf collection due for final grading. Grade leaves in class, students then turn
in collections and grade sheets for me to finish grading.

- weekend - 12-13 OCT 96

DAY 20: "Phototropism - Color of Light" demo due for a grade/discuss results.
Return/discuss leaf collections. Help with "Internal Leaf Structure", pp. 3-4 (due
on day 21).

DAY 21: Grade Pp. 3-4 of "Internal Leaf Structure"/Discuss all ungraded questions on
Pp. 1-4 of worksheet. Discuss Equation for Photosynthesis. Homework for day
23: read "Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide?" lab, prepare MEAP sheet for
day 23, also answer questions #1 and #2 on lab for day 23.

DAY 22: Recreate lost current event sheets/show examples of posters, Discuss science
fair projects. Discuss Exploravision Awards.

DAY 23: Start "Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide?" lab work. Teacher also needs to
set up teacher demo part of lab. Read microscope worksheets for homework
(“Structure and Function of Microscopes” lab, "The Enormous E" lab).

DAY 24: Finish "Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide?" lab, finish MEAP sheets in
class. Discuss microscope usage rules and methods, lab for day 25.

- weekend - 19-20 OCT 96

DAY 25: Use microscopes for the first time - show how to determine magnification,
carry microscope, steps to focus microscope, look at "The Enormous E" lab’s
rule: on three magnifications. Read "Oxygen Production in Plants" demo, answer
questions 1-2 for day 28, fill out front of MEAP sheet for day 28. Pass out Safety
Contracts, students are to get them signed for day 27.

DAY 26: Complete "The Enormous E" lab

DAY 27: Complete “Structure and Function of Microscopes” lab. Observe leaf cross
sections using microscopes, draw what you see and label the parts using
worksheets and p. 172 in P.H. Life Science Book. Safety Contracts due.

DAY 28: Start "Oxygen Production in Plants" demo in class. Help students with
examples of questions 3-5 in class so that they can calculate results using actual
lab data on day 29. Teacher to set lab up during class with students observing.

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DAY 29: Finish "Oxygen Production in Plants" demo in class. Students are to observe
lab, write conclusions, and answer questions 3-5 (with teacher help) in class - due
on day 31.

- weekend - (26-27 OCT 96) -
DAY 30: Current Events Presentation #1

DAY 31: Grade/discuss results and questions for "Oxygen Production in Plants" demo.
Prepare for "Is Starch Stored in Leaves?" to start on day 32 by completing front
of MEAP lab sheet.

DAY 32: Begin "Is Starch Stored in Leaves?" lab. Hand out test review sheet - to be
completed by day 34 as homework.

DAY 33: Finish "Is Starch Stored in Leaves?" lab - due at end of class.

DAY 34: Use review sheet to review for test on leaf collection, internal leaf structure,
external leaf structure, and photosynthesis. Early release begins, all class times
reduced by 3-5 minutes

- weekend - (2-3 NOV 96) -
DAY 35: Current Event presentation.

DAY 36: Test on leaf collection, internal leaf structure, external leaf structure, and
photosynthesis. Homework for day 39 - read "Power Plants" article and write a
summary of its contents.

DAY 37: Begin studying "Roots and Stems" do "Root and Stem Worksheet #1" in class
to start this new segment of plant unit. - due on day 39.

- long weekend due to conferences - (7 - 10 NOV 96) -
DAY 38: Current Event Presentation.

DAY 39: Help with "Root and Stem Worksheet #1. Show examples of root types, stem
types, and root and stem parts. Collect "Do Water Plants Use Carbon Dioxide?
lab and "Is Starch Stored in Leaves?" lab for grades. "Power Plants" article
summaries due. Return "Leaves" tests, must be signed for Day 41. Finish "Root
and Stem Worksheet #1 " for homework. 3rd Period only - for homework: read
"Corn Seed Tropism" lab and fill out front of MEAP lab sheet for day 41.

DAY 40: Grade/Go over "Root and Stem Worksheet #1" in class. Return labs and other
work from day 39. Homework: read "Corn Seed Tropism" lab and fill out front

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of MEAP lab sheet for day 41. No class third period - their worksheets will all be
due on day 41. Teacher needs to soak corn seeds for day 41.

DAY 41: Signed "Leaves" tests due. Set up "Corn Seed Tropism" Lab, make day 1
observations. Be sure to rinse soaked seeds in 1% Clorox solution prior to
planting to retard fungal growth. Homework: Read "Root Hair Growth and
Observation Lab", fill out front of MEAP lab sheet for day 42. 3rd period only,
grade and go over "Root and Stem Worksheet #1". 3rd period will observe 1st
periods "Corn Seed Tropism” Labs.

DAY 42: Set up "Root Hair Growth and Observation Lab", make day l observations.
No class 6th period, their class will observe 3rd period's labs. Observe "Corn
Seed Tropism" Lab, day 2. Teacher to plant soaked corn seeds and unsoaked
rosette and wild type fast plants in 72 plant trays for “Gibberellic Acid” lab to
start on day 47. Early release day - short classes.

- weekend - 16-17NOV96

DAY 43: Current Events. Observe "Root Hair Growth and Observation” Lab, day 4.
Observe "Corn Seed Tropism” Lab, day 5.

DAY 44: Observe "Root Hair Growth and Observation” Lab, day 5. Observe "Corn
Seed Tropism” Lab, day 6. Finish MEAP lab sheets for both labs, and answer lab
questions for day 46.

DAY 45: Help students with any questions on root hair and corn seed labs, labs due on
day 46. Take apart root hair and corn seed labs and plant corn seeds to replace
and unsprouted corn seeds (from day 42) in trays to be used later for “Gibberellic
Acid” and “Herbicide Specificity” demos.

DAY 46: Root hair and corn seed labs due. Discuss labs in class, collect MEAP sheets
to grade at home. Water and observe plants, pass out “Gibberellic Acid” demos,
students are to complete front of MEAP lab form for lab for day 47.

DAY 47: Begin “Gibberellic Acid” demo, spray control group with water and spray test
group with gibberellic acid. (discuss rationale for this treatment) Observe
relative sizes of plants and write observations in data section of MEAP sheet as
day one observations. Teacher will spray control and test groups for the weekend
period. Use extra class time to go over answers to page 1 of "Root and Stem
Worksheet #1”. Early release - short classes.

weekend - 23-24NOV96

DAY 48: Current Event: Observe plants for day 4 of “Gibberellic Acid” demo, make
notes in data section of MEAP Sheet.

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DAY 49: Observe plants for day 6 of Gibberellic Acid” demo. Be sure to note the
difference between cotyledonous leaves and true leaves on the fast plants.
Homework: Read “Herbicide Specificity” demo and fill out front of MEAP sheet
for day 50. Be sure to make a hypothesis that includes the effect of Weed-B-Gone
on monocots (corn) and dicots (fast plants), and Grass-B-Gone on monocots and
dicots!

DAY 50: Make final observations for “Gibberellic Acid” demo, students are to complete
“Gibberellic Acid” demo questions and MEAP lab sheet for day 52. Reorganize
plants into control and test groups based on plant size and type, then spray plants
with Weed-B-Gone and Grass-B-Gone to begin “Herbicide Specificity” demo,
being careful not to soak the soil - i.e., spray from the side, so that only the foliage
is soaked with herbicide. Students are to make observations of initial size and
color of plants in data section of MEAP lab sheet. I will water plants over the
long weekend. Thanksgiving program to shorten first period class significantly, if
you miss first period, you are responsible for making initial observations of the
plants before you go home for the long weekend! Don't forget to answer the six
questions at the end of the “Gibberellic Acid” demo sheet (also due on day 52)

long weekend - Thanksgiving (28NOV - lDEC96)
DAY 51: Current Event. Observe “Herbicide Specificity” demo, day 6.

DAY 52: Finish “Herbicide Specificity” demo. Answers to 6 “Herbicide Specificity”
demo questions and MEAP lab sheets due on day 53. Finish discussing "Root and
Stern Worksheet #1 in class. “Gibberellic Acid” demo and demo questions due.
Hand out/begin "Conservation Trees"/"A Graft Can Be More Than the Sum of Its
Parts" and "Root and Stern Worksheet #2" at end of class - due on day 55.

DAY 53: “Herbicide Specificity” demo and lab questions due. Help with "Root and
Stem Worksheet #2". Hand out/explain "Structures of Stems" lab, read
background information together/discuss. Form lab groups of 3 students each,
explain safe usage of scalpels to cut camations. Each group is to set up one
carnation, using test tubes in test tube racks rather than beakers. I will pro-mix the
food-coloring solutions and will soak the celery for 24 hours prior to start of lab.

I will also cut camations and place them in one large bucket of food coloring.
Substitute ash tree cross sections for maple tree cross sections on the lab. Lab to
start on day 54 and finish on day 55. Be sure to make you hypothesis in part A,
question #4 of lab.

DAY 54: Begin "Structures of Stems" lab. Be sure to label your test tubes for your
camations. Observe fresh celery and the ash tree stems, work together to answer
pertinent lab questions - Part C: plate 2 (draw), answer questions 2a and 3;
Conclusions: answer 2a, 2b, and 5; Critical thinking: answer all questions.

120

DAY 55: Observe/end "Structures of Stems" lab. Answer remaining lab questions for
day 57. Cut stems of camations Shorter and place them in fresh water to use next
week. Dispose of colored water and clean test tubes. "Root and Stem Worksheet
#2" due. Early release - short class period.

weekend - 7-8DEC96
DAY 56: Current Events.

DAY 57: "Structures of Stems" lab due. Returrr/go over "Root and Stem Worksheet #2".
Begin reviewing root and stem concepts, test on day 59.

DAY 58: “Root and Stern Test” review day. Go over "Root and Stem Worksheet #1 ".

DAY 59: “Root and Stem Test”. Read about flowers and seeds in chapter 8 of your
textbook and begin Flower and Seed sub-unit with "Flower and Seed Worksheet
#1 - due on day 63. Hand out "A Beginning Look at Plants (Monocots)/A
Beginning Look at Plants (Dicots)", "Looking at Fruits and Seeds/Comparing
Monocots and Dicots" for students to use to help with "F lower and Seed
Worksheet #1 ". Soak seeds to use for "Seed Observation Lab" on day 60.

DAY 60: "Seed Observation Lab" - due on day 63 - don't forget to answer the 8
questions at the end of the lab! Also help with "Flower and Seed Worksheet #1 ".
Early release - short class period.

- weekend - l4-15DEC96 -

DAY 61: Current Events. Hand out new schedule. Hand out "Looking at
Flowers/Pollination and Fertilization" - for day 63.

DAY 62: Help with "Seed Observation Lab" questions. Give vascular plants and plant
grth notes from the overhead projector. Discuss "Looking at
Flowers/Pollination and Fertilization". Help with "Flower and Seed Worksheet
#1" - due day 64.

DAY 63: "Seed Observation Lab" due. Complete “Flower Lab” - Dissect flowers to
observe flower parts - draw and label the parts on sheets of unlined paper, use
"Looking at F lowers/Pollination and Fertilization" help with flower part
recognition. - flower pictures due on day 64. Be sure that you label which type of
flower you are drawing and to indicate whether or not it is perfect (has petals,
sepals, stamens, and pistils) or imperfect (missing one or more structures).

DAY 64: "Flower and Seed Worksheet #1 " due, grade/go over in class. “Flower Lab”
with pictures and questions due.

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DAY 65: Early release - short Friday. Do "Fruits, Vegetables, and Spices/Tree Basics,
Planting and Care" worksheet in class. Begin "Plant F oods" activity - due on day
67. Students need to set up their own chart for the foods that they eat each day,
with an area to write out the name of each plant that they eat, and which part of
the plant is eaten. Students must write down foods eaten for 7 days of their
choice, and make a final total of all of the stems, roots, leaves, fruits, and seeds
that they eat. Exit poll: on a scrap of paper list at least one thing about seeds and
flowers that you are having trouble understanding, and one new thing that you
have learned about seeds and flowers that you feel you understand very well.

- vacation -

DAY 66: Hand out "Flower and Seed Worksheet #2", begin in class. Hand out
"Yosemite Indians" article and "Plant Kingdom - Vascular/American Indians
Taught Pilgrims About Gardening". Students are to use these sheets and "Tree
Basics, Planting and Care" to help with "Flower and Seed Worksheet #2" - due on
day 70. Also hand out MEAP sheet for question #14 on worksheet (due on day
69). Show pictures of pollen.

DAY 67: "Plant Foods" activity due. Go over in class and tally class results. Hand out
"Phototropism and Gravitropism of Stems" demo. Students are to fill out MEAP
sheet, lab will be done as a demonstration - due on day 72. Show lab setup for
day #1 observations.

DAY 68: Discuss concept of vegetative propagation, show examples (spider plants and
other house plants grown from cuttings). Discuss concept of sexual reproduction
(2 parents and/or 2 reproductive cells). Show how frost cracks in trees
occur/show pictures, also show defrosted lettuce leaves that have been frozen in
the fi‘eezer to simulate cold outdoor temperatures. Help with "Flower and Seed
Worksheet #2" - due on day 70. Observe "Phototropism and Gravitropism of
Stems" demo - day 2.

DAY 69: "Flower and Seed Worksheet #2", questicnfilicnlx due, go over in class.
Prepare for/start actual "dirt" lab, based on student suggestions. Observe

"Phototropism and Gravitropism of Stems" demo - day 3 (1996/97 only).

DAY 70: "Flower and Seed Worksheet #2" due, go over in class. Observe "Phototropism
and Gravitropism of Stems" demo - day 4.

- weekend - 11-12JAN97

DAY 71: Current Event.

DAY 72: Finish reviewing, use seed and flower worksheets, all lab worksheets. Observe
"Phototropism and Gravitropism of Stems" demo - day 8.

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DAY 73: “Flower and Seed Test”. Begin “Ferns” portion of unit. Read about Ferns in
Ch. 8., do section review for day 72.

DAY 74: Ferns section review due. Begin "Fern Worksheet" - due day 77. Discuss
asexual (1 parent) reproduction. Show fern pictures (adults, fiddleheads), actual
fern fronds w/ sori, and fern prothallia.

DAY 75: Help with Kingdom Plantae concept map and 5 Kingdom concept map for
“Fern Worksheet”. Help with other fern questions, especially purpose of
sporophyte/garnetophyte stages. Observe/ finish "Phototropism and Gravitropism
of Stems" demo - day 11, discuss lab questions. Lab MEAP sheet due on day 78.

weekend - 18-19JAN97

DAY 76: Current Event.

DAY 77: “Fern Worksheet” due. Go over in class. Review for fern quiz.

DAY 78: “Fern Quiz”. End of plant unit. Prepare for plant post-test. "Phototropism and
Gravitropism of Stems" demo MEAP sheet due.

DAY 79: Review for vascular plant unit post-test. Finish "Dirt Lab”.

DAY 80: “Vascular Plant Unit Post-Test”.

APPENDIX D

9.

APPENDIX D

TESTS

. Plant Unit Pre-Test

. Plant Unit Pre-Test Results

. Leaf Test Review Sheet

Leaf Test

. Root and Stem Test

Flower and Seed Test

Fern Quiz

. Plant Unit Post-Test

Plant Unit Post-Test Results

10. Vascular Plant Unit Concept Retention Evaluation

123

124

PLANT UNIT PRE-TEST

Answer the following questions to the best of your ability, it is acceptable to guess.

1. What is a plant? In other words, how do you know something is a plant when you see
it?

 

 

 

2. What is the difference between trees and grass?

 

 

 

3. Can trees have flowers? Explain your answer.

 

 

 

4. What is the function of a flower?

 

 

5. Where does fruit come from, and what is fiuit for?

 

 

125

6. What is pollen?

 

 

7. What is the purpose of a leaf?

 

 

8. Why do plants make roots?

 

 

9. Why do trees make wood?

 

 

10. Name the parts of a typical plant.

 

 

11. If I plant a tree outdoors in a pot that contains 500 pounds (226.8 kg) of dirt and
come back 2 years later to find that the tree itself weighs 100 pounds (45.4 kg), how
many pounds of dirt should still be in the pot? (where does the 100 pounds of tree come
from?) Explain your answer.

 

 

 

12.

126

What do plants need to survive?

 

 

 

13.

List the characteristics of living things. How can you tell if something is alive?

 

 

 

14.

Separate all plants into big groups based on how they look.

 

 

 

15.

In what way(s), if any, are plants useful to humans and other animals?

 

 

 

16.

In what way(s), if any, are humans and other animals useful to plants?

 

 

 

127

PRE-TEST RESULTS

The following is a cumulative analysis of all of the answers that fifty-seven seventh grade
students gave when the pre-test was administered before the start of the plant unit. The
number that precedes each answer indicates how many students gave that answer, either
by itself or as part of a larger answer. For example, if a student answered "roots, stems,
and leaves" to question number 10, I counted that as one root, one stem, and one leaf
answer. The students did not get to see the pre-tests after they took them at the beginning
of the unit, until the unit was completed. Many of the same questions appeared on labs,
worksheets, and tests during the plant unit. When the tests were returned at the end of the
unit, the students were stunned and amused by the lack of knowledge that their pre-test
answers revealed at the start of the unit. See the post-test results to review the answers
that students gave to similar questions at the end of the unit.

1. What is a plant? In other words, how do you know something is a plant when you see
it?

32 Is green
25ea Attached to the ground/ grows in soil, has leaves
19 Is alive

17 Has roots

11 Has stems

9 Has flowers

Sea Needs sun, needs water

4ea Is a small bush, grows

3ea Is in a pot, breathes, has branches

2ea Has veins, lets out oxygen

lea Made out of wood, is organic, is a tree, doesn't move, can reproduce, needs
food, is in the plant cycle, needs fertilizer, makes fiuits or vegetables, is not
an animal, comes from a seed, has cytoplasm, is a fern, no answer

2. What is the difference between trees and grass?

TREES GRASS

24 Is big, tall 16 Short, skinny, small

19 Has leaves 6ea Is green, grows from ground
18 has a trunk Sea Has no roots, has blades

l4ea Have bark, have branches 4 Is a weed

9 Have roots 3ea Needs a lot of water, is a leaf,
7 Produce/make fiuits can be/needs to be cut, has

5 Made out of wood many pieces

3

128

Gives off oxygen

2ea Live long, can live without water

for a long time, are green, are one
piece

lea Can have flowers, more species, make

food, grow from the ground, can make
paper, have a stump, have a stern, are
animal homes, have chlorophyll, clean
the air

no answer I
couldn't decipher

3. Can trees have flowers? Explain your answer.

54
3

Yes
No

2ea

lea

1

Has flowers, comes from seeds
has stems, must be planted
Does not produce anything,

no trunk, no flowers, no stern,
has roots, are more species,
grow fast, breathe, no leaves,
have chlorophyll, no bark

The reasons, when given, varied widely. Some "yes" reasons showed a
great deal of thought, for example: "In a way a tree is like a plant, it has leaves,
why not flowers?" or "On zucchini plants there's a flower that turns into the
zucchini, so maybe an orange or apple or a cherry tree has a flower to start off."
Others were more to the point, such as: "I have a flowering tree in my yard",
"Trees have to make flowers to mate", "Only certain types of trees flower", "1
have seen trees blossom", "flower buds make fruit", and many mentions of apple
blossoms. The "no" reasons were "because I haven't seen one", "flowers grow on
the ground, not on trees", and "flowers are separate plants". Many of the students
thought that the flowers turned into leaves.

4. What is the function of a flower?

27
14
7

6
5
4
3
1

Make food for animals

Smell good, are pretty

Make pollen, pollinate

Used for reproduction

Make fruit

Make seeds to make new plants
Make oxygen for animals to use

ea Make seeds, help leaves grow, do photosynthesis, no answer

129

5. Where does fruit come from, and what is fruit for?

40
7
3ea
2

1

Grows on plants and is food for animals

Grows on plants, is food for animals, more plants grow from seeds
Is made by the flower, grows on plants, makes new plants

Is food for animals

Anything with seeds that grows on plants

6. What is pollen?

17
10
7
4ea

3
lea

For bees

For reproduction, to make new plants

Made by flowers, found inside of flowers

Is a powder, made by flowers and causes allergies, is sperm or the male part
of flower, is food

No answer

helps plants grow, made by bees, is a flower, is mold, is inside plant, is
plant droppings

7. What is the purpose of a leaf?

15

For animals to use for food or homes

Does photosynthesis, makes food, energy or sugar

Stores, makes or collects water

Illegible, "do stuff", no answer

Gives shade

Helps tree grow, makes or releases oxygen, grows from trees, look nice
Make chlorophyll, make or clean air, protect tree

Balance plant, decoration, help plant live, makes seeds, makes carbon
dioxide

8. Why do plants make roots?

35
15
10
7

5
2
2

To soak up water

To hook plant down, hold plant up

To grow, know where to grow, help grow

To make or soak up food

To soak up fertilizer and/or minerals

To reproduce or grow more plants from other end of roots
No answer

130

9. Why do trees make wood?

24 For protection, it's like skin

12 It's a resource for animals (paper, houses)

6 To hold self up, place for leaves to grow

3 Illegible, couldn't decipher answer

2 Support and protection

2 No answer

lea To transport water, to survive, to burn, to help world, to digest food, for
support and food storage, to make bark

10. Name the parts of a typical plant.

49 Roots

47 Leaves
47 Stems

26 Flowers
7 Branches
4 Seeds

3 Trunk

2ea Petals, bark, soil, stump
2 No answer/illegible
lea Middle, top, bulb, abdomen, thorax, cytoplasm

11. If I plant a tree outdoors in a pot that contains 500 pounds (226.8 kg) of dirt and
come back 2 years later to find that the tree itself weighs 100 pounds (45.4 kg), how
many pounds of dirt should still be in the pot? (where does the 100 pounds of tree come
from?) Explain your answer.

24 500, the same, nearly 500

17 400
5 No answer, illegible
2 350

lea 600, 450, 250, 200, 80, 75, 50, can't be determined

Explanations vary, many said that the tree doesn't use the dirt, two students wrote
that nearly 500 pounds would be left, but that some dirt would be lost as nutrients
were removed from the soil. The students who wrote 400 pounds indicated that
the tree used the dirt, and that some dirt would be pushed out of the pot or would
erode/blow away. One student wrote that it could be either 400 pounds or 500
pounds, depending on whether or not a tree gets nutrients from the soil.

131

12. What do plants need to survive?

5 1 Water

44 Sun

17 Dirt or soil

10 Carbon Dioxide

4 Air

3 Food

2ea Sugar, love, to make food

lea Minerals, vitamins, sugar, oxygen, stems, roots, leaves, flowers
lea To make air, to make carbon dioxide, to help animals, to help us

13. List the characteristics of living things. How can you tell if something is alive?

3 l Breathes

23 Eats, needs food, water or nutrients

13ea Moves, grows

12 Is green, has color

9 Reproduces

2ea Makes sounds, has heart, needs light, has leaves if it's a plant

lea changes, has organs, has 2 eyes, has a heart, leaves aren't brown, has veins,
forms new cells, can die, sees, feels, smells, hears, is in ground, has leaves
and flowers, stands up, is not dead, is green and has wet soil if its a plant

14. Separate all plants into big groups based on how they look.

32 Flowers

22 Trees

16 Grasses

10ea Weeds, fiuits

9ea Bushes, big/tall

Sea Green, small/short

7 No answer

Sea Prickly, vegetables

4 Fungus

3ea Other than green, ivy/vines, house/indoor

2ea Medium, plants, big leaves, poisonous

lea edible, non-edible, ferns, small leaves, leaves, need sun and water,
carnivores, bulbs, mammals, reptiles, medicine, lots of leaves, no flowers,
grow in ground, seeds

132

15. In what way(s), if any, are plants useful to humans and other animals?

41
37
17
7

6
4ea
2ea
lea

For air, to breathe, for oxygen

As fruit or food

For homes or shelter

For shade

For company, decoration, beauty

For medicine, wood

To prevent erosion, for resources, for genetics/studies
For paper, for chalkboards, for water

16. In what way(s), if any, are humans and other animals useful to plants?

31
15
8
6ea
5
3ea
2ea
lea

Help them breathe, give them carbon dioxide

Irrigate/water them

Illegible, no answer

F eed/fertilize them, care for them

Grow or plant them

Help them reproduce/ get pollinated, put them in the sun

We eat them, give them air, kill them/weed them

We protect them from bad weather/cold, give them oxygen, we make "stuff"
from them, we don't help them

133

W

TRUE or FALSE - choose "A" for true or "B" for false on your answer
sheet. If a question is false, fix it so that it is true. (2 pts ea)

1. The oxygen given off by plants is a gas.

2. Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll.

3. The dark reactions of photosynthesis can only occur at night.
4. Carbon dioxide is a product of photosynthesis.

5. Plants break glucose down and use the stored energy to make things
like leaves, stems, and roots.

6. The energy from the sun is stored in the bonds in glucose by plants.
7. Most photosynthesis occurs in the leaves of plants.
8. Growth toward light is called negative phototropism.

9. Angiosperms, gymnosperms, and ferns are related because they are all
vascular plants.

10. Plants with covered seeds are called gymnosperms.
11. Pine needles are leaves.
12-16. Complete the following reactions for photosynthesis.

CARBON + +
DIOXIDE sunlight OXYGEN

 

 

 

H20 sunlight C6H1206

17. A "waste product" or "by-product" of photosynthesis is
A. C02 B. chlorophyll C. H20 D. 02

18. A plant's response to a stimulus is called a(n)
A. auxin B. gibberellin C. tropism D. hormone

19. Monocots and dicots are both types of:
A. Ferns B. Gymnosperms C. Angiosperms D. Cycads

134

20) What is the name for the other large group of plants, which don't
produce flowers, but many members of the group make cones and have
needles for their leaves?

 

21) Some cone bearing plants (conifers) are commonly called evergreens.
You know that pine trees, which are a type of conifer, lose a few leaves
at a time, or there wouldn't be needles on the ground underneath of pine
trees. Are all conifers "ever green"? In other words, do any of the
conifers lose all of their needles at once like many Angiosperms do in
the fall? Read your plant articles and then explain how you know!

 

22A. Based on what you know from class, is the following leaf

\N/ B

A

from a Monocot or Dicot plant?

 

'1:

Explain how you know.

 

 

 

22B. What is part "A" of the leaf in #22A called?
22C. What is part "B" of the leaf in #22A called?

 

 

22D. How many large parts (cotyledons) would a seed from the plant that
made the leaf in #24 have?

 

23. The growth of a plant figuazd_a_lighn_ggnxgg is called

A. negative geotropism C. positive hydrotropism
B. negative phototropism D. positive phototropism
24. During the light reactions of photosynthesis

A. H20 is broken down into 02 and H2
B. Glucose is formed
C. C02 is broken down into Carbon and Oxygen
D. Chlorophyll is broken down by the sunlight
25. Leaves that have one blade are called leaves

 

A. Dicot B. Monocot C. Simple D. Compound

135

26. The group of plants commonly referred to as flowering plants is
called
A. ferns B. angiosperms C. gymnosperms D. conifers

27. Which of the following is NQI needed by plants.
A. Water B. Oxygen C. Hydrogen gas D. Carbon Dioxide

28. Draw a Compound monocot Leaf in the space below. Indicate which
type of veins you have drawn and label the Leaflets and Petiole.

29. Explain what is happening when leaves "Turn Colors" in the Fall.

30. What do we call the waxy substance that keeps plants from losing
too much water from their leaves?

 

31. To which color of light are plants most attracted?

 

32. Which color of light do plants most need for photosynthesis?

33. Do plants store starch in their leaves?

 

34. Which color of light do green plants reflect?

 

136

35. Dandelions, grasses, and cottonwoods are the first plants to move
into a bare area after a fire or some other disaster - rather than oaks
and maples, explain what this is called and why this happens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

36. Why are most of the chloroplasts in a leaf found in the palisade
layer?

 

37. What is the function of the veins in a leaf?

 

 

 

38) What is the main reason plants undergo Photosynthesis?

 

39) What type of vein tissue transports water and minerals up to the
leaves of a plant?

 

40) Why do we call vascular plants vascular plants? In other words,
what is the vascular part of a vascular plant?

Explain:

 

 

 

 

137

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

41) Why do trees make leaves?

42) Does a leaf have xylem and phloem?

43) What is a stoma? What is the function of a stoma?

44) What is transpiration? What can leaves do to slow it down?
45) What type of vein tissue transports food from leaves down to a

tree's roots?

46)

 

The spongy layer of a leaf has open spaces in it like the open

spaces in a sponge, why are the open spaces important to the leaf?

 

 

 

47)

leaf?

What is the epidermis of a leaf? What does the epidermis do for a
Where is the epidermis found?

 

 

 

138

48) What would happen to a leaf if you painted the top black? (Explain
why!)

 

 

 

49) Which type of cells surround the holes in the bottom of a leaf?

 

50) Are pine needles leaves? Why or why not?

 

 

 

51) What is the scientific name for the flowering plants?

 

52) To which large group of plants do Cycads, Gingkoes, and Conifers
belong?

 

53) To which large group of plants do monocots and dicots belong?

 

139

IBER_Q:_£AL33 - choose "A" for true or "B" for false on your answer
sheet. (2 pts ea)

1. Plants break glucose down and use the stored energy to make things
like leaves, stems, and roots.

2. Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll.

3. The dark reactions of photosynthesis only occur at night.

4. A leaf has xylem and phloem.

5. Glucose molecules can be hooked (bonded) together to make starch.

6. The energy from the sun is stored in the bonds in glucose by plants.

7. Angiosperms, gymnosperms, and ferns are related because they are all
vascular plants.

MELIIELE_CHQIQR - bubble the letter of the best answer to each question
in the spaces provided on your answer sheet.

8. To which large group of plants do Cycads, Gingkoes, and Conifers
belong?
A. Monocots B. Angiosperms C. Dicots D. Gymnosperms

9. Which one of the following types of veins is not found in dicots?
A. Pinnate B. Palmate C. Parallel D. Arcuate

10. The group of plants commonly referred to as flowering plants is
called
A. ferns B. angiosperms C. gymnosperms D. conifers

11. Plants are most attracted to which color of light?
A. Red B. Blue C. Green D. Violet

140

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12. Plants most need which color of light to perform photosynthesis?
A. Red B. Blue C. Green D. Violet
13. Approximately how many species of Gymnosperms exist on Earth?
A. 50,000 B. 150,000 C. 200,00 D. 250,000
14. A "waste product" or "by-product" of photosynthesis is
A. C02 B. chlorophyll C. H20 D. 02
15. The growth of a plant guax_£zgn_g_11ght_agnzgg is called
A. negative geotropism C. positive hydrotropism
B. negative phototropism D. positive phototropism
16. During the light reactions of photosynthesis
A. H20 is broken down into 02 and H2
B. Glucose is formed
C. C02 is broken down into Carbon and Oxygen
D. Chlorophyll is broken down by the sunlight
17. What is transpiration? What can leaves do to slow it down?
18. Based on what you know from class, is the following leaf from a

Monocot (bubble "A") or Dicot (bubble "B") plant?

((25

is

141

19. Draw a compound ding; leaf in the space below. Indicate which type
of veins you have drawn and label the Leaflets and Petiole.

*TYPE OF VEINS

 

20. Why do trees make leaves? (Give a complete answer)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

142

21 - 25. Complete the following reactions for photosynthesis.

CARBON + +
DIOXIDE sunlight OXYGEN

 

 

 

 

H20 sunlight C6H1206

143

W

W - choose "A" for true or "B" for false on your answer sheet. (3 points
each)

1. Corn and Wisconsin fast plants both have fibrous roots.
2. Fibrous roots can grow as big around as your arm.
3. Auxins cause a plant to bend toward the light.
4. Herbaceous stems have annual rings.
5. Annuals, biennials, and perennials can have herbaceous stems.
6. Rhizomes and tubers are special types of roots.
7. Dandelions have herbaceous stems
8. Gibberellins are plant growth hormones that cause stems to grow longer.
9. Both monocots and dicots can have herbaceous stems.
10. All plants have vascular tissue.
MHLIIBLILCHQICE. Circle the letter of the best answer to each of the following
questions. (3 points each)
11. Which of the following is not a problem caused by deforestation?
A. Increased erosion C. More food for people
B. Decreased oxygen levels D. Fewer homes for animals

12. In the corn seed lab, which tropism were the stems showing in the dark?

A. Positive gravitropism C. Negative gravitropism

B. Positive phototropism D. Negative phototropism
13. As plants lean toward the light that they can "see", which tropism are they showing?

A. Positive gravitropism C. Negative gravitropism

B. Positive phototropism D. Negative phototropism

14. Auxins are
A. enzymes B. sugars C. hormones D. fruits

144

15. The tissue that makes new bark and wood in plants is called
A. Xylem B. Phloem C. Cambium D. Osmosis

16. A plant's response to a stimulus is called a(n)

A. auxin B. gibberellin C. tropism D. hormone

W: Look up at the front of the room at the plant parts that I hold
up and answer the following questions. (3 points each)

17. Look up to the front of the room at the plant part that I am holding, which type of
plant is this?
A. Perennial B. Biennial C. Annual D. Usual

18. Which type of stem does this object have?
A. Herbaceous B. Rhizome C. Woody D. Tuber

19. On the second plant part that I am holding, what does the dark area represent?
A. Springwood B. Summerwood C. Heartwood D. Sapwood

ESSAXNIIMBERJ:

I just found a tall tree with 100 annual rings, it (131%.th have cones on it, but it does have
flowers and seeds with two cotyledons.

20. To which big group of vascular plants does this tree belong? (3pts)
A. Monocots B. Conifers C. Dicots D. Ferns

21. How old is this tree most likely to be? Can it be younger or older than that age?
Clearly explain why or why not. (5 points)

 

 

 

 

145

22. If I were to have pounded a nail (7 feet off of the ground) into this tree when it had
95 annual rings, how high off the ground should I now expect this nail to be located?
Explain why it will be at this height - be specific! (5 points)

 

 

 

 

23. Why would this tree die if you removed its phloem? (5 points)

 

 

 

 

24. To which structures within your body is the wood in this tree most closely related?
(5 points)

 

25. Last, but not least, which type of tissue provides support and is the growth rings in
this tree? (5 points)

 

W21 In one lab, certain parts of a celery stalk turned red and a
carnation began to turn colors.

26. Which tissue transported the colored water? (5 points)

 

146

27 . What do the labs show you that could happen if the colored water contained poison
(where in the plant could the poison wind up, and what effects could that have on the
other plants and animals in the area?) (5 points)

 

 

 

 

 

W

28. Based on your experience in class, can herbicides have the same effect on all plants
or may they be specific to certain groups of plants? Be specific! (5 points)

 

 

 

 

 

147

W

W

1. Why do some plants make flowers, what are they for? (15 Points)

 

 

 

2. Endosperm is food for a developing plant that is found in seeds, where does the food
that makes up endosperm come from before it gets put into the seed, and how does the
food get to the seed? (20 Points)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. We all have seen how many leaves drop from the local plants each fall. Why aren't
there 6 feet of leaves in the woods? Where do all of the leaves and branches, and other
plant parts go? Also, why don't we have to put fertilizer in the woods to get trees to
grow? Hint - "nutrient cycling". (20 Points)

 

 

 

 

 

148

4. Dandelions, grasses, and cottonwoods and other plants with small seeds are the first
plants to move into a bare area after a fire or some other disaster. Later, perhaps years
later, oaks, maples, walnuts, and hickory trees will move into the area. Explain what this
process is called and why it happens. (20 Points)

 

 

 

 

 

5. When the proper type of pollen lands on the stigma of a plant, the life cycle of a plant
starts. Describe the steps that follow pollination in the life cycle of a flowering plant. Be
sure to include the terms fertilization, germination, pistil, stamen, seed, and any of the
following parts that are necessary: anther, stigma, ovary, pollen, filament, style,
cotyledon, and endosperm . Don't forget to end with a pollination occun'ing for a second
time! (20 Points)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Would the plant in the question above be an angiosperm or gymnospenn? (5 Points)

 

149

EERDLQJIIZ

FILL IN THE BLANK/SHORT ANSWER — fill in the blanks with your best answer.

1. What is sexual reproduction? Do all plants use sexual reproduction? Give examples
to support your answer! Explain fully! (16 Points)

 

 

 

 

 

2. An immature fern leaf is called a . (3 Points)

3. The Sporophyte stage of a fem's life cycle forms spores, is that a form of sexual

reproduction or asexual reproduction?
(3 Points)

 

4. Gametes are formed by the Gametophyte stage of a fem's life cycle, name the two

 

 

types of gametes: and (3 Points Each)

5. What is the approximate size of the world's biggest fern? What limits a fem's size?
(10 Points)

 

 

 

6. Name three major things that ferns have in common with Angiosperms and
Gymnosperms. (4 Points Each)

1.

 

2.

 

 

150

WI

1. What is a vascular plant? In other words, how do you know something is a vascular
plant when you see it? (give three reasons) - 12 Points

 

 

 

2. Why do some plants make flowers? - 10 Points

 

 

3. Why do vascular plants have leaves? - 10 points

 

 

4. What do plants need to survive? (list 3 things) - 12 Points

A.

 

B.

 

 

151

5. List the characteristics of living things. in other words, how can you tell if something
is alive? (five things) - 20 Points

A .

 

B.

 

 

 

 

6. In what ways are plants useful to humans and other animals? - 20 Points

A .

 

 

 

 

 

7. In what ways are humans and other animals useful to plants? - 16 Points

 

 

 

 

152

W

* These results are for the 59 students who took the test.
1. What is a vascular plant? In other words, how do you know something is a vascular
plant when you see it? (give three reasons)
True stems, roots, and leaves was used as an answer by 46 students. Three other
students used stems and leaves, but had another acceptable answer in place of

roots.

The acceptable answers included: has true roots, true stems, true leaves, is green,
does photosynthesis, and has xylem and phloem.

2. Why do some plants make flowers?
Reproduction was the correct answer and it was used by 55 students.

A partially correct answer given by 3 students included the mention of moving
pollen to another plant.

The one completely incorrect answer was “to decompose” .

3. Why do vascular plants have leaves?

“To do photosynthesis to make food” was the correct answer and it was used by
37 students.

“To do photosynthesis” earned partial credit and was used by 13 students.
“To make food” earned partial credit and was used by 5 students.

Other answers included: carry water and minerals, absorb sunlight, reflect
sunlight, and to pollinate.

153

4. What do plants need to survive? (list 3 things)

Acceptable answers included Carbon Dioxide, Oxygen, energy from the sun, water,
living space, and a fairly constant temperature.

25 Students had at least three correct answers and no incorrect answers.

26 Students had at least three correct answers, but included “need food” which was
not an acceptable answer.

6 Students had two correct answers and “need food”.

2 Students only had one correct answer “living space”

5. List the characteristics of living things. In other words, how can you tell if something
is alive? (five things)

5 Correct answers: 34
4 Correct answers: 13
3 Correct answers: 5
2 Correct answers: 5
1 Correct answer: 5

The acceptable answers as taught in class were: grow, move, respond to stimuli,
perform chemical activities, have cells.

Errors varied and included the following: reproduce: 10, breathe: 8, eat: 7, give
off or use 02: 4, Take in or give off C02: 3, drink: 2, take up space: 2, green,
produce things, have a life cycle, illegible, same answer twice, no answer: 6

154

6. In what ways are plants useful to humans and other animals? (5 things)

5 Correct answers: 47
4 Correct answers: 7
3 Correct answers: 3
2 Correct answers: 1
1 Correct answer: 0

Oxygen was used as an answer by 53 students.
Food was used as an answer by 53 students.

Acceptable answers other than food and oxygen were shelter, paper, dye, wood,
firewood, erosion control, medicines, and beauty.

Students who only wrote 2, 3, or 4 correct answers frequently didn’t provide
enough answers or used variations of the same idea for two answers.

7. In what ways are humans and other animals useful to plants? (4 things)

4 Correct answers: 46
3 Correct answers: 8
2 Correct answers: 3
1 Correct answer: 2

“Give plants C02” was used as an answer by 46 students.

Other acceptable answers included: water, artificial light, shelter, fertilizer,
enhance seed mobility, pollinate, planting, protect endangered plants.

155

; ls:'s\ It O; ': \IO\ ; s M

1. A. If you had all of the same body parts that you have now, and you also added
leaves, what advantages would the leaves give you?

 

 

 

 

B. What disadvantages, if any, would the leaves give you?

 

 

 

 

2. Why do some plants make flowers?

 

 

 

3. What is the purpose of leaves?

 

 

 

4. How does life on Earth, including our lives, depend on plants?

 

 

 

156

5. What is the relationship of photosynthesis to respiration?

 

 

 

 

6. Why do some plants in Michigan lose their leaves in winter?

 

 

 

 

7. What does the term vascular mean? How does the term vascular apply to many
organisms?

 

 

 

 

8. A. What do all plants have in common?

 

 

B Use the space below (or on the back of this sheet) to make a concept map (diagram)
showing how we separate plants into smaller, more specific groups.

9. Use a MEAP sheet to design a lab to determine if a plant that you just found
alongside the road is a vascular plant. You may not kill this plant in your lab,
since it may be the only plant of this species on Earth. Be sure to fill out the
hypothesis, reasons for hypothesis, materials, and procedure sections!

APPENDIX E

APPENDIX E

LEAF COLLECTION

1. Leaf Collection Instruction Sheets
2. Leaf Collection Grade Sheet

3. Leaf Description Sheet

157

158

LEAECQLLECIIQN

As hard as it may be to believe, nearly all of Michigan was covered by a vast forest not so
very long ago. In this part of the state, many of the first settlers were farmers and had no
real use for most of the trees. To clear the land, the trees were simply cut and burned. In
addition, most of the rest of the area was made up of large swamps, which were drained
by other settlers, resulting in the destruction of the majority of the native swamp-dwelling
plant (and animal) species. Almost none of the trees are old-growth trees, which would
be at least 250 years old. Nearly all of the trees that you see in the Detroit area are second
and third plantings, particularly in the cities and towns. Many of the trees that have been
planted to replace the native trees are ornamental in nature and are not normally found in
Michigan (or the continent, for that matter!)

In the next few weeks you will become amateur botanists (people who study all plants)
and amateur dendrologists (people who study trees in particular) as we will be looking at
some of the more common local plants. You will be required to collect a leaf sample
from each plant. You will have to collect these samples 5.0.011 since the leaves will be
falling (TO GET FULL CREDIT FOR A LEAF, IT MUST BE MOSTLY GREEN
(EXCEPT RED MAPLES) AND IN GOOD SHAPE - NO PAR TS MISSING). W

W

CHQQSINQSAMBLES

1. Look for a good representative sample of the leaf type. Choose a leaf that is average
in size, shape, and color. Stay away from leaves that have been damaged by insects and
disease.

2. Askpennission. If the tree is on someone else's property, ask permission to take a leaf
sample instead of sneaking up and stripping the tree. If you explain what you are doing,
nearly everyone should be cooperative.

3. Get the entire leaf. This may seem obvious, but some leaves are compound, and what

may seem to be a leaf might only be a small part of one individual leaf. Make sure to get
all of the petiole (stem). DON'T MASSACRE THE TREE, YOU ONLY NEED ONE

GOOD LEAF, mmfllbemarkcdfimnionbfinginginmmimhranchl
PRESERYINQSPECIMENS

1. The relatively good-looking method (and the easiest) is to put the leaf between two
pieces of contact paper. Don't use colored contact paper!

2. Another good method is to put your leaf through a laminating machine.

159

3. The old, tried and true method is to press the leaf in waxed paper. Cut a square of
waxed paper somewhat larger than the leaf itself. Cut another piece for the other side of
the leaf and put the leaf between the sheets. Press the leaf by placing it on a flat surface
and weighting it down with a large book or some other heavy, flat object. After three to
five days, take the pressed leaf out and seal the edges with tape.

4. An alternative method is to press the leaf in the waxed paper with a W (not
hot!!!) iron. Don't ruin your family's iron!

5. Two other popular methods are to use photo album pages of document protectors.

* Try to do them all the same way, it looks a lot better!

PRESENTATION

1. You need to put all of the leaves in some type of binder or a Duo-tang folder £thle

WWW Your binder mnsthama
Wage for the leaves that it contains. Be sure to number the pages!

2. The leaves must be presented so that you can see hathjides of each leaf. Another
choice is to have two examples of the same leaf on one page, with one leaf facing upward
and the other facing downward.

3. You can have more than one type of leaf on a page (but they still have to be in the
proper order!). Giant sized leaves may need to be cut in half and put on two pages, try
not to let them hang out of the binder, they are easily ruined, and it's hard to get credit for
a leaf that I can't see.

4. You must fill out a leaf description sheet for each leaf in your collection. The
description sheets must be in the leaf collection with the leaf that they describe!

160

IHELEAXES

W Leaves large - 13cm to 26cm long, palrnate veins,
heart-shaped, uneven base, coarsely serrate teeth, dull dark green above, paler beneath.
Petioles slender, 3cm - 6cm long. Grayish-brown twigs bear plump, rounded winter
buds. Dark, gray-brown bark is relatively smooth, with shallow furrows

 

EHIIEJIIRCH Leaves arranged alternately, 2 to 3 inches long, oval shaped, doubly
toothed, and rounded at their base. Bark is distinctive white color which peels off easily.
(be careful of ornamental trees, which are not true birches).

CQLIQMQQD Leaves arranged alternately on stem and are triangular with a
heart-shaped base, coarsely toothed. Bark on young trees is yellow-green and smooth,
ash-gray and furrowed on older trees.

  
     
 

 
  

\- I

52$

  

N

161

W Leaves arranged alternately, have distinctive, uneven base, double
teeth, pinnate veins, are smooth or somewhat sandpapery above, 5cm - 15cm long. Bark
is brown and furrowed. Buds are large - over 4mm long, red-brown coloration, and
scales with dark edges Twigs and buds hairless or nearly so, no corky "wings" on
branches or branchlets.

 

WE (not a tree) Leaves shiny, green beneath, hairless except for
occasional indistinct fringe of fine hairs, narrow pointed teeth on leaves. Twigs
brownish, green, or red, hairless or nearly so, with climbing tendrils present. Leaves 2" -
9" long, wider than long. Fruits blue-black, with whitish powder, bitter, 5mm - 12mm
diameter.

GRASS There are literally thousands of types of grasses in the world, including wheat,
corn, barley, bamboo (which can grow more than a foot a day) your lawn at home, and
dune grass. The caves have no visible petiole, and since they are monocots with
herbaceous stems, there is no bark. Find a blade of grass and you have a leaf!

162

SHAGBARKHKXQRX Leaves arranged alternately, compound, fine-toothed. Five
or seven leaflets (sometimes only 3 leaflets are present, don't get one with only 3!) Bark
is gray with long, loose scales. Very "shaggy" looking tree.

 

HQNEXLQCIISI Leaves arranged alternately, compound or twice compound with 15
to 30 leaflets. Bark is iron-gray. Long, forked thorns on branches.

 

REQMAPLE Leaves arranged opposite, margins irregularly toothed. Bark on trunk is
light to dark gray with shallow cracks and narrow ridges separating into plate-like scales.

Petioles may be reddish. Leaves tend to be dark purplish-green during summer months
and turn bright red in the fall

 

 

163

SILMERMAPLE Leaves arranged opposite, distinctly five lobed, margins sharply
toothed. Leaves are bright green on top, silvery-white beneath. Smooth silvery-brown
bark on young trees, becoming dark gray with shallow grooves on older trees.

 

BLACKQAK Leaves moderately lobed, usually somewhat hairy beneath, somewhat
thickened and generally glossy above. Twigs hairless. Acorn cup bowl-shaped and
finely gray hairy ; edge rough with fringe-like scales. Bark dark, blocky, usually but not
always without shiny ridges. Leaves 4" - 10" long with several pointed lobes.

size

”\N OAK

 

. J. -$ ' e I
1:; t5: . ..\. ,
. BLACK OAK WHITE. OAK

W Leaves arranged altematelyon stem with five to nine rounded lobes.

Large, pointed acorns grow in shallow cups. Bark is brownish-gray and furrowed in
older trees

164

REQHNE Needles in pairs, 4 to 6 inches long, sheathed, break easily when bent. Bark
is thick, shallowly grooved, and divided into broad, flaky plates. Lower branches ofien
die out leaving a long, tapered trunk with a leafy crown.

/

EHIIEJEINE Needles, five to a cluster, 3 to 5 inches long, blue-green in color, sofi,
long and tapering. Bark is smooth and greenish on young trees, gray and deeply grooved
on older trees. Distinctive whorled arrangement to branches.

 

A WHITE PINE LEAE! A WHITE PINE BRANCH!

165

W This herbaceous dicot forms a large fist-sized, lumpy red flower
on the uppermost portion of each stem (a type of tea can be made from the flower). The
giant-sized leaves are odd-pinnately compound, with 13 to 19 serrated leaflets, each with
pinnate veins. This plant gets its name from its fuzzy stems, which resemble the fuzzy
covering on the antlers of a stag (deer) 1n the springtime. WWW

 

   

  
   

munfs "

 

POISON SUMAC (NO!)

BLACKMLLDJE Leaves alternate, lance-shaped, 3 to 6 inches long, 1/2 to 1 inch
wide, toothed margins. Bark is thick, brown to black in color with deep fissures.

  
     

l/r/(irf’ '
{\V'L :3

 

. .66; 1’3”"

   

W Altemately arranged leaves, long and thin with toothed margins,
1 inch wide and 4 to 6 inches long. Tree is easily identified by "drooping" leaves and
branches.

166

 

IJ5AELl22LLIZZZIZZI_;_IRRALHESSEEHEI
TREE NAME I LEAF DESCRIP- PROPER TEACHER | POINTS
| APPEARANCE TION MOUNTING COMMENTSI EARNED
| (3 POINTS) (4 PTS) (3 POINTS) | (10 POSS)
AM. BASSWOOD |

 

WHITE BIRCH

 

AMERICAN ELM

 

I
l
|
COTTONWOOD I
I
RIVERBANK GRAPE I

 

GRASS

 

SHAGBARK HICKORY

 

HONEY LOCUST

 

RED MAPLE

 

SILVER MAPLE
BLACK OAK

WHITE OAK

 

|
I
I
RED PINE
|

WHITE PINE

 

I
I
|
I
STAGHORN SUMAC I
I

 

BLACK WILLOW I

 

I I I
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I I I I
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| I I
I I I
I I I
I I | I
WEEPING WILLOW | I I I
I I I

I

* Wrong Leaf? No Points!

* If you do not have the leaves in (180) sub total
your binder in the order that
they appear on this list. you (10) table of contents
will lose 30 points

* If you switch two leaves you (10) overall presentation
will lose 10 points!

* If you do not number the pages. (200) your final score
you will lose 10 points!

* IF THIS GRADE SHEET IS NOT IN
WITH YOUR COLLECTION. YOU FORFEIT 10 POINTS!

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167

Leaf Number:

Name of Vascular Plant:

Choose one of The Following:
Angiosperm Phylum: (monocot or dicot)
Gymnosperm Phylum: (Cycad, Conifer, or Gingkoe)
Fern Phylum: (sexual or asexual stage)

Where Found:

When Found:

Height of Plant:

Shape of Leaf:

Bark Color (if present):

Bark Texture (if present):

Simple or Compound Leaf:

Leaf Venation Pattern: (pinnate, palmate, arcuate, parallel, or central)

Leaf Arrangement on Branch (if applicable):

Type of Leaf Margin:

APPENDIX F

APPENDIX F

WORKSHEETS

. External Leaf Structure

. Internal Leaf Structure

. Root and Stem #1

. Root and Stem #2

. Flower and Seed #1

. Flower and Seed #2

. Fern Worksheet

168

169

EXTERNALLEAESTRIICIIIRE

NAME DATE STU # PER

DIRECTIONS: USE YOUR NOTES AND THE LEAF COLLECTION FORMAT
SHEETS TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1) Based on what you know from class, is the following leaf

from a Monocot or Dicot plant?

 

EEK-g
t
\m/ B

A.

Explain how you know.

 

 

 

 

2) What is part "A" of the leaf in #1 called?

 

3) What is part "B" of the leaf in #1 called?

 

4) How many large parts (cotyledons) would a seed from the
plant that made the leaf in #1 have?

 

5) In the space below, draw simple leaves with the three
types of veins that a dicot plant can have. Be sure to
label the veins!

170

In the space below, draw a simple leaf with the type of

6)
Be sure to label

veins that are most common to monocots.
the type of veins.

7) Draw a compound Monocot Leaf in the space below. Label

the Leaflets and Petiole (stalk).

8) Are pine needles leaves? Why or why not?

 

 

 

9) Draw a deltoid-shaped Dicot Leaf below and give an
example from your leaf collection of a plant that is a
deltoid-shaped Dicot. Draw your leaf with pinnate veins.

Label the Blade and Petiole.

Name of example:

 

171

10) Name a leaf with unequilateral base.

 

11) Draw a simple ovate leaf with a cronate margin and
arcuate veins.

12) What is the scientific name for the flowering plants?

 

13) What is the name for the other large group of plants,
which don't produce flowers, but many members of the group
make cones and have needles for their leaves.

 

14) To which large group of plants do Cycads, Gingkoes, and
Conifers belong?

 

15) To which large group of plants do monocots and dicots
belong?

 

16) Some cone bearing plants (conifers) are commonly called
evergreens. You know that pine trees, which are a type of
conifer, lose a few leaves at a time, or there wouldn't be
needles on the ground underneath of pine trees. Are all
conifers "ever green"? In other words, do any of the
conifers lose all of their needles at once like many
Angiosperms do in the fall? Read your plant articles and
then explain how you know!

 

 

 

172

17) A cactus has "needles" and_makes flowers. In spite of
the needles, it is not closely related to pine trees, so it
is not a Gymnosperm. This shows us that even if a plant has
needles it doesn't have to be a pine tree. A cactus is an
Angiosperm, so what must the needles be?

 

18) Approximately how many different types (species) of
Angiosperms exist on Earth?

 

19) Approximately how many species of Gymnosperms exist on
Earth?

 

20) Based on for how many years a plant can live, all
plants (including all Angiosperms, Gymnosperms, and Ferns)
are divided into three groups: Annuals, Biennials, and

Perennials. Define those terms below and_gi¥§_an_§xamplfl_9£
each; (pp. 170 - 171 Prentice Hall Life Science book)

21) Annual

 

Example

 

22) Biennial

 

Example

 

23) Perennial

 

Example

 

24) What is the technical name for a person who studies
trees?

 

173

INIERNALLEAESIRILCIIIRE

1) In the space below, show how you could make a
cross-section of a leaf. Be sure to label the parts and to
explain what you are doing.

Explain:

 

 

 

 

2) What is the function of the veins in a leaf? What two
main types of tissue are found in leaf veins?

 

 

 

3) What makes Leaves Green?

 

4) What is the main reason plants undergo Photosynthesis?

 

5) What is the By-Product of Photosynthesis that we are
lucky to have?

 

174

6) What type of tissue transports water and minerals up to
the leaves of a plant?

 

7) Why do we call vascular plants Iaagnlaz plants? In
other words, what is the vascular part of a vascular plant?

Explain:

 

 

 

 

8) Explain what is happening when Leaves "Turn Colors" in
the Fall.

 

 

 

9)Why do trees make leaves?

 

 

 

10) Does a leaf have xylem and phloem?

 

11) What is a stoma? What is the function of a stoma?

 

 

 

175

12) What is transpiration?

 

 

13) What type of tissue transports food from leaves down to
a tree's roots?

 

14) Most of the chlorophyll in a leaf is found in the leaf's
palisade layer, look at the structure of a leaf and indicate
why this placement of chlorophyll is good for the leaf.

 

 

 

15) What are guard cells and what do they do?

 

 

 

16) The spongy layer of a leaf has open spaces in it like
the open spaces in a sponge, why are the open spaces
important to the leaf?

 

 

 

17) Fill in the empty spaces in the formula for
photosynthesis written below:

 

 

+ H20 ------- > C6H1206 4-

Carbon dioxide + -------- > + Oxygen

176

18) What is the epidermis of a leaf? What does the
epidermis do for a leaf? Where is the epidermis found?

 

 

 

19) What is the waxy layer that covers the epidermis of a
leaf, and what is its function?

 

 

20) What would happen to a leaf if you painted the top
black? (Explain why!)

 

 

 

21) Which holes would be covered if you put wax on the
bottom of a leaf?

 

 

22) Which type of cells surround the holes in the bottom of
a leaf?

 

177

WEN].
Wm write a short answer for each of the following questions.

1. If you pound a nail in a tree trunk at a point 60cm off of the ground, how far off of the
ground would the nail be in 10 years? Hamdammlmmz

 

 

2. Which type of tissue provides support in big, old trees like Oaks?

 

3. What tissue makes up annual rings?

4. A tree with 50 annual rings is probably years old. Why?

 

 

5. What type of tissue transports food to a trees roots?

 

6. What does cambium make, where is cambium located?

 

 

7. What are root hairs? What good are they to a plant?

 

 

8. What does bark do for a plant? To which part of your body is bark most closely
related?

 

 

178

9. P. 170- Most stems grow vertically above the ground. Give 3 examples ( with their
definitions) of specialized stems.

 

 

10. Which type of tissue transports water and minerals up to the Leaves?

 

11. What is a herbacious stem? Name 3 plants with herbaceous stems.

 

 

 

12.

To which structures within your body is the wood in a tree most closely related?

 

W. Write true or false next to each of the following questions.

l3.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

Phloem provides most of the support in big trees.

Rhizomes and tubers are special types of roots.

Perennials only live for one growing season.

A tree with 50 annual rings could be 51 years old.

Dandelions have herbaceous stems

Corn has a herbaceous type of stem.

The cortex of a taproot stores food.

All plants have vascular tissue.

One year's growth of phloem cells produces a layer called an annual ring.

Endosperrn is the tissue that is found between xylem and phloem in stems.

179

W. Circle the letter of the best answer to each of the following
questions.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

Auxins are
A. enzymes B. sugars C. hormones D. fruits

The grth of a plant MW is called
A. negative geotropism C. positive hydrotropism
B. negative phototropism D. positive phototropism

The tissue that makes new bark and wood in plants is called
A. Xylem B. Phloem C. Cambium D. Osmosis

A plant's response to a stimulus is called a(n)
A. auxin B. gibberellin C. tropism D. hormone

Water and minerals are carried to the leaves of a vascular plant by
A. root hairs B. xylem C. cambium D. phloem

A type of stem that grows underground is a
A. tuber B. root C. root hair D. stomata

Growth rings in a tree are which type of tissue?
A. phloem B. cambium C. xylem D. cotyledon

A plant that grows year after year without replanting is called a(n)
A. annual B. biennial C. perennial D. usual

Plant tissue that canies food substances down from the plant's leaves is called
A. stoma B. cambium C. phloem D. xylem

180

ESSAX: BE SURE TO ANSWER THIS IN COMPLETE SENTENCES! I!

32. I just found a tall tree with 100 annual rings, it also has cones on it. Which big group
of vascular plants does this tree come from? (be specific, I can think of 2 answers: the
big group and a specific part of that big group - write both parts for the best answer.)
How old is this tree most likely to be? Can it be younger or older than that age? Clearly
explain why or why not. If I were to have pounded a nail (7 feet off of the ground) into
this tree when it had 95 annual rings, how high off the ground should I now expect this
nail to be located? Explain why it will be at this height - be specific! Last, but not least,
which type of tissue provides support in this tree? (22 points)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

W: Look up at the front of the room at the plant parts that I hold
up and answer the following questions.

33. Look up to the front of the room at the plant part that I am
holding, which type of plant is this?
A. Perennial B. Biennial C. Annual D. Usual

34. Which type of stem does this object have?
A. Herbaceous B. Woody C. Fern

35. On the second plant part that I am holding, what does the dark area
represent?
A. Springwood B. Smnmerwood C. Heartwood D. Sapwood

181

DIAGRAM-

36. Draw and label pictures of a tap root and some fibrous roots, give
an example of a plant for each type of roots.

182

RQQIANILSIEMMIRKSHEEIEZ

Answer the following questions in the spaces provided.

1. What is the effect (if any) of a lack of light on the roots and stems of plants after they
have sprouted?

 

 

 

2. Why don't plants make chlorophyll before they are exposed to light?

 

 

 

3. T/F: Corn and Wisconsin fast plants both have fibrous roots.

4. Does a plant with a tap root have root hairs? How do you know?

 

 

 

5. What is grafting?

 

 

183

6. Why do the cuts in two pieces that are to grafted together have to match up perfectly?

 

 

 

 

7. List 4 reasons why grafting is important.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. What type of tissue transports water and minerals up to the leaves of a plant?

 

9. What type of tissue transports food fi'om the leaves down to a plant's roots?

 

184

10. ESSAY (answer in class on day 55): In one lab, certain parts of a celery stalk turned
red and a carnation began to turn colors. What do these two labs together teach you about
the structure of a plant? What tissue was it that was transporting the colored water?
Answer both of these questions as completely and accurately as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. What is the function of gibberellins in a plant?

 

 

 

12. ESSAY: Based on your experience in class, do herbicides have the same effect on
all plants or are they specific to certain groups of plants? Be specific!

 

 

 

 

 

 

185

13. What are the effects of deforestation on the land and on the air? Be specific!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14. How did the gibberellins that were sprayed on our plants enter the plants?

 

 

 

15. What is the function of auxins in a plant? (use ch. 8 - plant growth/tropisms to find
your answer).

 

 

 

16. In the corn seed lab, what tropism were the mots showing in the dark? Explain!

 

 

 

186

17. In the corn seed lab, what tropism were the stems showing in the dark? Explain!

 

 

 

18. As plants lean toward the light that they can "see", what tropism are they showing?
Explain!

 

 

 

19. Based on what you have seen in the labs, do plant roots show negative phototropism,
or are they actually doing something else? Explain your answer!

 

 

 

20. Can fibrous roots grow as big around as your arm? Explain your answer!

 

 

 

187

W

EILLJNIHEBLANK

1. What is the "cot" in monocot and dicot short for?

 

2. How many parts does a dicot seed have?

 

3. Give three examples of seeds that you know are dicots:

 

4. How many parts does a monocot seed have?

 

5. Give three examples of seeds that you know are monocots:

 

6. What do sepals do?

 

7. What is the entire male part of a flower called?

 

8. Describe the female part of a flower, be sure to use the words pistil, ovary, stigma, and
style.

 

 

 

9. Dicots have which type of flowers? venation?

 

 

10.

188

How does fertilization occur in conifers?

 

 

 

11.

What is fertilization? What is pollination?

 

 

12.

What is a Stamen? What do the anther and pollen have to do with a stamen?

 

 

 

13.

Do all flowers have both male and female parts? Do they all have petals?

 

 

14.

Why do plants make flowers, what are they for?

 

 

15.

What is self pollination? What is cross pollination? How do they occur?

 

 

 

 

 

16.

189

What is a fi'uit?

 

 

W - be sure to fix any of the questions which are currently false!

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

Plants with covered seeds are called gymnosperms.

Insects and wind are responsible for most pollination.

The male part of a flower is called a stamen.

All flowers have both male and female parts.

The stigma on a plant is sticky.

On a conifer the pollen cones are higher up than the seed cones.

Seeds contain food for the young plant.

When pollen unites with an egg in a flower’s ovary, pollination occurs.
The outside covering on a seed is called the root cap.

When a seed is moved from one place to another by the wind, we call it mechanical
propulsion.

When pollen travels from one plant to pollinate another plant, self-pollination has
occurred.

Monocot seeds easily split into two pieces.

Endosperm is food for a developing plant that is found in seeds.
The color of a plant's pollen. is what attracts bees.

There are more species of monocots that dicots.

Pollination and fertilization are the same thing.

Angiosperms, gymnosperms, and ferns are related because they are all vascular

plants.

 

34.

35.

190

A maple tree can fertilize a petunia plant

The first real leaves formed on a dicot stem are formed from the cotyledons.

MULTIPLE CHOICE - choose the letter of the one best answer. (2 points each)

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

A fruit is a:
A. large root B. special stem C. ripened ovary D. male flower
The group of plants commonly referred to as flowering plants is called

A. ferns B. angiosperms C. gymnosperms D. conifers

Which of the following is W of the female part of the flower?
A. Stigma B. Style C. Ovary D. Filament

Plants make flowers to use for:
A. Photosynthesis B. Transpiration C. Reproduction D. Mitosis

When pollen reaches an egg and enters the egg, we say that has occurred.
A. Germination B. Pollination C. Transpiration D. Fertilization
Which of the following is rampart of the female part of the flower?

A. Stigma B. Style C. Ovary D. Anther

The cotyledon of a seed stores
A. minerals B. water C. food D. pollen

A flower that has all of the parts that a flower can possibly have is a flower.
A. Complete B. Whole C. Perfect D. Photosynthetic

191

WWW

(also fi'ost damage, succession, and nutrient cycling questions)

1. Symbiosis is what we call the process of two organisms living together, and helping
each other to survive - like legumes (Dicot Angiosperms which include peas, beans, and
peanuts) and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The bacteria take nitrogen out of the air (which is
useless to plants) and change it into a form that the legumes can absorb through their
roots, while the legumes give the bacteria a protected place to live in lumps (nodules) that
form around the bacteria on the legumes' roots. We usually have to put fertilizer with
nitrogen in it on grass crops like corn and wheat. The legumes don't need to be fertilized
with nitrogen. Knowing that legumes, which are herbaceous annuals, die at the end of the
year, and thendmleaxinglheinnmflem: and the dead nitrogen-fixing bacteria In
the soil, why do you think that some farmers choose to rotate their crops, planting a
legume one year, and a grass the next year? Also, of what use might the nitrogen-fixing
bacteria be to genetic engineers working on grass crops?

 

 

 

 

 

2. Thinking back to question #1, why do people who bag their grass clippings and leaves
have to put more fertilizer on their lawns than people who use mulching mowers?

 

 

 

3. Xylem and phloem cells are two types of specialized cells in vascular plants.
Thinking about plant reproduction and seeds, name at least 3 other types of specialized
cells and list their functions.

 

 

 

 

192

4. We all have seen how many leaves drop from the local plants each fall. Why aren't
there 6 feet of leaves in the woods? Where do all of the leaves and branches, and other
plant parts go? Also, why don't we have to put fertilizer in the woods to get trees to
grow? Hint - the three parts of this question have something to do with each other and a
process called "nutrient cycling".

 

 

 

 

 

5. Dandelions, grasses, and cottonwoods and other plants with small seeds are the first
plants to move into a bare area after a fire or some other disaster. Later, perhaps years
later, oaks, maples, walnuts, and hickory trees will move into the area. Explain what this
process is called and why it happens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Do you need to have a big seed to get a big plant? Explain your answer.

 

 

 

7. Describe how the energy from the sun winds up in a plant's seeds.

 

 

 

193

8. How do we benefit from/use plants?

 

 

 

 

 

9. Can full-grown monocot plants (grasses) grow to be larger than fiill-grown dicot
plants or Gymnosperms? Explain.

 

 

 

10. Draw a picture of the life cycle of a flowering plant. Be sure to start with a seed,
include the terms fertilization, germination, and pollination, and end with a seed.

194

11. What is sexual reproduction? Do all plants use sexual reproduction?

 

 

 

 

12. You will see what happens to the leaf of a lettuce plant, and the trunks of trees when
they are frozen, which is the result of water freezing inside of the cells of the plant. The
ice, as you know, "pokes" holes in the cell membranes of the plant, allowing the insides
to leak out, which kills or severely damages the cell(s). Why do you think it is that seeds,
like acorns, can make it through the freezing winter temperatures and still be able to
germinate in the spring?

 

 

 

 

13. Do plants need light to germinate? What do they need to germinate?

 

 

 

14. Use a M. E. A. P. sheet to design a laboratory investigation that will help you
determine whether or not the mass of the soil that a plant 15 planted 1n decreases as the

plant grows. In other words, WWW
WWW. (You are trying to figure out where the

mass of the plant comes from; the soil, the water, the soil and the water, or some other
combination.) Be sure to include in your hypothesis something about the decrease in
mass of the soil, if you think there will be any decrease.

15.

195

Describe how the Native Americans used their knowledge of gardening to grow more
food than would grow naturally.

 

 

 

16.

What is vegetative propagation? Give at least one example.

 

 

17.

What is a seed coat? Can Humans digest seed coats?

 

 

18.

How long have some seeds been stored before they were planted, and then the seeds
still genuinated? Describe what happened.

 

 

 

19.

20.

21.

How many species of Angiosperms are there?

 

How many species of Gymnosperms are there?

 

How did the Native Americans use acorns for food? What are acorns?

 

 

22.

Does a seed have an immature plant in it? How do you know?

 

 

196

23. How many species of animals are known to use Oaks to help themselves survive?

 

197

W

T/F - fix any of the following that are false, to make them true.

1. Ferns are nonvascular plants.

2. A fern leaf is called a rhizome.

3. There are two stages in a fem's life cycle.

4. Ferns usually live in hot, dry areas.

5. Reproduction using spores is a form of sexual reproduction.

FILL IN THE BLANK/SHORT ANSWER - fill in the blanks with the most appropriate
answer.

6. A fern has spore cases called during the sporophyte stage.

 

7. An immature fern leaf is called a

 

8. Like all plants with transport tubes, ferns have ,

 

and

 

9. Do ferns have herbaceous or woody stems?

 

10. What is formed by the Sporophyte stage of a fem's life cycle?

 

11. What is formed by the Gametophyte stage of a fem's life cycle?

 

123. What does a sorus contain?

 

12b.What is the plural form of sorus?

 

13a. What are Gametes?

 

13b. Name the two kinds of gametes. and

 

 

143. Name the sexual stage of the fern life cycle.

 

14b. Name the asexual stage of the fern life cycle.

 

198

15. Do fern "eggs" or "sperm" have to move for fertilization to occur?

 

16. Where are ferns most likely to be found? Why are they unable to grow in other areas?

 

 

17a. How big are fern spores?

 

17b. Which stage of a fem's life cycle is formed by a spore?

 

17c. Which stage of a fem's life cycle forms spores?

 

17d. How do spores spread out from a fern?

 

18. What do you call an along-the-ground stem? What good are they to a plant?

 

 

19. What is the approximate size of the world's biggest fern? What limits a fern's size?

 

 

 

20. Name at least three things that ferns have in common with Angiosperms and
Gymnosperms.

 

 

 

21. What is asexual reproduction? How does it differ from sexual reproduction?

 

 

 

 

199

22. During the garnetophyte stage, ferns produce and

 

23. Use the space below to create a concept map for the Kingdom Plantae. Use the word
bank and your incredible knowledge of plants to fill in the blanks!

Word Bank: Monocots, Dicots, Angiosperms, Gymnosperms, Ferns, Cycads,
Gingkoes,
Conifers, Stems, Roots, Leaves, Vascular Plants, Non-Vascular Plants,
Herbaceous, Woody, Photosynthesis, Xylem, Phloem

24. Use the back of this page to create a concept map that includes all five kingdoms of
living things, with a brief description of each kingdom. Be sure to include the
type of cells that organisms within each kingdom have, as well as whether or not
the organisms in a kingdom are one-celled (unicellular) many-celled
(multi-cellular, or can be both. Use your notes that you took in September - on
day one of the plants unit!

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