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How is fruit classified?

Grades 4 to 6

Students will use a basic dichotomous key and practice their skills of observation, comparing and contrasting, and decision-making to classify a variety of common fleshy fruits.

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How do plant pigments vary between leaves?

Grades 10 to 12

Students will be introduced to the concept of pigment chromatography and will collaborate to perform an inquiry in which they will separate plant pigments using paper chromatography.

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How do tomato seeds germinate?

Grades 4 to 6, Grades 7 to 9

Students will make a CD Case Germination Viewer to germinate tomato seeds and make daily observations to practice their skills of observation and recording to explore the process of germination.

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How much water is in a tomato?

Students will conduct a basic guided inquiry to determine the mass of water in a tomato. Students will consider the value of using dried food in the context of meeting human needs in space and as a food preservation technique.

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How do plants know which way to grow in space?

Grades 10 to 12

Students will use a CD Case Seed Viewer to observe how seedlings respond to Earth's gravity and then create systems to mimic a low gravity environment, such as on the International Space Station.

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How does Mars compare to Earth?

Grades 4 to 6, Grades 7 to 9

Students use a variety of sources of information to compare the physical characteristics of Mars to the physical characteristics of Earth. Students will use a Venn diagram to organize information and determine what similarities exist between these two planets. Students then consider the implications of the physical characteristics of Mars vs. Earth in terms of the challenges to overcome in preparing for a human interplanetary mission to Mars.

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Where does gas exchange take place in plants?

Grades 7 to 9, Grades 10 to 12

Students will be introduced to the leaf structures of dicots and their role in gas exchange. Students will collaborate to perform an inquiry in which they follow a simple procedure to collect leaf cells samples and compare leaf structures from different plants.

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