lesson
A plant can start small
Read with an adult. You can say, point, draw or write your answer.
1 · Learn
A seed can grow into a new plant. A bean seed can send out a root and a shoot. The young plant uses stored food at first.
A bulb, such as a daffodil bulb, is different from a seed. It has a short stem and stored food in fleshy parts. Both seeds and bulbs can grow, but they are not the same thing.
2 · Worked example
I compare an adult's photographs of a bean seed and a daffodil bulb. I label them separately rather than calling every small plant part a seed.
3 · Your turn
Is a daffodil bulb the same thing as a bean seed? What can both do in suitable conditions?
Check your answer
They are different plant structures. Both can grow into plants in suitable conditions.
4 · Apply your learning
With an adult, begin a dated bean-growing record using suitable untreated seeds. Use photographs to compare a bulb growing over time.
Adult guidance and safety
Daffodil bulbs are poisonous and can look like onions: use photographs, not handling or tasting. Adult manages seeds, hygiene and mould. Seeds can be alive while dormant.
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My observation notebook
Keep a dated record of the same adult-checked seed or plant. Record whether a root, shoot or leaf is visible and measure from the same starting point if useful. Compare your own dates, not the lesson's made-up results. Bulbs may be poisonous: use checked photographs for bulb observations. Tell an adult about mould; do not handle it.
Tell your adult what you notice. They can help you write it. A prediction is what you think might happen; an observation is what you actually see, hear or feel safely.
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