Year 8 recently began some tricky learning about the processes of seed germination. How could we possibly tell a cotyledon from a plumule?! Or remember which is the hypocotyl and which is the epicotyl? We looked at seed diagrams at first, but they didn’t really help us to appreciate or imagine how the process of germination really works.
Time to get our hands dirty in biology!
Year 8 have spent the last week learning from a range of scientific activities to truly understand the complexity of this process.
We dissected a range of different seeds and could immediately identify the differences and similarities between two main types of seeds. Children suddenly understood the distinction between monocot and dicot seeds, and how each may germinate differently.
We then set about planting our own seeds. Our students are trying to refine their scientific process by setting up a series of tests on their germinating seeds. Linked with our learning on the TCI Cotton Industry, all children picked a handful of cotton seeds and will report back on their findings in a few weeks. Hopefully, our new school will be surrounded by healthy, young cotton plants in the near future!
Finally, we all set about making a germination animation to look in detail at the requirements for, and process of, germination. We looked closely at our own germinating seeds. We spoke about the parts of the seed that we could see emerging, developing or falling off. These details, which must have been repeated millions of trillions of times throughout history, were carefully sculpted into the children’s animations.
It’s hard to believe that, without these first crucial moments in the life of a plant, life on Earth as we know it would be unsustainable.
With our experimentation complete, students are now speaking knowledgeably about the parts of a seed, the conditions that it needs to start growing and how different seeds can differ from each other. More importantly, an appreciation of the delicacy and beautiful variety found within plants has emerged.
I am delighted to report that out students are now nurturing their seedlings with attention, care and interest!