EDUC 2220- Educational Technology

Infant-Pre-K Curriculum Plan: Technology-Based Lesson/Activity

Your Name: Hayley VonderEmbse Activity Title: Seed Science Experiment

Number of children participating at one time: Whole Class (~12 students) Ages: 4-5

Activities written for previous classes cannot be re-used and must be the original work of the
student.
Ohio Early Domain: Cognition and General Knowledge (Science)
Learning &
Strand: Science Inquiry and Application
Developme
nt Topic: Inquiry
Standards:
Standard Statement: Engage in simple investigations
List at least 1 Domain: Cognition and General Knowledge (Science)
standard that
is addressed Strand: Science Inquiry and Application
by this
activity. Write Topic: Inquiry
out each Standard Statement: Record observations using words, pictures, charts, graphs, etc.
component
completely
and exactly,
as published
in ELDS.

Lesson Students will follow the steps of the scientific method, grow seeds and record their
Summary:
observations with iPads.
Estimated In total this lesson will take about 130 minutes. The first and last sessions will be the longest. The first
Duration:
session requires the set up and takes 50 minutes. The last session is the summarization of the activity
and should take about 20 minutes. All the days in between will only need to give five minutes to the
activity for the upkeep of the plants.
Preparatio What preparation is needed?
n of Clear plastic cups will need to have the names of each student written on them and be
materials placed at the student’s seat. Seeds will also need to be purchased and set out so that the
and students can access them. Spray bottles will need to be filled up with water.
environme
nt What materials will be used?
Clear plastic cups, spray bottles, sunflower seeds, marigold seeds, cosmos seeds, soil,
iPads.

How will the learning environment be set up?

There should be room for students to sit in a circle for the whole group discussions about
the experiment. There should be a designated spot for the planted seeds to sit where they
will get plenty of sunlight.

Instructional Procedures:
Day 1:

First ten minutes: To start, I will have the students sit in a circle on the floor and I will ask them if they have ever planted
seeds in a garden or watched a flower grow. I will ask them to raise their hands and share one thing they know about
flowers and seeds. Next, I will tell them that we are going to be scientists and do an experiment with flower seeds. I will
explain to them that scientists use experiments to answer questions about the world around them. I will explain that we
will have three types of seeds to choose from and I will ask them what questions we could answer with our seeds. The
answer I’m looking for is “Which flower will grow the fastest?” but they may need to be guided to that answer.

15 minutes: Each student will pick from either sunflower seeds, marigold seeds, or cosmos seeds. At their tables there
will be clear plastic cups with their names already on them and a scoop of soil inside. Next, I will explain to them that we
need to plant our seeds in the dirt. They will dig a small hole in the dirt with their finger, put the seed inside, then cover
the hole back up with soil. There will be spray bottles on the table, students will need to practice taking turns and
sharing with the spray bottles. I will instruct them to give five squirts of water onto their seeds. When they’re finished,
they will set their cups on the designated shelf by a window, so the plants can get sunlight.

25 minutes: Students will use their designated iPads to take a picture of their plants on the first day. I will also record a
video of each student stating what seed they picked, what they think will happen to their seed now that they’ve planted
it, and which seed they think will grow the fastest and why they think that.

For the next few days (around 10 days) students will spend about 5 minutes taking turns watering their plants with the
spray bottles.

After the first seeds sprout:

10 minutes: Students will take another picture of their cups and flowers. Then we will sit in a circle on the floor again
and discuss which flower seeds sprouted the fastest.

After all the seeds have sprouted:

20 minutes: Students will take pictures of their cups and record a video of themselves summarizing the experiment.
They will explain how they watered the seed every day and how many days it took for their seed to sprout.

The photos and videos taken throughout the project will be sent to students’ parents.

Extension
https://sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities.html

This website has plenty of different interactive games that allows students to conduct experiments and practice the
learning standards addressed in this activity. Students will need assistance reading the instructions, but most of the
games are fairly easy to understand after you have done them once.

Differentiated Instructional Support: Describe how instruction can be differentiated (changed or altered) to meet the
needs of gifted or accelerated students:
Accelerated students may type their report of the experiment instead of making videos. They may also create a different
question and hypothesis for their experiment like “Will the seeds still grow if I only water them once every other day?”
Discuss additional activities you could do to meet the needs of students who might be struggling with the material:
If students are struggling with the material, put them together in a group during center time and lead them in a small
group discussion about the topics they are struggling with. If they are having a difficult time grasping the concept of an
experiment, you can also use a smaller and quicker experiment to help them understand the big picture. An example of
an experiment would be to make Elephant Toothpaste and take them through the steps of the scientific method with it.
Ask them what they think will happen once they mix all the ingredients together and have them explain to you what
happened after everything is mixed together.

Vocabulary: Experiment, hypothesis/prediction, soil

For teachers Teachers will need to use iPads so they can send the final videos to students’
parents.
For students Students will use iPads and the camera app that comes on them.