Animal & Plant Needs & Product Powerpoint with Models: Experimental Design

How to be used in a lesson:

The models should be shown to the students on the smartboard via the ppt and student discussions should be encouraged by the teacher before any explanations or "teaching" occurs. The model shows them what is going into the plant/animal and what is coming out or being released. Students should be able to list the things entering the organism/leaf and the things exiting. You can discuss states of matter with students, how water entering and leaving, but in a different state. The teacher and student age can determine how detailed you get with your explanation of the processes. This is a great time to bring up the terminology of "photosynthesis" and "respiration" if you choose to do so.

The ppt can be paired with the worksheets and experimental design page to encourage students to creatively and scientifically design their own experiment.

When researching ensure that they pick a specific type of plant that you will actually be able to grow in class. Bean sprouts and grass seed are easy and cheap to use.

Please make sure they understand that a "control" group is necessary to every scientific experiment. Without this group, there is nothing with which to compare the experimental group results.

Students can also only make one change in each experiment they design. For instance, they cannot make a change to both amount of sunlight and amount of water. The reason being, that if they see a difference in growth compared to the control group was it due to the change in light or change in water....you don't know.

Email me if you have questions. The tips and tricks are endless in my head.