Inside A Seed

1.    As the students are beginning to sit down at the picnic tables, hand them a fresh dry lima bean.  Instruct them  to place the lima bean under their tongue and keep their mouth closed.  Tell them that this experiment will not work unless they follow these directions.    As the students keep their bean under their tongue, explain that they are helping a seed start to grow.   The temperature, moisture and pH in their mouth (saliva) is a perfect place for a seed to get a good start.

2.    While they still have the bean in their mouth,  read aloud to the students the big book, Seeds Get Around.   At the end of the book, have the students take their bean out of their mouth and observe it.  They should have kept the bean in their mouth for at least 5 minutes. ( a very quiet 5 minutes )

3.    The seed coat that covers the bean should be loosening or shriveling and you should be able to peel it away, for some students the small embryo might be beginning to start emerging from the side of the bean. The bean will also become softer and possibly larger.

4.    After observing their own bean, have them throw the bean away in the trash receptacle provided or in the grassy area nearby

5.    Now have the students turn their attention to their data sheet for the rest of the experiment.  The student sheet is titled Inside a Seed.  (click here to get a copy of the student data sheet)  The picture to be labeled will be provided to you in hard copy format.

6.    First review with the students what students learned about how seeds traveled.   Have them generate the different ways they travel and confirm their answers to reinforce their thoughts.

7.    Then have the students begin on the data collecting sheet for Inside a Seed.  The dry and wet seeds will be provided, as well as rulers to measure their beans.    As the students are measuring and breaking their seeds open, review with them the three important parts of the seed.   The seed coat, the food storage (called the cotelydon) and the embryo, the small plant.   Have them label the parts of the seed as they discover them on their picture.