Ms. Cotyledon Seed Metaphor: The well-prepared hiker! · Ms. Cotyledon Seed Metaphor: The...
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Ms. Cotyledon Seed Metaphor: The well-prepared hiker! 1. Soak bean seeds so that students can draw parts and label them as Ms. Cotyledon does her skit. 2. Put on two backpacks to represent a dicotyledon or dicot with a plastic bag of GORP representing stored food for the baby plant (embryo) in each backpack. Label each backpack as a “cotyledon”. 3. Put a water bottle with a straw in the front backpack and label the straw “roots” 4. . Put a green hat with bean leaves glued to it to put on representing when the seed germinates and the cotyledons are no longer needed, because the plant can make its own food. 5. Cover all the parts with a rain coat labeled “Seed Coat”. 6. When conditions are right for growth, the seed soaks up water and breaks through the seed coat and begins to sprout roots. Take off the “Seed Coat”.
Transcript of Ms. Cotyledon Seed Metaphor: The well-prepared hiker! · Ms. Cotyledon Seed Metaphor: The...
Ms. Cotyledon Seed Metaphor: The well-prepared hiker!
1. Soak bean seeds so that students can draw parts and label them as
Ms. Cotyledon does her skit.
2. Put on two backpacks to represent a dicotyledon or dicot with a
plastic bag of GORP representing stored food for the baby plant
(embryo) in each backpack. Label each backpack as a
“cotyledon”.
3. Put a water bottle with a straw in the front backpack and label
the straw “roots”
4. . Put a green hat with bean leaves glued to it to put on
representing when the seed germinates and the cotyledons are no
longer needed, because the plant can make its own food.
5. Cover all the parts with a rain coat labeled “Seed Coat”.
6. When conditions are right for growth, the seed soaks up water
and breaks through the seed coat and begins to sprout roots. Take
off the “Seed Coat”.
7. Demonstrate that seeds have a supply of stored food in the
cotyledons that gives the baby plant initial energy to help grow
and germinate.
8. The baby plant is using a lot of energy to grow and it will need
water. Pull out the water bottle and demonstrate the roots help to
get water and minerals from the soil.
9. Tell the students that the well prepared hiker would have a hat on
bright sunny days, and then take the hat and put it on. The plant
has its first green leaves and can absorb the sunlight and make its
own food (photosynthesis). Have the cotyledons fall off because
they are no longer needed.
10. Tell the students that the leaves and roots that form the tiny plant
inside the seed is the “Embryo” and label the person doing the
skit with this sign.
11. While dicotyledons have two seed leaves, monocotyledons
(monocots) have only one seed leaf. How do the seed parts of a
monocotyledon compare to those of a dicotyledon? Repeat the
experiment replacing the bean seed with corn seed.
Source of picture: http//www.bing.com
Source of activity pages 211 & 212 from: Shelburne Farms Project Seasons
Written by Deborah Parrella
Copyright 1995 by Shelburne Farms
Shelburne, Vermont 05482
