English National Curriculum - Science
Mission Objectives
Explain the basic needs of a plant
Predict how changing one of a plant's basic needs will affect its growth
Design a fair test to investigate the effect of one factor on plant growth
Enquiry Skill - Asking questions
Asking relevant questions that can be answered from their learning of scientific concepts. This may be through scientific enquiries, applying prior knowledge or research.
Enquiry Approach - Comparative / fair testing
Conducting a test that controls all but one variable to answer a scientific question.
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Words and meanings to learn
nutrients
a substance that is needed for healthy growth, development and functioning
control test
keeping one thing in an experiment the same to compare happens when we something else is changed
fertiliser
substances added to the soil or sprayed on the leaves of plants to keep them well
investigation
when you ask a question and try to find out the answer by looking closely, testing things, or doing an experiment
prediction
a prediction is a guess at what you think might happen
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Resources: Planting equipment, such as pots, water, soil and seeds. Consider variables such as a freezer, a dark place to store the plant, and fertiliser. DE recommends using nasturtiums, marigolds, cosmos or sunflowers as these tend to grow quickly from seeds.
Core Handout (2): An investigation sheet with space for the children to outline their question and method, and plan their experiment.
Challenge Handout (4): A more extensive version of the investigation sheet above, with some extra space for the children to expand their predictions.
Expert film
Mission assignment film
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