Growing the Future by Teaching Children in the Gardens

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1 Growing the Future by Teaching Children in the Gardens / 20 Miamiview Drive, Loveland, OH / Analyzing Amaryllis Grade One Lesson Summary When to use this lesson Use this lesson in January as an indoor activity. Objective Students understand the life cycle of an amaryllis bulb and demonstrate measurement, graphing, and analytical abilities as they collect and interpret growth data. Materials Amaryllis kit materials One planted amaryllis bulb One sample amaryllis bulb cut open or an onion Plate to collect water One table for the class to collect data Teacher instructions A plant stake A ruler to demonstrate how to measure Flyers to send home with each student Cut outs of the shape of a horse s ear and the shape of a star A sticker for each student announcing the kickoff of the race Worksheets for follow up activity Additional classroom/lesson materials Ruler or other non-standard measurement tool Yarn to tie stem to stake, if needed Estimated Duration 30 minutes to set up the activity and daily or weekly follow up for 6-8 weeks 30 minutes for follow up activity related to analyzing growth after 6 to 8 weeks depending on growth of plant Ohio Learning Standards Connections Life Science Living things survive only in environments that meet their needs. Effects of seasonal changes within the local environment directly impact the availability of resources. Living things have basic needs, which are met by obtaining materials from the physical environment. Living things require energy, water, and a particular range of temperatures in their environments. Plants get energy from sunlight. Living things acquire resources from the living and nonliving components of the environment. them to fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source. Page 1

2 Mathematics Measurement and Data Measure lengths indirectly and by iterating length units. 2. Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps. Represent and interpret data. 4. Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in another. Garden Educator Preparation Supplies are pre-assembled and ready for garden educators to collect. The bulbs and soil should be stored inside your house and not the garage or even in your car overnight. This keeps the warming cycle going to encourage plant growth. Activity Hold up a bulb and ask the students if they know what it is. Do students remember the special parts of a bulb from their fall bulb planting? The same parts that were in the daffodil bulb are in the amaryllis bulb. Show the inside of an amaryllis bulb. It has a skin on the outside for a bit of protection. It has roots at the bottom to take in water. It can grow a new plant inside from the plate at the bottom of the bulb. It grows layers of food to feed the new plant. It can grow new bulbs that can be separated from the main bulb. We know the inside of the amaryllis bulb is the same as the daffodil bulb planted in the fall. How is the amaryllis bulb different from a daffodil bulb? Recall the size of the daffodil bulbs students planted and compare the size to the much larger size of the amaryllis bulb. Daffodil bulbs survive the cold soil temperatures of our winter. The amaryllis bulb we have today cannot survive winter in our area. The amaryllis plant is originally from South America where the winter temperatures are warmer than ours are. Where in the United States might the winters be warm enough to grow the amaryllis bulb outside? Southern states and coastal California are best. Show the map on a document camera. The yellow and orange bands have winters warm enough to keep amaryllis bulbs outside. Name some of the states. We ll plant the bulb inside to give the bulb the right conditions for the plant to grow. What will our plant need to grow? We ll have to meet these needs in the classroom. Air Is there air in the classroom? Water Is there water in the classroom? Food It s in the bulb and in the leaves. Sunlight when the plant grows Where is the best spot? When the plant grows, it will need light to keep growing. Before the plant grows, though, the plant should be in a warm spot. If you touch a window on a cold day, how does the glass feel? If the space by the window is too cold, try a spot away from the window until the plant starts to grow. The right air and soil temperature. Pass out a worksheet and show the potted bulb. It is the amaryllis bulb that will grow in the classroom. Discuss how students will measure. Have students draw a picture of what the bulb looks like now on their worksheet. The new plant will grow from the top of the neck. The them to fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source. Page 2

3 top of the neck should be even with 0 inches. Explain and show how to measure height with the ruler touching the top of the neck of the bulb (not the top of the soil) and to measure to the nearest ½ inch. Students show that measurement on their worksheet. How do students keep track of measurements? The teacher will guide students in the completion of the table. The table is used to record information about the growth of their bulb. Discuss the categories and complete the first entry for the class. Do students know what a prediction is? A prediction is a guess about what you think will happen. The guess is based on what you already know. Make some predictions about how the amaryllis bulb will grow. Before the flower grows, a stem and leaves will grow. Take a hand vote of predictions about which will grow first, the stem or a leaf. What information do students have about how stems and leaves grow? Review the functions of the two parts. Leaves make food. The stem transports water, food, and nutrients. Have students close their eyes so each makes his or her own prediction. Reinforce that when making a prediction, it doesn t matter what anyone else predicts. Record the votes on the chart. Show a ruler. Take a hand vote of predictions about how tall the plant will be when it has a flower. Prediction choices are plant height shorter than the ruler, the same height as the ruler, or taller than the ruler. What information do students have to make a prediction? Provide a benchmark of the size of a daffodil bulb (about 4 inches in circumference) that produces a plant about inches tall (show with a ruler). Does the size of the bulb predict height? If the amaryllis bulb is five times larger, will the plant be five times taller? Take a hand vote for each option. Again, have the students close their eyes to make the prediction. Record the votes on the chart. Have students write their prediction on their worksheet. If you have time discuss the scientific name. All plants have scientific names. A man gave this kind of plant a scientific name Hippeastrum (hip-e-as'trum). Print it on the board. Hippeastrum comes from the Greek hippos for horse or hippeus for rider and astron for star. Translated Hippeastrum means horseman s star. The scientist thought he saw the shape of a horse s ear and the shape of a star when the plant was growing. Show the shapes of the horse s ear and the star. Students can look for the shapes as the plant grows. Encourage the class to name their plant and to examine it often. Place the plant stake in the pot and water the bulb for the class. If your bulb is not pre-planted, here s how to plant your bulb. Your pot should be 2/3 prefilled. Place the bulb on the top of the soil and use the soil from the bag to fill in around the bulb. Leave the top 1/3 of the bulb exposed. Press soil firmly into place without compacting the soil. Using lukewarm water, water the bulb well on the day it is planted. Use more soil if soil settles after watering, and leave any remaining soil for the teacher. Follow-up Graphing Activity Give each student a worksheet to graph observations. them to fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source. Page 3

4 Use a document camera to show the Amaryllis Observations sheet to the class. Using the Amaryllis Observations sheet, compare the predications to the actual results. Follow up on the shapes you left. Did students find the star and the horse s ear? How many weeks did it take for a flower to open? Count the weeks on the sheet with the class. Graph the height of the stem and the length of the longest leaf. Students color one block for every unit of measurement, e.g., color one block for one inch. Ask students what to do if a measurement includes a ½ inch. Color in half of a block. Record stem units in the column that shows the flower stem and leaf units in the column that shows leaves. Model the process on your worksheet. Which is longer the stem or the leaf? Print the plant part name on the worksheet. How many inches longer is the plant part? Help students to count the blocks from the end of the shorter plant part to the end of the longer plant part. Write the number on the worksheet. Is anyone surprised by the results? Wrap up by asking students what they learned about the amaryllis over the last several weeks. Use the discussion questions to guide any additional analysis about the amaryllis growth. Collect the supplies if the teacher is finished with the unit. Extensions and Discussion Questions Post a question related to the project and have students record answers to questions in a journal before you discuss them as a group. Use the growth or appearance of the amaryllis as a writing prompt. Design questions about the graph or chart what week did the stem or leaves reach a certain height/length; true or false the height of the stem was less than the length of the leaves on a certain date (do the same with more than or equal to ); how many weeks did it take to reach a certain height. How much did growth change from one week to the next? After following growth for a week or two, can you make a prediction for the next week? Will it grow the same amount? You should notice that once the stem (the part with the closed bud at the end) begins to grow, growth occurs rapidly. Compare the height of the stem to the length of the longest leaf. Are they growing the same amount? Repeat this at regular intervals. When the stem is growing, the bulb will put most of its energy into the production of the flower. After the flower blooms and the blooms die, the bulb s energy is directed to leaf growth. How do the leaves and stem grow in relation to each other? The leaves do not grow from the stem. The stem does not grow in the middle of the leaves. The stem should be growing on one side of (next to) the leaves. Is this the same or different from what they know about plants? If a student observes that the plant is bending toward the window, ask why. The plant is reaching for the light. Test this by turning the plant to see if the stem will again reach for the them to fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source. Page 4

5 light and straighten in the process. (This is called phototropism. Tropism is movement of a plant toward or away from an environmental stimulus like light, water, gravity. Photo means light in scientific terminology when it is combined with another term.) When the flower dies, is the plant dead? No, the flower is temporary to attract pollinators. When all blooms have wilted, energy will go into creating a seedpod if the flower was pollinated. If the flower was not pollinated, the stem can be cut off, and the energy will be directed into growing leaves. You can pollinate a bloom by using a cotton swab to collect pollen from the stamen of one bloom and rubbing the pollen on the pistil of a different bloom. The pistil is the white center flower part. The pistil should look open with three lobes. Have your students engineer a plant support for your amaryllis. Teacher Notes Using Supplies Using the growth chart The new plant will grow from the top of the neck, so measure the height of the stem (including the bud or flower) and the length of the longest leaf with the ruler touching the top of the neck. The height of the bulb neck should not be included in measurements. Measure to the nearest ½ inch. Record information on the chart weekly to use for graphing in a follow up activity and to incorporate the information in other classroom discussions and activities listed in the extensions section. Plant Care Caring for your plant Keep your bulb in a warm location until the plant starts to grow. Sometimes window ledges are too cold to stimulate growth. If the pot feels cold, move the plant away from the window until the plant is growing. Then move it to a sunny location. Your garden educator watered your bulb well on the day it was planted. After the initial watering, water when the top inch of soil is dry to the touch. Do not overwater. The bulb is healthy if it feels firm to the touch. Using lukewarm water will help initial growth. Tie the stem loosely to the plant stake if needed. When your plant has finished blooming If you are finished observing your plant, it will be picked up during the follow up activity. Please do not cut back the leaves. Potential problems Long spindly flower stems from too little light Short flower stems from too much light Turn your plant if it starts to lean toward the light. This is called phototropism. Tropism is movement of a plant toward or away from an environmental stimulus like light, water, gravity. Photo means light in scientific terminology when it is combined with another term. If You Want to Know More about Amaryllis Plants them to fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source. Page 5

6 Amaryllis bulbs are native to the Peruvian Andes in South America. The botanical name is Hippeastrum. The amaryllis we are planting is not really a true amaryllis. The true amaryllis is its own genus in the family Amaryllidaceae. There are only two species of true amaryllis. Amaryllis is the common name for the bulb we planted (taken from the family name), but the bulb is actually in the genus Hippeastrum (hip-e-as'trum) in the family Amaryllidaceae. There are about 75 species in Hippeastrum and over 60 hybrids. One species of true amaryllis is the plant we know as naked ladies, or Amaryllis Belladonna, with leaves showing in the summer and dying back before the flower stalks and pink blooms show in late summer. We can plant true amaryllis outside in our climate, but not Hippeastrum. In 1829, Elizabeth Wirt, an American, wrote a floral dictionary and gave the flower name Amaryllis the meaning splendid beauty. In 1837, Reverend William Herbert separated flowers that were called amaryllis according to their growing traits and appearance. He named a new genus Hippeastrum for a group with traits similar to each other, but different from true Amaryllis. Hippeastrum comes from the Greek hippos for horse or hippeus for rider and astron for star. Translated Hippeastrum means horseman s star. Although no one is certain how the name was selected, some compare the look of the closed bud to the shape of a horse s ear and the blossoms to stars. Amaryllis bulbs planted outside need a warm climate to survive and are generally hardy in the United States in zones In those zones, they are planted in late summer/early fall and bloom in May/June. Our hardiness zone is 6, so the bulb will not survive winter outdoors. Amaryllis bulbs produce flowers in a variety of colors like red, pink, white, yellow, salmon, orange, and a mixture of those colors. All parts of the amaryllis plant are toxic if eaten. Amaryllis bulbs can produce new plants called bulblets from the mother bulb. Bulblets can be removed and planted to start a new amaryllis plant. If an amaryllis bulb has two flower stems, it is a sign that there are actually two bulbs that eventually will separate. Sources Hippeastrum x hybridum. Electronic Data Information Service of the University of Florida IFAS Extension. 7 Dec Amaryllis. Pacific Bulb Society. 22 Jan 2009, Ockenga, Starr. Excerpt from the Book Amaryllis, GardenGuides.Com. 22 Jan 2009, Quarter Inch Ruler, Florida Center for Instructional Technology. ClipArt ETC is a part of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse and is produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida. 6 Nov Kaplan, Kim. USDA Unveils New Plant Hardiness Zone Map, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 25 Jan Nov 2013, them to fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source. Page 6

7 Growing the Future by Teaching Children in the Gardens / 20 Miamiview Drive, Loveland, OH / Amaryllis Observations What will grow first? The stem The leaves Our Predictions How tall will the stem and flower grow? Less than 12 in. Equal to 12 in. More than 12 in. Date Height of stem (include bud/flower) Our Data Measure to nearest ½ inch. Length of longest leaf How many leaves? First open bloom How many blooms? them to fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source. Page 7

8 p l a n t p a r t Growing the Future by Teaching Children in the Gardens 20 Miamiview Drive, Loveland, OH Graphing Amaryllis Parts Grade One Graph the height of the stem and the length of the longest leaf. Name: n u m b e r o f i n c h e s Which plant part is longer? How many more inches is it longer? Revised Granny s Garden School, Inc. We encourage you to use these lesson plans and change them to fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source. Page 8

9 Granny s Garden School, Inc. You are here. Revised Granny s Garden School, Inc. We encourage you to use these lesson plans and change them to fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source. Page 9

10 Growing the Future by Teaching Children in the Gardens / 20 Miamiview Drive, Loveland, OH / Analyzing Amaryllis Grade One This week our class received an amaryllis bulb that will grow in our classroom for the next several weeks, culminating in beautiful blooms. As the plant develops, we ll gather information about plant growth. In science, we learn that plants have basic needs for growing in the right conditions. We learned that an amaryllis needs the right soil and air temperature to grow. Amaryllis is a spring flowering bulb when grown outside in warmer climates. Since the bulb cannot survive our winter outdoors, we re forcing it to bloom indoors. In math, we learn about length and organizing and interpreting data. Over the next several weeks, we ll observe how our plant changes. We ll measure and record stem and leaf growth to understand how this plant grows. Later, we ll graph our data to create a summary of our findings. Ask your student how the class bulb grows over the next several weeks. What is the height of our plant today? Draw a picture and find the height. My prediction for how tall it will grow Revised Granny s Garden School, Inc. We encourage you to use these lesson plans and change them to fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source. Page 10