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The following classroom activities
were developed over two summers by Donna Schmidt as
part of a teacher summer research experience funded
by the National Science Foundation. They have been
designed as an ongoing investigative experience that
to some extent mimics the actual process of science
as it occurs in a research facility.
Donna Schmidt is a high school biology teacher at
Pattonville High School in St. Louis, MO.
Introduction
Students begin by reading
about plants in their textbook, and researching on the Internet to get
some basic knowledge about plants and how they maintain life processes.
They will also get background information on corn in particular, as it
will be the plant of focus. Concurrently they will plant corn seed and
make observations as they watch it grow. They will make qualitative
observations about color, turgor,
growth patterns and timing, and descriptions of leaf
emergence as well as quantitative ones like leaf length,
number of leaves, etc. During this time they will also
practice keeping a lab book with detailed notes about what
they learn and observe. A bioassay will be completed as a
class activity so students can develop a technique that
they can use in some modified form in a design of their
own experiment. There
will be ongoing discussions in both small and large groups
throughout. Two different bioassays are included,
"Leaf Elongation Bioassay in Zea mays"
which is most appropriate for advanced biology students
and "Zea mays, Responding to the
Environment" which is meant for general high school
biology students. In each case, students first learn
a technique for a bioassay and then design an experiment
using that particular assay technique.
Curriculum
Timeline and
syllabus
Activity: The
Incredible, Edible Plant
Activity:
Making Corn Babies
Activity: The Saga of the Corn Embryo
Activity:
Leaf Elongation Bioassay in Zea mays
Activity:
Zea mays, Responding to the Environment
The
Experiment
Activity: Zoom in
on a Leaf
Stomatal Peel
Experiment
Missouri Assessment
The above activities meet the
Missouri Frameworks and Show-Me Standards:
Missouri
Curriculum Frameworks
I. A 1
I. A 2
I. B 3
Show-Me
Standards
1.7;1.8;3.4;3.6
1.8;2.1;2.3;2.4
1.1;1.2;1.3;1.8;2.1;2.2;3.1;3.2;3.3;3.4;3.5;4.1;4.4
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