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Victorian Essential Learning Standards Domains and (Levels):
Science (4)
Geography (4)
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In
this activity you will observe how a growing cereal
grain
plant responds to different amounts of water.
Materials
required:
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seed
raising mix |
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3
seedling trays or pots |
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100
ml. measuring cylinder |
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seeds
(wheat, barley or oats) |
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labels
(1, 2, & 3) |
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results
recording sheets similar to below: |
Results
record
- changes noted:
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DAY
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TRAY
1 = ......ml.
every 3 days
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TRAY
2 = ......ml.
every 3 days
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TRAY
3 =
no watering after Day 1
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1
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2
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3
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â
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14
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STOP
WATERING NOW
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etc
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Procedure:
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Fill
the 3 trays or pots with the seed raising
mix. |
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Fill
the measuring cylinder to the 100 ml mark. |
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Gently
water the soil in one tray until it is saturated
and draining from the bottom. This will be
tray number 1. |
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Record
the amount of water on the results sheet. |
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With
tray number 2 apply half of
the amount of water |
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With
tray number 3 apply quarter
the amount of water. |
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Spread
the same amount of seeds over the soil
in each of the trays. |
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Rake
the soil lightly to cover the seeds and lightly
press the soil. |
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Tray
1 and tray 2 will need to be watered
with the appropriate amounts of water every
3 days. |
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Tray
3 will not be watered again. |
Record
changes that occur in your trays for the next
2 weeks. Once the two weeks are over, stop
watering but continue to record the changes
in each tray.
Questions:
| 1. |
Which
tray germinated the fastest? Why? |
| 2. |
Which
tray produced the most plants? |
| 3. |
Which
watering condition was the best? Suggest reasons
why? |
| 4. |
Comment
on the importance of rainfall after sowing
a cereal crop. |
| 5. |
What
other weather factors are important to farmers? |
| 6. |
What
do we mean by the word 'drought'? |
| 7. |
How
might limited water supplies affect:
a) a farmer?
b) city people?
c) food prices in the supermarket? |
| 8. |
Do
different types of crops need different weather
conditions? |
Further
Activities:
| 1. |
Interview a farmer to find out about the "ideal"
weather conditions for farming in your area.
Collate the findings of students' interviews
to produce a description of the "ideal"
weather. Compare this description to the reality
of the weather over a given time, eg. the
last five years. |
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| 2. |
Collect
media items about the current water shortages
in parts of Victoria. Discuss ways individuals
and groups in the community can cope with
limited water supplies and uncertainty of
rainfall. |
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| Student
Worksheet adapted from Pride in Victorian
Farming DNRE 1996 -a LandLearn Resource Book
for CSF Level 4 |
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