Grouptime events

        Investigating plants   Lucas: Why do we have to learn about living things and plants? Isaak: How do plants grow? What do they need?  We collected plants from our forest and investigated their parts and compared the different features. They were curious about how each part works and helps the plant grow.  Isaak predicted that the "stems have have straws which drink the water all the way up".  To check this theory we sliced open some stems and discovered that they were actually hollow inside. He then changed his idea and concluded that the whole stem in like a straw and that the fibers (I supplied him the term) is what makes the stem work.  We also did a few experiments on absorption to investigate how root systems suck the water from the ground. During our walk in the forest, they observed that tree roots can absorb more water since they have much larger roots and they also began to wonder why trees are also plants and how moss roots work since they grow

 We are now starting a new unit on plants. This week the children began to gather ideas and questions about how plants grow, what they need, and how they help us. Below are the concepts and teacher questions which will guide our thinking throughout this unit. Key concepts Form Function    Responsibility What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries? How are plants in our local area similar and different? How do animals/people use plants? Is it important for us to take care of plants? We started with understanding the differences between living & non-living things. We used the following criteria to sort out various objects from living to non-living things. Living things are things that: move, breathe, take space, grow, need food and water and reproduce. We also went for a walk in the St. George's trail on the Southwest Marine side to observe different features of plants and notice living and non-living things in ou