Plant Investigation

Learning Goals:
Students plan and carry out an investigation in which they grow seedlings under different conditions and use
evidence from their study to construct an explanation of how different systems interact inside the seedling.

Predict:
1. What environmental factors (abiotic and biotic OR living and nonliving) would impact the growth of a
plant? Try to make a list of 5-10 items that would impact a plant's growth.

Humidity, soil type, sunlight amount, soil density, temperature.

2. What evidence would you need in order to answer question one?

Physical evidence from tests and experiments.

Planning your investigation:

1. Which factor will you be testing in your experiment?
Acid mixture

2. What experimental question will you be answering?

How well will the plant grow when watered with the acid mixture versus normal water?

3. What materials will you need to complete your experiment? You will be provided with these general
supplies: soil, pots, water, light, and seeds.
Soil, pots, water, light, seeds, vinegar.

4. What is your independent variable? (what are you changing in your experiment)
What the plant is being watered with.

5. What is your dependent variable? (what are you measuring in your experiment?)
How tall the plant grows.

6. Make a prediction about what will happen to your plants. Use an if, then statement. Example: If we
change … then the plant in the … will … because …
If we water the plant with an acidic mixture, I believe the plant will either wilt or not grow at all because it will
be poisoned by the acidic mixture.
 7. What constants will you need in your experiment? List ALL of the constants you will need. These are
things that will not change in your experiment. List at least 3 things.
Amount of sunlight, amount of liquid, amount of soil.

8. Write a procedure for your experiment. Use bullet points or numbers and be very detailed! Good
procedures are more than just short lists, but detailed explanations of what you are doing. Anyone
should be able to read your procedure and duplicate it exactly.
● 12 radish seeds
● Fill pot completely full with soil
● Make 1 cm hole in soil
● 1 seed in each hole
● Cover with dirt
● Correct mix used to water each pot
● Place on windowsill in sunlight
● Water with respective liquids every day at start of class
● Record plant height in inches each day

9. Create your own data table. You will be collecting data on your plants every day. You will need to collect
both qualitative (observations) and quantitative (numbers) data.

Plant # Water (ML) Acidic Mix (ML)

1 100 0
2 100 0
3 100 0
4 100 10
5 100 10
6 100 10
7 100 20
8 100 20
9 100 20
10 100 30
11 100 30
12 100 30

*** STOP: TEACHER CHECK IN ***

10. Begin to plant your plants. You will be given a maximum of 10 seeds per person. Be sure to LABEL your
containers and record data EVERYDAY!

Conclusion Questions. Answer these when your experiment is completed!

1. Now that you have collected your data, analyze it. Below, record your thinking on what patterns and
trends you are seeing in your data. This should be detailed. What happened in your experiment. How
do you know that?
The plants with no acidic mix appear to grow quickly at first then grow at a steady rate. The plants with the
acidic mix don’t grow immediately, but they eventually start growing at a steady rate. Some plants don’t grow
at all, and these plants are the ones with the higher levels of acidic mix.

2. Create a graph of your data. Insert your graph below. Use google sheets to create your graph. Here is
a video that explains how to create a graph in google sheets.

3. How does your plant demonstrate a system? Explain the inputs and outputs of your plant.
The inputs are water, vinegar, carbon dioxide and sunlight, the outputs are oxygen and glucose.

4. What are the levels of organization within your plant?

Individual.
 5. How did your plant demonstrate homeostasis during this project?
It maintained a balance of taking in water and carbon dioxide and producing glucose and oxygen.

6. What claim can you make from your experiment?

When vinegar is added to water and given to plants, it stunts their growth and can even prevent them from
growing at all.

7. What evidence do you have to support your claim? You should be including more than one piece of
evidence.
In our data, some plants with vinegar didn’t grow, while all plants without vinegar did grow. The plants with
vinegar didn't grow as tall as the plants without vinegar too.

8. What reasoning do you have to support your claim? Reasoning helps explain your evidence. Why did
you see the results you did? You may need to do some online research in order to help answer this
question.
The evidence supports the claim because it shows the plants that had more vinegar struggled, while the
plants with no vinegar thrived, proving that vinegar harms plants when it’s used to water them.

9. If you were to re-do your experiment, what changes would you make? Why?
I’d use less vinegar, as the amount of vinegar we used killed the plants instead of just affecting their growth. I
would also water them every other day as they were getting too much water and that was starting to make
the plants wilt.

Presentations
Now create a presentation to show your work to the class. Your presentation should include:
● Experimental question
● Variables
● Controls
● Claim
● Evidence
● Reasoning
This presentation will be one slide that includes all of your information.

Grading Rubric
Advanced (100) Proficient (88) Meeting (75) Beginning (65) Insufficient
Evidence

Variables Independent & There are 2 There are 2 Not done

dependent independent independent
variables are variables listed variables
 listed and make OR the listed AND the
sense. dependent dependent
variable is not variable is not
measurable measurable

Procedure Procedure is Procedure is Procedure is Procedure is Not done

very clear and clear. One step brief and the very brief and
the reader may be reader could not clear
could easily unnecessary not accurately
complete the complete the
experiment. experiment

Data Table Data table is Data table is Data table Not done
organized and listed, but it is does not have
easy to read hard to follow any labels

Plan and -Student -Students -Students -Student has

Conduct includes an include an include a a variable
-Variables, accurate accurate variable and -Data is
Constants
variable and variable and constant. collected.
-Data
Collection constants in the constants in -Several pieces
-Accurate plan. their plan. of data are
Measurements -Data collection -Data that is collected.
is well thought collected is -Students are
out, detailed, detailed consistent when
and accurate. -Students are taking
-Measurements consistent when measurements
are accurate taking
and thorough. measurements

Presentation -Students have -Students have -Students have -Students

-Data an accurate an accurate a claim. have a claim.
-Conclusions
claim. claim. -Some data -Data is
-All/most of the -Student data supports the collected but
data collected supports the student 's claim. may not fully
supports the claim. (3 pieces (2 pieces of support the
claim. (4 pieces of evidence) evidence) claim. (1 piece
of evidence) -Students are -Students give of evidence)
-Students able to discuss reasoning for -Student
hypothesize why data why data may gives little
reasoning for supports their support a claim. reasoning to
any outliers. claim. explain data.
-Students are
able to fully
articulate how
their data
supports their
claim.

Work Habits Students are Students usually Students have Students

-Collaboration consistent with are utilizing their some work rarely use
Skills
their work work habits. habits but need their work
-Productivity
and habits. to improve. habits.
Accountability
-Organization
and Readiness

Copy of Plant Project Presentation Template