1. By Mr. Pham 6 th Grade 3 rd Trimester 2005 Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School

2. 1.Background information: a. A seed is a holding embryo of a plant. b. Germination is when a seed become a seedling. c. A seed will germinate when it has enough moisture, right temperature, oxygen, and with light or no light. 2. Problem or question to solve a. Problem: Farmer Pham wants to find the best conditions to germinate pinto beans. b. Question: Will pinto bean germinate better in natural soil or sand? 3. Hypothesis Pinto bean will sprout more and healthier in sand than natural soil.

3. 2 ziploc bags 2 clear plastic cups 20 pinto bean seeds 200 ml of natural soil 200 ml of sand 100 ml water

4. 1.Get all required materials 2.Label zip lock bags and cups 3.Place 200 ml of natural soil in one cup and 200 ml of sand in another 4.Place 10 pinto seeds at random in each cup 5.Water each cup with 50 ml of water 6.Place the cups in the zip lock bags and observe every day

5. DateNatural SoilSand 9/21 No germination There is no changes in seeds. No germination There is no changes in seeds. 9/22 5 seeds germinated Seeds swelled and discolored. 1 seed germinated Seeds swelled and discolored 9/23 7 seeds germinated Sprout grew longer. 3 seeds germinated Some seed started to crack. 9/24 All 10 seeds germinated Some sprout has leaves. 4 seeds germinated Some seeds look rotten. Pinto Bean Experiment Observation Table

6. Based on the observation, the pinto bean seeds germinated more, faster, and healthier in natural soil than sand. On the third day, there were 4 more germinated in natural soil than sand. Toward the end of the experiment, there were 6 more germinated in soil than sand. Sprouts were consistently taller and greener in soil than sand through out our experiment. We also noticed that the sand remained wetter than natural soil through out our experiment.

7. Our hypothesis was incorrect, because there were more seed germinated in natural soil than sand. Furthermore, the sprouts were healthier in natural soil than sand. Since sand seems to hold water more and longer than soil, the seeds were too wet. If we were to do it again, we would make sure to keep the moisture at the same level and use more seeds. Our new hypothesis: Pinto beans will germinate more and healthier in natural soil than sand. Farmer Pham should use natural soil to germinate his pinto beans.

8. Seed Germination. HighBeam Research, Inc. September 22, 2005. <http://www.encyclopedia.com>

9. I would like to thank myself for helping me. My students for my inspiration