1. Plants Unit Activity 2.1 Predictions about Radish Plants Growing
Carbon: Transformations in Matter and Energy
Environmental Literacy Project Michigan State University
Plants Unit Activity 2.1 Predictions about Radish Plants Growing

2. Three Questions Poster
Rules to Follow
Connecting Atoms to Evidence
The Movement Question: Where are atoms moving?
Where are atoms moving from?
Where are atoms going to?
Atoms last forever in combustion and living systems.
All materials (solids, liquids, and gases) are made of atoms.
When materials change mass, atoms are moving.
When materials move, atoms are moving.
The Carbon Question: What is happening to carbon atoms?
What molecules are carbon atoms in before the process?
How are the atoms rearranged into new molecules?
Carbon atoms are bound to other atoms in molecules.
Atoms can be rearranged to make new molecules.
The air has carbon atoms in CO2
Organic materials are made of molecules with carbon atoms:
Foods
fuels
living and dead plants and animals.
The Energy Question: What is happening to chemical energy?
What forms of energy are involved?
How is energy changing from one form to another?
Energy lasts forever in combustion and living systems.
C-C and C-H bonds have more stored chemical energy than C-O and H-O bonds.
We can observe indicators of different forms of energy:
organic materials with chemical energy
light
heat energy
motion.
Review the Three Questions.
Remind students that one of their goals in the unit is to answer how atoms move and how carbon and energy are transformed when a plant grows. Briefly review with students the Three Questions.
Use slide 2 of the 2.1 Predictions about Plants Growing PPT to review the Three Questions to help answer questions about how plants grow.
Students may also refer to the Three Questions 11 x 17 Poster on the wall and/or the Three Questions Handout previously distributed to students, which will be a review for students who have completed the Systems and Scale unit, Animals unit, or Decomposers unit.
Tell students that today they will be making predictions for two upcoming investigations to learn more about this story and answer the Three Questions.

3. Before you make your predictions… watch the Growing Plants Video
Show students the first section of the Carbon TIME Growing Plants video.
Watch the video until the first intermission where Darryl and Nina ask the students to make predictions about what happens when plants are in the light and in the dark (from 0:00 to about 2:30).
Use slide 3 of the 2.1 Predictions about Plants Growing PPT to segue into the video.
Use slide 4 of the PPT to lead a brief discussion in class about the investigation they set up.

4. Remembering the investigation you set up several weeks ago
Show students the first section of the Carbon TIME Growing Plants video.
Watch the video until the first intermission where Darryl and Nina ask the students to make predictions about what happens when plants are in the light and in the dark (from 0:00 to about 2:30).
Use slide 3 of the 2.1 Predictions about Plants Growing PPT to segue into the video.
Use slide 4 of the PPT to lead a brief discussion in class about the investigation they set up.

5. What do plants look like at different scales?
What are plants made of?
What do plants look like at different scales?
Discuss ideas that students can consider in making their predictions
Use Slides 5-7 to help student connect scales and learn about atoms in plants
Slide 6 “zooms in” to plants from the macroscopic to the atomic-molecular scale
Slide 7 reminds students of rules to follow from the Movement Question and inform them about the kinds of atoms found in plants

6. Plants are made of cells
Plant cells are made of molecules
Plant molecules are made of atoms
Benchmark Scale
Power of Ten
Decimal Style
Large scale
Larger
Larger 100,000 10,000 1,000
Macroscopic
meter
Microscopic
Atomic-molecular
Smaller
Smaller
Discuss ideas that students can consider in making their predictions
Use Slides 5-7 to help student connect scales and learn about atoms in plants
Slide 6 “zooms in” to plants from the macroscopic to the atomic-molecular scale
Slide 7 reminds students of rules to follow from the Movement Question and inform them about the kinds of atoms found in plants
Scale: 10-8 meters = meters
Scale: 10-9 meters = meters
Scale: 10-7 meters = meters
Scale: 10-5 meters = meters
Scale: 10-1 meters = 0.1 meters
Scale: 100 meters = 1 meters
Scale: 10-2 meters = 0.01 meters
Scale: 10-3 meters = meters
Scale: 10-4 meters = meters
Scale: 10-6 meters = meters

7. Using what you know about atoms to make predictions
You may already know:
Atoms last forever, so all the atoms in a plant must come from somewhere
Plants need water, air, sunlight, and soil nutrients to grow and survive
You may not know that the dry mass of a garden plant includes these atoms:
Carbon (about 45%)
Oxygen (about 45%)
Hydrogen(about 6%)
Nitrogen, phosphorous, and all other atoms (about 4%)
Discuss ideas that students can consider in making their predictions
Use Slides 5-7 to help student connect scales and learn about atoms in plants
Slide 6 “zooms in” to plants from the macroscopic to the atomic-molecular scale
Slide 7 reminds students of rules to follow from the Movement Question and inform them about the kinds of atoms found in plants

8. Making predictions Predicting mass changes
What materials will gain and lose mass when plants grow?
How are the mass changes connected with The Movement Question: Where are atoms moving?
Use arrows on the worksheet to show your ideas
Have students write predictions about changes in mass of the plant and gel and express their ideas about the Movement Question.
Pass out one copy of 2.1 Predictions Tool for Plant Investigations to each student, and ask them to write their predictions for what they will learn from the Mass Changes investigation about the Movement Question on their Predictions Tool for Plant Investigations.
Show students slide 8 in the PPT and have them write predictions about mass changes on page 1 of the Predictions Tool.
Have students revisit what they wrote on their Expressing Ideas Tool for Plants Growing, and ask them to review their ideas from the first lesson.
Have students express their ideas about where different atoms in plants come from using the table on page 2 of the Predictions Tool.

9. Possible BTB colors
Have students predict how plants in the light and dark will affect the color of Bromothymol blue (BTB).
Remind students that yellow BTB indicates the presence of carbon dioxide.
Show students slide 9 of the PPT to use as a color reference, and refer to the BTB Information and Instructions Handout for information about preparing BTB.
You may want to have students perform a brief demonstration of what happens to BTB when they blow into it with a straw (slide 10).
Students might choose to add controls to the experiment: for example, they might try setting up a chamber with yellow or blue BTB only and no plant.
Show students Slide 11 and have them make predictions about BTB color changes in the light and dark, as well as their ideas about the Carbon Question. They should record these predictions on page 1 of their Predictions Tools in the middle row.

10. Using tools for investigation: BTB
What does your breath do to BTB solution?
Use the soda straw to blow gently through the BTB solution.
What does BTB tell us about carbon dioxide in the air?
Have students predict how plants in the light and dark will affect the color of Bromothymol blue (BTB).
Remind students that yellow BTB indicates the presence of carbon dioxide.
Show students slide 9 of the PPT to use as a color reference, and refer to the BTB Information and Instructions Handout for information about preparing BTB.
You may want to have students perform a brief demonstration of what happens to BTB when they blow into it with a straw (slide 10).
Students might choose to add controls to the experiment: for example, they might try setting up a chamber with yellow or blue BTB only and no plant.
Show students Slide 11 and have them make predictions about BTB color changes in the light and dark, as well as their ideas about the Carbon Question. They should record these predictions on page 1 of their Predictions Tools in the middle row.

11. Making predictions Predicting BTB changes
How will the plants in the light and in the dark change the BTB?
How are the BTB changes connected to The Carbon Question: What is happening to carbon atoms?
Explain your ideas on the worksheet.
Have students predict how plants in the light and dark will affect the color of Bromothymol blue (BTB).
Remind students that yellow BTB indicates the presence of carbon dioxide.
Show students slide 9 of the PPT to use as a color reference, and refer to the BTB Information and Instructions Handout for information about preparing BTB.
You may want to have students perform a brief demonstration of what happens to BTB when they blow into it with a straw (slide 10).
Students might choose to add controls to the experiment: for example, they might try setting up a chamber with yellow or blue BTB only and no plant.
Show students Slide 11 and have them make predictions about BTB color changes in the light and dark, as well as their ideas about the Carbon Question. They should record these predictions on page 1 of their Predictions Tools in the middle row.

12. Using what you know about energy to make predictions
You may already know:
Energy lasts forever, so all the chemical energy in a plant must come from somewhere
Plants need water, air, sunlight, and soil nutrients to grow and survive
You may not know that the dry mass of a garden plant includes organic molecules with many high-energy bonds.
Have students record their ideas about the Energy Question.
Use the PPT and Predictions Tool to have students record their ideas about the Energy Question.
Show students Slide 12 to remind them of what they know about energy.
Show Slide 13 and have students make predictions about energy on the last row of page 1 and the last section on page 2 of the Predictions Tool.

13. Making predictions Predicting energy changes
What forms of energy are coming into the plant?
What forms of energy are stored in the plant?
How are the energy changes connected to The Energy Question: What is happening to chemical energy?
Explain your ideas on the worksheet.
Have students record their ideas about the Energy Question.
Use the PPT and Predictions Tool to have students record their ideas about the Energy Question.
Show students Slide 12 to remind them of what they know about energy.
Show Slide 13 and have students make predictions about energy on the last row of page 1 and the last section on page 2 of the Predictions Tool.

14. What are your ideas about the Movement Question?
Where are atoms moving from?
Where are atoms going to?
Have students discuss their predictions in pairs and as a class.
When students have completed their Predictions Tools, divide students into pairs and tell them to compare and contrast their predictions with each other and to look for differences and similarities. Give students 2-3 minutes to compare their predictions.
Display slides of the PPT and ask pairs of students to share their ideas for each of the Three Questions.
Help the students look for similarities and differences in the predictions in the class. Try to record a range of ideas on the slide.
Tell students that they will revisit their ideas after the investigation to see how their ideas changed over time.

15. What are your ideas about the Carbon Question?
What molecules are carbon atoms in before the change? What other molecules are involved?
What molecules are carbon atoms in after the change? What other molecules are produced?
Have students discuss their predictions in pairs and as a class.
When students have completed their Predictions Tools, divide students into pairs and tell them to compare and contrast their predictions with each other and to look for differences and similarities. Give students 2-3 minutes to compare their predictions.
Display slides of the PPT and ask pairs of students to share their ideas for each of the Three Questions.
Help the students look for similarities and differences in the predictions in the class. Try to record a range of ideas on the slide.
Tell students that they will revisit their ideas after the investigation to see how their ideas changed over time.

16. What are your ideas about the Energy Question?
What forms of energy come into a plant?
What forms of energy are stored in the plant?
Have students discuss their predictions in pairs and as a class.
When students have completed their Predictions Tools, divide students into pairs and tell them to compare and contrast their predictions with each other and to look for differences and similarities. Give students 2-3 minutes to compare their predictions.
Display slides of the PPT and ask pairs of students to share their ideas for each of the Three Questions.
Help the students look for similarities and differences in the predictions in the class. Try to record a range of ideas on the slide.
Tell students that they will revisit their ideas after the investigation to see how their ideas changed over time.

17. Planning the investigations (optional)
How will you measure mass changes?
How will you observe changes in the color of BTB?
(Optional) Have students plan the investigations.
Show students slide 17 as well as the materials that will be available to them for both investigations. Ask student groups to plan their own investigations to learn about the answers to the Three Questions about plants.