Thanks for the feedback! Multiple of the plants in all the locations put out the spiky adult leaves, but we didn't want to judge it based on that because from the beginning, the size of the plants differed, because we germinated our plants.

Hi Dahlia (and team) -

You did a great job filling out the fields above.  Nice job!

I also like your graph below.  It's very clear and easy to read, and that's important for communicating data.

Did your radishes put out any additional leaves, did you notice?  I'm just curious.  The healthiest plants should have put out more than the two you saw initially when they first sprouted and were winding all over.

I filled out the blue boxes. Are these correct?

Hi Dahlia (and all) -- Try uploading the data to the Files section.  Then I'll be able to see it.

Okay! here is our graph with our final data:

Hm.  Well, can you share your data with me?  Your conclusion is where you tell the story of what you think happened during your experiment.  I'd love to see how the three areas turned out.

This was our last day of measuring! Tomorrow we're going to start writing our conclusions. Do you have any advice on how to write our best possible conclusion?

Wow, they sure did!  

Incidentally, are you measuring anything about the environment in each case?  I'm wondering if you might want to at least check back to see how the temperature outside compares to the temperatures in the other locations you're using. 

Another thing to consider is how many hours of light they're getting.  Outdoors, the plants are probably getting around 11 hours of sunlight.  You might ask Mr. Kessler how long during the day the lights are on in your classroom and see if it's different.

This is the outside in the fenced area grew a lot in 24 hrs

Sadly, no.  This is what I meant by 'leggy' -- they haven't had enough light so they are growing all over the place trying to find some. ;). As a result, their stems are really weak.  

But it's okay! You can start again if you want to, but you also might want to just keep going with these plants and focus on their leaves.

Those first leaves you see in the photo are their 'seed leaves', (also called 'cotyledons').  They're like baby teeth, in a way - smaller and thicker than the plant's normal leaves, and just there to help it get going until it finds enough light.

They will put out another, 'real' set of leaves once you have them in the light.  You might consider tracking how long it takes each plant put out their real leaves?  That would tell you something about how happy they are in each environment?

This is one of our seed trays. our plants have been growing really well and we're starting the experiment! Do you know of any ways we can stop them from bending as they grow?

Hey Team 11!  Just checking in this morning.  I heard from Mr. Kessler that you had a day off yesterday.  I hope you were able to do something you enjoy.  This time of year here in Missouri is when the leaves are turning colors and the air is turning cool in the mornings and evenings.  Its nice.

Hopefully your germinated seeds are doing okay after the break, but if not, try not to be discouraged. That sort of thing happens often to scientists who study seeds, and fortunately, radishes sprout quickly

Hey teams!  I gather things are going well in the classroom! 

I just wanted to post a reminder to everyone that you can - and should - edit the blue fields at the top of your project pages.  Click on 'Info' in the left-side menu and then look for 'Edit Project' on the right side of the Info page.

At the end of the session, I get to nominate groups with those fields completed to be considered for 'Star Project' status.   If your project is selected as a Star Project, you'll receive prizes from PlantingScience!

There are questions posted with each of the fields to help guide you regarding what to write.  Mr. Kessler and I are also happy to help explains, so let us know if you have any questions!

The germination went really well! The white roots have pushed through the paper towel to our plastic bag, and the shoots have broken out of the seeds and are thriving in the paper towel. We will plant them and begin our experiment tomorrow!

Hi all!  How did the germination go?  

It was a beautiful weekend here, much cooler and more fall-like than previous weeks have been.  My soil critters seemed especially enthusiastic.  One of my test site pavers looked like slugs had some kind of rave overnight. ;)  I'll try to post a photo to show you.

Hope it was a nice weekend there too!

Thank you for all your feedback, today we are starting to germinate seeds, so hopefully when we get back to school on Monday they will be ready for planting!

That seems wise.  If you have enough seeds, you might consider putting as many as 10 (or even 20) into the pots before you place them in their growing spots.  Then each day you can count how many sprout.

Radish seeds, by the way, work really well for this.  They tend to sprout within 2-3 days of planting.  Just make sure to give them plenty of water. :)

I'm excited to hear how it turns out!  If you get a chance, make sure you fill in the blue fields up above. (Click on 'Info' and then on 'Edit Info' to get there.)  

The seeds that we will be using are either radish or corn seeds, and I know you said that a tall plant does not always mean a healthy plant, so can we count leaves for these kinds of plants? Also, this is not a long lasting project, we'll only be measuring for about 5 days, so it's more about which plant starts growing first. Thank you!

We have decided on 3 different places to put our plants; outside in a fenced-off area, in our greenhouse, and in our classroom, all in places where they'll get equal amounts of sunlight. We were not aware that a growing plant does not always mean a healthy plant, so we may slightly revise our dependent variable. Again, thank you for responding!

Thank you for your feedback!

We decided to go with the question, 'do different environments affect plant growth?' If you have any ideas for us on how we can make our project as successful as possible, we'd love to know.

I'm doing well!  I spent yesterday doing some preparations for an upcoming research project I'm working on.   When you were younger (or even now) did you spend much time peeking under rocks to see the bugs underneath?  I get to do it professionally now. ;). I'll upload some pictures to show you.

It sounds like you've been busy too.  Those are some good questions!  Are you leaning toward any in particular? 

I know choosing can be tough, but here are a couple of things to think about that might help:

• Which of the questions you're considering might be used to solve real-world problems?
  
  For example, your questions exploring different types of soil/alternatives to soil might be interesting to people who are trying to grow food in limited space.  Can you envision ways in which the answers you discover could be helpful to someone outside of your classroom?
   
• Which questions are easiest to explore given the amount of time and materials you have on hand? 
  
  This is a question scientsts have to wrestle with ALL THE TIME.  A lot of the lab equipment and supplies we use are paid for by programs that give us a limited amount of money and demand results by a certain due date.  We have to think about ways to design our experiments so we can make the best use of the resources we have.
  
  I think this would be a consideration for your questions 4 and 5.  Both are good questions!  Can you envision a test you could do using the time and materials you have that would help you answer them?

Hi, how are you?

After talking with my group we agreed we wanted to do our project on soil and plant growth. We came up with some questions which we can turn into a hypothesis. They are:

1) Do plants need to be in soil to grow?

2) Can plants grow in different types of matter?

3) What brand of soil makes plants grow the fastest?

4) Do different climates and areas affect plant growth?

5) Where is the best place to grow a plant at our school?

That sounds good. (Hello Remy, Daniel, and Dahlia!)

Any thoughts so far as to which of the aspects of plant growth seem most interesting to you?  I imagine you're probably experimenting with a few things in class to help you decide.  If I can answer any questions for you about it, let me know.  

Hope your weather there is as nice as it is here in Missouri!  It's still pretty warm here, but we're starting to see some maple trees turning red. 

I am posting for our group and we are designing a project focused on one of the 5 aspects of plant growth

I am!  It's actually pretty common here for liaisons to mentor a team or two.  It's nice to meet you, Vaidy!  Are you posting for the team, or is it just you and me? 

Hello, we're excited to get started with this project! We oly see a message from Jennifer, are you our mentor?

Hi all!  My name is Jennifer Hartley, and I work for the Botanical Society of America. 

I will be participating with all of the teams in your class as a 'liaison', which means I am here to support Mr. Kessler and the other teams' mentors.  However, in your case I'll be your mentor as well!

I am a former teacher myself.  I taught high school biology and earth science classes, and then sixth grade Earth science.  However, I've always loved plants and am now also a graduate student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, pursuing my masters' degree in biology.  My focus is on soil biology and how it is impacted by the ways humans use the land (including, obviously, growing plants on it.)

I'm really looking forward to seeing your work in the weeks to come! 

Welcome to your PlantingScience project page!

Welcome to this community of plant researchers. As your team plans and conducts your own research project, you will be mentored by a scientist. The mentor's role is to encourage and guide you through the process of scientific discovery. The more you share your ideas and research information online, the more your mentor can help. You can also find out more about your mentor. What is their research about? Why did they go into science? What do they like to do when they are not working?

You may also hear from this classroom’s assigned scientist liaison. Liaisons work with several mentors and help make sure the conversations are going strong. They may also offer some extra advice or encouragement.

Two resources can help you get started:

• Student Roadmap
• Plant Investigation Toolkit

Best wishes as you start this scientific journey. We are all pleased to share this experience with you. Have fun!

To set up your project page:

• Upload a photo or avatar for your team.
• Introduce yourselves to your scientist mentor and get the conversation started!
• PLEASE ONLY CLICK "Share with team" ONCE. Sometimes the page takes a little while to refresh, so please be patient!

In order to protect student privacy, please DO NOT share:

• last names
• social media handles
• links to Google/Sharepoint documents, spreadsheets, or images

We will remove these items as we find them in posts.