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Oat Predictions Beside the Playground Seesaws

Compare oat plants grown in two soil mixes, predict changes in their traits, and explain how environmental conditions can affect growth.

Grade 3ScienceInteractive · Printable

Aligned to3-LS3-2

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What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 NGSS standard
Printable answer key
12 questions
Classroom-ready

Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 3
Subject: Science
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students use plant height and leaf color observations to explain how soil conditions can affect traits.
Students predict plant traits from evidence while recognizing limits to their predictions.
Students identify fair comparisons when testing an environmental effect on plant traits.

How to use

Read the investigation together and review the graph scale. Have students make predictions independently, then discuss which records support their explanations.

Curriculum

NGSS standard covered

3-LS3-2

Use evidence to explain that the environment can affect traits, such as a plant that gets too little water.

Preview

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Name Date

Oat Predictions Beside the Playground Seesaws

Use plant records to predict how growing conditions may affect traits.

Study the Growing Records

Read the investigation. Use the graph and the leaf color notes to answer the questions.

Six Oat Plants

Erin's class set up a plant study on a fenced shelf beside the playground seesaws. The shelf was outside the play area. The class studied traits, or features, of oat plants. They measured plant height and observed leaf color. Soil, water, and light are parts of a plant's environment.

An adult prepared two soil mixtures using clean, bagged planting materials. One mixture was plain potting soil. The other was the same potting soil mixed with finished compost. Students washed their hands after handling the pots.

The class chose six oat seedlings from the same seed packet. Each seedling started at 4 centimeters tall with medium-green leaves. Students put one seedling in each of six matching pots. Three pots held plain soil, and three held the compost mixture. The pots held equal amounts of soil and had drainage holes.

For three weeks, students gave each pot the same measured amount of water each day. The plants received similar light. Students moved the pots around the shelf each day so one position would not favor a group. At the end, they measured each plant's height. They also recorded pale-green leaves on the plain-soil plants and darker-green leaves on the mixed-soil plants.