BSCS Science Tracks: Connecting Science And Literacy: Investigating Plants Student Guide

LIFE SCIENCE-In this module, the students plant bean seeds in plastic bag "greenhouses" and observe the growth of the bean plants. In doing so, they learn about the needs of plants and seeds as living organisms and explore what happens if a plant's needs are not met. The students practice the skills of inquiry by setting up and monitoring investigations of their bean plants and develop skills such as observing, recording, measuring, comparing, and analyzing. Students keep journals of plant growth and development and learn about the structures of plants and seeds and the functions of each structure. They propagate additional plants from various plant parts and observe the plants' growth and development.

BSCS Science Tracks includes a comprehensive Student Guide and resource book at every level, 1-5. The Student Guide is not a "read-about-science" book; rather, it serves as a guide to help students learn to do the following things.

• Conduct scientific inquiries within a collaborative team and on their own
• Become more responsible for their own learning
• Manage the hands-on activities themselves
• Structure collaborative learning tasks
• Develop science and technology concepts and skills
• Reflect on their learning and assess their own conceptual and skill development
• Conduct independent inquiries related to questions or topics of personal interest
• Develop skills for reading in the content areas
• Follow and interpret directions

In addition, the Student Guides reinforce components of basic literacy, including shared reading and writing, guided reading and writing, continuous assessment, skills instruction, reading procedural text, listening and speaking skills, journal writing, record keeping, hints and reminders, reading and writing in a social context, and reading and writing in a content area.