We suggest students work in pairs.

Organize Materials

Materials for this activity are needed at two different steps, so we suggest organizing them beforehand for easier distribution.

The Fruit Market Mysteries worksheet is needed in Step 1.

The Fruit Cards and scissors are then needed in Step 12.

We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can work on their own.

Organize Materials

Materials for this activity are needed at three different steps, so we suggest organizing them beforehand for easier distribution.

The Tree Roots and Evidence (Roots & Branches) worksheets are distributed in Step 2.

We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can work on their own.

This lesson presents a series of virtual activities so that students can gather evidence and make a claim about what plants use for their growth: soil, water, or air. Each student needs a Plant Matter Mystery worksheet for the duration of the lesson.

Plan Your Time

If you have limited time, you can divide this lesson into two sessions. We have marked a natural stopping point after students gather evidence about soil and water.

Part 1: Soil & Water Experiments.

Part 2: Air Experiments & Making a Claim begins here. Students will need the Weighing Air worksheet in Part 2.

Teacher Background

In this lesson, we focus on weight as evidence for an increase in plant matter though technically this is mass. We follow the recommendation of science standards and do not distinguish between mass and weight at this grade level.