Discuss:
Where would you plant a fern?
Hint...
You found the fern growing on the forest floor...
Where we might plant it...
A fern should probably be planted somewhere with shade and plenty of water. Inside a house would be good, or in the shade of a tree.
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.
- End of Mystery Assessment and Answer Key
- Reading: "Goats Clean Up a Famous Cemetery"
- Video: Think Garden — Location, Location
- Activity: Dandelion Hunt
If you have a park or grassy lawn near your school, take your students on a dandelion hunt.
Choose four or five different areas that similar in size. Make sure the areas get different amounts of sun and water. Use the Plant Needs Chart to try to find an area that fits in each box.
Assign a team to each area and have them count how many dandelion plants they find. Back in the classroom, compare how many dandelion plants each team found. Which area had the most? Which had the least? Discuss what might affect the success of dandelions in a particular area: light, water, foot traffic, an enthusiastic gardener.
For a math extension, make a bar graph displaying your data.
