Know and understand synergy among organisms and the environments of organisms. Check with the National Science Education Standards and New Mexico's Standards and Benchmarks . Also, this activity promotes cooperation and categorization skills, comparison, and collaborative creative production. This activity requires two to three weeks of observation with approximately 30 minutes every other day for data collection. Students can be put into groups of three of four or left as a class group.
Small groups are preferred.
Students need time for discussion both before the activity, such as the day before, and after the activity. Results can be displayed in several ways, from simple construction paper to detailed diagrams in a draw document on the computer. Other methods of presentation are given in Presentation Methods and Ideas . Procedure Introduce students to the idea of germinating seeds. Discuss the definition of 'germination' and ask the students what they think might influence how fast the seeds sprout.