Emperor and the Seed - Units of Work
Click here for the discussion plans relating to this story.
How to Not Grow Seeds (Science)
Dandelion seeds by Danel Solabarrieta
In their school experiences, there is no doubt that your
students would have had the opportunity to grow seeds.
In this activity, students brainstorm ideas of what would ‘kill’ seeds so that they would not grow.
In the story, the emperor boils the seeds to make sure they didn’t grow. As a class, we will experiment using a control seed (that should grow) and a boiled seed. In groups, students think of different ways to create a seed that will not grow.
Some ideas for making seeds not grow include: growing a seed in the dark, using a very old seed, changing the depth of planting, not watering the seed or watering a seed too much, growing a seed in the fridge, or growing the seed in another medium besides soil.
Over a specified time period (e.g. a month) students keep a science journal of their seeds’ progress and track it against the control seed.
If you want to get technical, students could enter their videos into the 60 Second Science competition, where students are ... The registrations for this year close on the 14th of November, with the upload deadline on the 20th November. The winners are announced on the 4th December. Entry into the competition is free, however, you will need to complete a consent form for any person who is visually identifiable in the video. Please read the rules before thinking about doing this with your class.
In this activity, students brainstorm ideas of what would ‘kill’ seeds so that they would not grow.
In the story, the emperor boils the seeds to make sure they didn’t grow. As a class, we will experiment using a control seed (that should grow) and a boiled seed. In groups, students think of different ways to create a seed that will not grow.
Some ideas for making seeds not grow include: growing a seed in the dark, using a very old seed, changing the depth of planting, not watering the seed or watering a seed too much, growing a seed in the fridge, or growing the seed in another medium besides soil.
Over a specified time period (e.g. a month) students keep a science journal of their seeds’ progress and track it against the control seed.
If you want to get technical, students could enter their videos into the 60 Second Science competition, where students are ... The registrations for this year close on the 14th of November, with the upload deadline on the 20th November. The winners are announced on the 4th December. Entry into the competition is free, however, you will need to complete a consent form for any person who is visually identifiable in the video. Please read the rules before thinking about doing this with your class.
ACSSU094: The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment
ACSHE098: Science involves testing predictions by gathering data and using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena
ACSIS232: With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be
ACSIS104: Decide which variable should be changed and measured in fair tests and accurately observe, measure and record data, using digital technologies as appropriate
Seed Journal (Fictional Narrative - English)
Students are to write twelve journal entries (one for each month of the year) either from the point of Ling (who persisted with the boiled seed) or from the point of view of one of the children who gave up and bought a seed.
If writing from the point of view of Ling, think about the emotions he would be going through as he sees other children’s plants flourish.
Do you think he knew the other boys were cheating? If so, how would you think he came to such a conclusion?
Do you think at any point he thought of cheating and buying a new seed? If not, what kept him going and persisting with his seed?
If writing from the point of view of one of the other children, how long do you think they persisted with growing their seed, before they bought a new one?
How do you think they felt about cheating and buying a new seed?
What would they have thought of Ling?
If writing from the point of view of Ling, think about the emotions he would be going through as he sees other children’s plants flourish.
Do you think he knew the other boys were cheating? If so, how would you think he came to such a conclusion?
Do you think at any point he thought of cheating and buying a new seed? If not, what kept him going and persisting with his seed?
If writing from the point of view of one of the other children, how long do you think they persisted with growing their seed, before they bought a new one?
How do you think they felt about cheating and buying a new seed?
What would they have thought of Ling?
ACELA1523: Understand how ideas can be expanded and sharpened through careful choice of verbs, elaborated tenses and a range of adverb groups/phrases
ACELA1525: Investigate how vocabulary choices, including evaluative language can express shades of meaning, feeling and opinion
ACELT1613: Make connections between students’ own experiences and those of characters and events represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts
ACELT1618: Create literary texts that adapt or combine aspects of texts students have experienced in innovative ways