Procedures and Activity
Introduction
Ask the guiding questions:
Do plants need sunlight?
What happens if plants do not get sunlight?
Ask children to share ideas, facts or experiences to answer the first question, “Do plants need sunlight?” Don’t accept a simple “yes” or “no.”
Children will probably agree that plants need sunlight or they will die. Then deal with the second question, “What happens if plants do not get sunlight?” Share that in order for us to answer this question, we need to think and act like scientists. A scientist takes a question like this and then conducts an experiment to see what really happens and to gather data or facts.
Today, we will start an experiment that will take a week to conduct, to see if plants need sunlight and to see what happens to plants when they don’t get sunlight.
Activity
Give each pair or small group of 3–4 students a plant. Have them cut out of the black construction paper 4 square or oval pieces. Cover up 2 leaves on the healthy green plant with the black construction paper pieces, one on top of the leaf and one piece on the bottom of the leaf. Secure the papers on the leaf with paper clips.
Have students look at their leaves to make sure that the entire leaf area on top and on the bottom is covered up and won’t be able to get any sunlight.
After a week, remove the paper clips and pieces of black construction paper. What do the leaves look like? What color are they? What do you think happened?
Leave the plants on the windowsill or table top for another week. Water the plants when needed. Watch the leaves and see what happens to them when they are able to get sunlight again. What causes them to turn green again?