Spotlight on Practice - Science with Mrs Sifa

Years 3 and 4 have been investigating movement in animals and plants most recently looking at how plants grow and what impact a change/variable can have on the growth rate of a plant.

There is a very earthy smell in room 9 as we are growing cress seeds on cotton wool garden beds. We’ve had varying degrees of success which we think can be best explained by variables such as temperature, position in the class, amount and continuity of water, quality and the age of the seeds themselves. 

We have excluded nutrition because we are growing in just water. 

We did wonder what would happen if the seeds had water and something to grow on but no light. So, we put a batch in the cupboard. I thought the plants would be small and pale – I was wrong! 

Our first batch has grown twice as tall as the seed planted at the same time but left on the window ledge.

We have replanted a second batch to grow in the dark to see if the result will be the same or if the first one was a random result.

We also want to see how long the in the dark plants keep growing as they have already used up all the stored food in the seeds and aren’t making any food via photosynthesis. 

1. Without light and with light

2. Growing on a windowsill

3. Growing towards the light

4. Grown in the dark

Mrs Sifa

Deputy Principal / Science Teacher