So much can happen before we see a leaf.
Look inside the seed coat. What might those two pale halves be keeping safe?
A tiny plant is already inside. The bean holds food to help it begin.
Try this. Curl one hand like a seed. Slowly uncurl a finger for its first root.
Follow the white root down. Now follow the little shoot up. What do you notice?
The root does not need eyes. It responds to gravity, which helps it grow down.
Try this. Follow the two directions in the air: root down, shoot up.
Find the three notes around the leaves. Where does each arrow lead?
Green leaves use light, water, and part of the air to make new food. The seed began with food stored inside.
Try this. Follow a path from the roots to a leaf. Then point to the light.
Find the earlier mark and today's tip. What could a drawing help us remember?
We can compare notes from different days. Growth can happen too slowly for our eyes to catch it happening.
Try this. Hold a finger at the earlier mark. With your other hand, show the space up to today's tip.
A bean rests in an open hand. “Is anything in there?” Inside, a tiny plant waits. Stored food will help it begin before leaves can cook new food.
Where are the pale food stores in the picture?
With water, air, and enough warmth, a root tips out first. It grows down with gravity. A shoot climbs toward light. Two directions from one quiet start.
Which way does the root go? Which way does the shoot go?
Leaves unfold in the light. They use light, water, and carbon dioxide from the air to make food. Now the plant can make more of what it needs.
What three things do the orange notes name?
“It looks the same,” says Little Wonderer. Big Wonderer opens the notebook. Yesterday’s mark sits lower than today’s tip. Notes catch slow change.
What did the notebook help them notice?
They look back at the beginning. Did the bean need open leaves to start? Inside, the tiny plant already had stored food — a lunch packed before the first leaf.
What in the picture helps explain your answer?
They sit by the window. Growing takes time. “What might change next?” Little Wonderer keeps a new question for tomorrow.
What is one thing you still wonder?
Use the notebook heights. Centimeters are length units; cm is the short name.
| Day | 4 | 8 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 8 cm | 14 cm | 23 cm |
1. Day 4: 8 cm. Day 8: 15 cm. How many cm did it grow in between?
14 − 8 =
Take the Day 4 height away from the Day 8 height.
2. Day 12: 23 cm. From Day 8 to Day 12, how many cm did it grow?
23 + 9 =
Start with 23. Subtract the Day 8 height.
3. How many days from Day 4 to Day 12?
12 − 4 =
Count the days between the two dates. Or subtract 4 from 12.
4. From Day 4 (8 cm) to Day 12 (23 cm), how many cm of growth in all?
23 − 8 =
Subtract the earlier height from the later height.
5. It grows 4 cm one day and 4 cm the next. How much growth together?
4 + 4 =
Add the two days of growth.
6. You watch for 7 days. You already watched 3. How many days are left?
7 − 3 =
Take 3 away from 7.
Choose a scene. Look closely, say your idea, then draw or write what the picture helped you understand.
Inside the bean, …What is kept there?
The root grows …Where does it go? What does it take in?
The leaf uses …What helps it make food?
Draw the seed, root, or leaf you chose. Label one part and add an arrow to show what it does.
SAY IT FIRST. THEN DRAW OR WRITE.
A temporary space. Copy your words before closing or reloading; they are not saved or sent.
seedstored foodrootshootleaflightwater
Read your words aloud. Can you point to the part they explain? Add a capital letter and an ending mark if you are writing.