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Grow It 3-5 / Week 02 / Monday
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Week 02 · Seeds and Germination

Monday

Inside a seed
// How a sleeping seed wakes up
⏱ about 15 min

Monday: Inside a Seed

Rocket shakes a jar of dry beans. "These look like tiny pebbles. How can a pebble grow?"

Raven holds one up to the light. "What do you notice? It has a smooth, shiny skin."

Nova hovers beside the jar. "A seed is like a packed lunch box," she hints. "Who is the lunch for?"

Rocket grins. "A baby plant!"

Three parts of a seed

A seed has three main parts.

The seed coat is the outer covering. It protects the seed from injury and drying out.

The embryo is a tiny plant resting inside.

The stored food feeds the embryo when it starts to grow.

Seed partIts jobLike a...
Seed coatProtects the seedLunch box lid
EmbryoGrows into the new plantThe one who eats lunch
Stored foodFeeds the young plantThe lunch

Seed leaves

In a bean, the stored food is packed into two thick seed leaves.

Seed leaves are called cotyledons.

A bean has two cotyledons. Corn has just one.

The outer covering of a seed is the seed ____.
The tiny plant inside a seed is the ____.
A seed leaf is called a ____.
SEED PARTS CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which part keeps the seed from drying out?
How many seed leaves does a bean have?

Bean window check

Your bean from last week has been busy.

Look for a root, a shoot and maybe two thick seed leaves.

If one bean has not sprouted, that is a clue, not a failure.

Try it
Look at your bean window from all sides.
Count how many beans have a root.
Count how many beans have a shoot.
Add water if the towel feels dry.
Safety first
Never eat the beans. Nothing goes in your mouth.
Wash your hands after you check the cup.
How many main parts does a seed have? Type the number.
WHY THIS EXERCISEA seed has three main parts: the coat, the embryo and stored food.
Draw your bean window today. Label any root, shoot or seed leaves you see.

Super seed scientists! Tomorrow we find out what a seed needs to wake up.