Fifth grade and the beanstalks

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What happens when you mix empty two-liter soda bottles, potting soil, bean seeds, and a group of fifth graders? You wind up with beans stalks—lots of them.

Mrs. Parry's and Mrs. Dopp's science classes are busy investigating how scarlet runner beans grow. In early September, the students made individual hydroponic production units out of two-liter soda bottles (see the sketch below). They then planted scarlet runner beans, a fast growing vining variety in each container. Before long, the seeds germinated and began climbing up strings hanging down from the tops of the classrooms' windows.

Each day, the students carefully record their plants heights and make general observations regarding plant growth. Students practiced their math, science, and Language Arts skills as they charted, graphed, and wrote about the experiment.

By late October, the plants had reached the top of the windows and began crawling and intertwining with each other. Although the experiment has ended, the plants are still part of the classroom environment. The hope is that they will eventually flower and who knows—produce a bean or two.