Assessment
Give
each student 3 rice seeds to plant as well as accessible flower
pots, soil, water and window sills with sunlight. Tell students,
based on what they have learned, they must make the rice seed
grow. Students must determine on their own that they will
need to put soil in the flower pot, plant the seed in the
soil, place the flowerpot in the sunlight and water it regularly.
Have students write their response in a journal.
Scoring
Rubric (Out of 5 points)
- Plant
seeds in soil in flower pot: 1 point
- Place
seeds in sunlight: 1 point
- Water
seeds regularly: 1 point
- Allow
seeds to have air and space: 1 point
- Successfully
have seedling sprout: 1 point
- Total:
5 points
Top
Cross-Curricular
Extensions
Science extension
Have students plant oak tree acorns or tulip bulbs to
see the similarities in what these plants need to grow.
Cooking
extension
Have students make and eat rice pudding. Have them think
about how doing this is meeting one of the student's own
habitat requirements.
Social
Studies extension
Most of the rice plantations in South Carolina were
found right near the Coast. Rice crops need lots of water.
Show students a map of South Carolina and point out where
most of the rice plantations would have been found. Ask
students why they think the plantations were built where
they were.
Language
Arts extension
Have students research and bring in samples of different
types of rice that are sold at the grocery store. Use senses
to determine how the rice are different.
Language
Arts extension
Have students gather rice recipes and create a rice
recipe cookbook.
Language
Arts extension
Read any of the children’s books listed below to students.
- Seeds
Grow by Angela Shelf Medearis; ISBN number 0-590-37974-7
This book is written for preschool to first grade audiences
and provides an introduction to seeds and plants. The
words and illustrations are both very simple.
- What’s
for Lunch? Rice by Pam Robson; ISBN number 0-516-26224-6
This book provides students with nice photographs of how
rice is grown, produced, and packaged for human consumption
as well as showing students some of the ways humans use
rice in their daily lives.
- Everybody
Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley; ISBN number 0-87614-591-8
This book tells a story about a child who travels from
house to house looking for her brother, but instead of
finding her brother she discovers how people of all different
cultures cook rice. A set of recipes is provided at the
end of the book.
- Rice
is Life by Rita Golden Gelman; ISBN number 0-8050-5719-6
This book is beautifully illustrated and is about the
sawah, or rice field, in Bali.
