Drying Flowers Lesson Plan Allows Students to Gain Insight on the Mummification Process!
Materials needed: sand, Tupperware containers or shoeboxes, fresh flowers (1 for each student)
Intelligences:
Naturalist-using natural resources to discover how the process of drying occurs rather than just reading about it
Interpersonal- discussing as a class what results from flowers being buried and surrounded by sand
Visual-Spatial- being able to see what effect sand has on fresh flowers
Bodily-Kinesthetic- taking on the role of an archaeologist by discovering things on their own and getting to unbury their flowers
Objectives:
1. Students will understand how sand can dry out materials by observing the results of their experiments and discussing it with the class
2. Students will be able to report about the process of drying by answering questions on a lab report with 100% accuracy
3. Students will gain knowledge about mummification and learn how natural materials in the earth absorb moisture by looking at their dried flowers and comparing them to fresh flowers.
Anticipatory Set/Seed Strategies:
The teacher will ask the students what they think would happen to a flower if they buried it in sand. The teacher will cover a fresh flower with sand and let it sit for a couple of seconds and then uncover it to see if there is any change. The teacher will ask the students what they think will happen if the flower is buried for a long amount of time.
Teaching Presentations:
The teacher will demonstrate the process of covering the flowers and ask questions to prompt investigation by the students. The teacher will also discuss the process of mummification and fossilization as general concepts related to this activity.
Check for Understanding:
After the flowers have been dried for 2-3 weeks, teachers will ask students why the flowers look so different and what affects the sand had on the flowers. Teachers will prompt students to investigate further on their own and try burying other things in sand for 3 weeks to see what else sand can do. Teachers will also ask students what they think would happen if the flowers were buried all year and allow one student to leave their flower to be dried for a longer period of time.
Closure:
The students will display their dried up flowers by hanging them along the wall or on a bulletin board dealing with mummification and drying.
