A Sweet Experience 甜蜜的體驗

For a great number of the students, growing a plant is something that they have never tried or experienced before. Our experiment with sweet potatoes was a great platform to show the students how to grow, nurture, and observe the various stages of growth first-hand.

From the very first day there was an air of anticipation among the students. We took recycled plastic bottles in all shapes and sizes, kindly donated by parents, and constructed the experiment using skewers and a sweet potato. After adding the requisite amount of water, each precious potato was placed carefully on the cupboard where they would receive the most sunlight.
The students constantly monitored and inspected their plants for any sign of a change. Then it happened! Roots! Like spaghetti, they were coming out the bottom of the potato, and new shoots were erupting from the eyes. Exciting? Yes! For most of the students it was a time to rejoice. For others, there was a plethora of questions. “Teacher Andrew, everyone’s potato has roots. Why doesn’t mine?” Ryan asked. “Teacher! Why does my potato smell so bad?” cried Ariel. “Teacher! Nothing is happening! Did I do something wrong? Why won’t it grow?” was a common plea. Jinny even asked, “Where did all the water go?” Some of these students started over, and others accepted that their potato just wasn’t meant to be.
As the experiment continued, the students drew, measured, and noted changes in the length, leaf size, and volume of leaves on their plants on a weekly basis. Then, came more panicked questions. “HELP! My leaves are dying and falling off! Why?” Henry asked worriedly. Several other students in the class echoed his question. We discussed solutions, and found that adding a small amount of sugar to the water would help nourish the plant. It worked, and most of the plants continued to flourish!
Each student learned a lot from this process. They learned about the responsibility of caring for and nurturing living things. They learned to observe and record changes in a scientific manner, and they learned how to be patient. Most importantly, with the guidance of their ESL teacher and myself, the students themselves grew during these hands-on lessons. This sweet experiment was a great success all round!
By Andrew Turner (Grade 2 Science teacher)

對大部分的學生來說，栽種植物是他們以前從未嘗試過及體歷過的事。我們進行的栽種地瓜實驗提供了一個可以讓學生體驗如何種植、培育和觀察植物生長的各個階段的良好平台。

從栽種地瓜實驗進行的第一天開始，學生們心中就充滿了期待。我們用回收再利用的觀念，讓學生從家中帶來各種形狀和大小的寶特瓶，並使用竹籤將地瓜固定在寶特瓶中。加入一定量的水後，學生們將每個珍貴的地瓜栽種瓶小心翼翼地放在能獲得最充足陽光的櫃子上。

學生們不斷監測和檢查他們的植物是否有任何改變的跡象。他們期待的事發生了~~~地瓜的根！像義大利麵一樣，從地瓜的底部冒出來，也冒出新的枝芽。多麼令人興奮呀！對於大多數學生來說，這是一個歡欣鼓舞的時刻。對於其孩子來說，隨之而來的是許多心中的問題。“Teacher Andrew，大家的地瓜都長出根了，為什麼我的沒有？”Ryan問道。“Teacher Andrew，為什麼我的地瓜聞起來臭臭的？”Ariel問道。“Teacher Andrew，什麼都沒發生啊！我有哪個步驟做錯了嗎？為什麼我的地瓜沒有動靜？”這是一個共同的問題。 Jinny甚至問道，“所有的水都到哪兒去了？”有些學生重新開始，有些學生接受了他們的地瓜就是不會生長。

隨著實驗持續進行的過程中，學生們每週繪製、測量並記錄他們的植物葉片長度、葉片大小和葉片體積的變化。然後，他們發現了更多的問題。“救命！我的葉子快要死了而且快要掉光了！為什麼啊？”Henry擔心地問道。班上的其他幾個學生也呼應了他的問題。我們討論了解決之道，發現在水中加入少量的糖有助於滋養植物。這方法奏效了，大部分的植物繼續茁壯成長！

學生們從這個過程中學到了許多，他們學習到照顧和培育植物的責任。他們學會以自然科學的方式觀察和記錄植物的變化，在過程中培養了耐心等待。最重要的是，在英文導師和我的引導下，學生們在做中學、在做中成長。這個甜蜜的體驗非常的成功唷！

招生專區 了解更多.......

葳格國際學校官網：http://www.wagor.tc.edu.tw/
葳格國際學校 FB粉絲團：https://www.facebook.com/wagor.bs/
葳格國際學校 西屯校區小學部 FB粉絲團：https://www.facebook.com/wagor.primary/