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Below you will find two second grade projects that are being conducted by the two schools named above. The projects will begin on Monday, February 23, 1998.
Look below for a daily journal to keep you updated on the results.
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| Question: Do plants lose water through their leaves? |
| Hypothesis: 1. The leaves will die.
2. Water will be collected in the bag. 3. The leaves will be healthier. |
| Materials: Three different varieties of plants labeled A, B,
C
plastic bags tape sunlight or lamp camera |
| Procedure:
Place a sandwich bag over four leaves on plant A on Monday, four leaves on plant B on Wednesday, and over four leaves on plant C on Friday. Secure each plant to stem with the tape. Place each plant in sunlight for two to three hours on each day. Observe the inside of each bag. Measure the water and photograph the plant each day. |
| Results: Droplets of water collect on the inside of the plastic bag. The inside of the bag may appear cloudy due to the water in the air. |
| Why: Plants absorb water from the soil through their roots. This water moves up the stem to the leaves, where 90 percent is lost through the pores of the leaves (stomata). Some trees lose as much as 15,000 pounds (6,818 kg) of water within a 12-hour period. Plants can greatly affect the temperature and humidity of a heavily vegetated area. This loss of water through the stomata of the leaves is called transpiration. |
Day One Image from Timber Ridge Magnet School |
Day One Image from GroveElementarySchool |
| Observation Journal - Day One
We saw 5 or 6 drops of water on the bag. We also saw some water on the leaves. |
Observation Journal - Day One
This is what the plants looked like to us: Leaves were yellowish, soft, smooth, felt like plastic and thin. This is what we saw on the bag: Heat is making the water, moisture, come out of the bag. This water looks like tiny, little bubbles. But the water isn't dripping down. |
| Day Two Image from
Timber Ridge Magnet School  |
Day Two Image from
Grove Elementary School  |
| Observation Journal
Day Two Today we used a different type of plant. The leaves were oval-shaped and pointy. They were smooth, waxy, and thick. The plant looked like a small tree with a short trunk and branches. The bag collected a lot more water than on Monday. The bag was very moist. It looked sweaty and foggy. There was a lot of water at the bottom of the bag, which probably came from under the leaves. |
Observation Journal
Day Two Wednesday We observed The leaves were a bit more thicker on Plant B that Plant A. They were more rubbery. We actually saw: There were less drops of water in the bag. There wasn’t as much moisture as in the bag with Plant A. |
| Day Three Image from
Timber Ridge Magnet School  |
Day Three Image from
Grove Elementary School 
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| Observation Journal
Day Three Today we looked at a cactus. The cactus leaves looked soft and hairy. They were also very fat. We guessed that this is because of the water stored inside. There was also some white stuff on the leaves that looked like fur. Today we found no water in the bag. This is what we had predicted this morning since the plant is a cactus. We figured that it would not release water because cactii need to store water in order to survive. |
Observation Journal Day Three Text
Friday: We observed: Leaves on Plant C are thicker fuzzy, and the leaves are dull. We actually saw: after 3 hours: The A and B plants had more water- but plant C didn’t have any. We decided: the thicker the leaves the less amount water is seen in the bag. The thinner leaves gives out more water than the thicker leaves. Thick leaves keep the water in and thinner leaves give out the water more easily. |
or: weintraub.c@webruler.northbrook27.k12.il.us
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