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The Plant Game
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In The Plant Game, developed by participants at the Cornell Institute for Biology Teachers (CIBT), teams of students “grow a plant” composed of “leaves,” “roots” and “flowers.” Their goal: To devise a strategy that will allow their plants (green leaf cutouts with paper clip roots "grown" in graduated cylinders) to produce the maximum number of flowers. Students must figure out how to keep their plants' roots in water and produce enough leaves to support photosynthesis. The outcome is dependent not only on students' decisions but also on the weather, which is randomly determined by the roll of a single die. The number on the die indicates how much photosynthesis will be carried out and how much water gain (rainfall) or loss (transpiration) will occur. The game ends when another roll of the die indicates a “frost.” The activity helps students understand the environmental stresses that plants experience. Game pieces that can be photocopied and laminated are included.
The Plant Game Activity
This activity, which helps students understand how plants grow and what environmental challenges they face, is fully described in a 16-page PDF lab handout.
Media: PDFProgram Director: Jeff J. Doyle, Ph.D.
Award Years: 1989, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006
Summary: Cornell University is a private research institution in Ithaca, New York. Its HHMI-funded initiatives include:
- A summer research scholars program for Cornell students and underrepresented minority undergraduates from other institutions;
- The Cornell Teacher Education Partnership (with the Cornell Education Department) to prepare science teachers still in training to provide meaningful science experiences for their future students; and
- The Cornell Institute for Biology Teachers, which offers summer institutes for K-12 teachers on molecular biology, genetics and other important topics and works with program participants to develop a variety of classroom resources made available on the Web.