Breakout Box

How Does It Grow?

This lesson can be used as a stand-alone lesson to introduce inquiry and what a plant needs to grow. Alternatively, it can be tied in as an informal assessment for the "How Does It Grow?" lesson. Two formats available, online and use of physical boxes.

Overview

The breakout lesson includes activities focusing on growing a plant, subtraction, plant habitats, and the corn growth cycle. This will motivate and engage your students’ interest in corn and planting in the classroom.

Standards

Science

LS2.A. Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
- Plants depend on water and light to grow
2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.

Math

2.OA.1. Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking a part, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions.
2.MD.7. Tell and write time from analog and digital clocks to the nearest five minutes.

Learning Objectives

Students will Identify different types of plants based on previous knowledge.
Students will identify characteristics of different plant types.
Students will propose answers to the question, “What do plants need to live and grow?”

Materials

Print Materials

Breakout Edu Tips

If this is your first time using a Breakout Edu box, you are in for a treat. Once you’ve done one breakout box your students will be ready for the next time.

You can use breakout boxes as a whole class, in addition to small groups.
You have the opportunity to give students hints. Every box comes with at least two hint cards. If you have a high performing group, you may want to challenge them with less hints, while a different hour may need more hints.
Having a visual timer for students while they are working is really helpful. It allows them to budget their time and when they may want to use their hints.
As the teacher, you have the discretion to hide things wherever in your room you deem best. Feel free to make adjustments. Just make sure the clues for the locks don’t change. Otherwise, students may not be able to get in.

Background

Kansas Corn Lesson: How Does It Grow. Students work like scientists to test their ideas about what plants need to grow and live by using corn plants as model organisms. Students test growing conditions, such as amounts of water and sunlight. This is a hands-on inquiry-based lesson to have students investigate what a plant needs.

Breakout Activity

Recommended Ages: 2nd Grade
Ideal Group Size: Small Groups of 3 or 4
Suggested Time: 30

Story

Has your teacher ever tasked you with getting the daily lesson together? What about a lesson to prepare the class garden? That’s just what happened to Lovell on a Monday. Lovell was minding his own business when Mrs. Young called on him. He wasn’t sure how to respond to her task, other than with a resounding, “Of course!”
Lovell has 30 minutes to get all of the resources out and ready. The worst part is Mrs. Young forgot the answers! Lovell needs help. Are you up for the task?

Online Lock Combinations

The following codes will open the locks for the online version.

3-Digit Lock – 3 Numbers
5,8,3

4-Digit Lock – 4 Numbers
7,8,9,4

Word Lock – 4-5 Letters for the ABC Multilock
WATER

Color Lock – 5 Colors for the color Multilock
Green, Black, Blue, Yellow, Orange

Lock Combinations

The following codes will open the locks on the box.

3-Digit Lock – 3 Numbers
5,8,3

4-Digit Lock – 4 Numbers
7,8,9,4

Word Lock – 4-5 Letters for the ABC Multilock
WATER

Color Lock – 5 Colors for the color Multilock
Green, Black, Blue, Yellow, Orange

Key Lock –
Key

Setup Instructions

Steps

Print off the following pages: 2nd Grade: 3-Digit Lock, 2nd Grade: 4-Digit Lock, 2nd Grade: Color Lock, and 2nd Grade: Word Lock. The resources need to be printed in color and enough copies per the number of boxes you plan on using.
Change the locks to the appropriate lock combinations found in the lesson plan. If you are unsure on how to change the locks, please watch the official breakout videos on YouTube entitled, “Setting Breakout EDU Locks.”
Grab the small breakout box. If you are planning on a breakout reward (Twizzlers are a fun corn-based product to use), set it in the box before placing the 3-digit lock on the box.
Place the now locked small breakout box in the large box. Once complete, place the multi-lock mechanism on the bigger breakout box.
Once you have placed the multi-lock mechanism on the larger breakout box, you are ready to start placing the final three locks associated with the lesson. It is always a good idea to double check your locks before beginning the lesson. You should add the 4-digit lock, color lock and word lock at this time.
Students should have all of the handouts. Project the story to the wall or print a copy for each group.
The beginning. Read the story and go over the locks with the students. It can be helpful for a visual representation of the breakout timer to be running in the background. This can be found on YouTube by searching, “Breakout EDU Timer”.
Once students have broken out and if you are willing, Kansas Corn would love if you would take a group picture with the breakout prize and mention @kansascornSTEM in a personalized tweet on Twitter.

Teacher Resources

This breakout box works well when used with “How Does it Grow?” lesson which comes with free materials for Kansas teachers.

View Lesson

Reflection and Conclusion

Questions

Can the outdoors be too dry or too cold for some plants, but not others? What about being too hot?
(Note: Most houseplants originated in tropical or subtropical climates, similar to indoor conditions.)
What do all plants need to live and grow?
Do plants need the same things when they’re just sprouting from the seed versus once they’ve grown leaves?
Can plants live in any environment? Why or Why not?

Disclaimer

Any educator electing to perform demonstrations is expected to follow NSTA Minimum Safety Practices and Regulations for Demonstrations, Experiments, and Workshops, which are available at https://static. nsta.org/pdfs/MinimumSafetyPracticesAndRegulations.pdf, as well as all school policies and rules and all state and federal laws, regulations, codes and professional standards. Educators are under a duty of care to make laboratories and demonstrations in and out of the classroom as safe as possible. If in doubt, do not perform the demonstrations.

This lesson is the work product of the Kansas Corn Commission. Our lessons are written in collaboration with Kansas teachers for use in the classroom. Teachers may copy and share this curriculum. Use of this product for commercial or promotional use is prohibited without express permission of Kansas Corn.