Name: Hunter Leija Date: 2/9/2021
Student Exploration: Fast Plants® 1 – Growth and Genetics
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and prompts in
the orange boxes.
ast Plants® Gizmo was created in collaboration with the Wisconsin Fast Plants
Note to teachers and students: The F
Program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. These lessons can be used independently or in conjunction with
classroom Fast Plants experiments.
Vocabulary: allele, dominant allele, Fast Plants, gene, genetics, genotype, heterozygous, homozygous, offspring,
phenotype, pollen, pollinate, Punnett square, recessive allele, trait
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. What do plants need to survive? Water, Sunlight, Nutrients in the soil, space, and CO2
2. How do plants reproduce? By pollination
Gizmo Warm-up
Several common vegetables, including Bok choy, napa cabbage, and turnips, are
varieties of a plant called Brassica rapa. Fast plants are a rapid-cycling variety
of Brassica rapa t hat was developed at the University of Wisconsin. These plants
have short growing cycles and are ideal for classroom use. In the Fast Plants® 1–
Growth and Genetics Gizmo, you will learn about the life cycle and genetic traits
of Fast Plants.
In the Gizmo, drag seed packet A to container 1 and seed packet B to container 2.
Click Play ( ), and then Pause ( ) after about 10 simulated days.
1. A plants traits are its characteristics. Drag the magnifying glass over All of them have purple stems
container 1. Describe the traits of these plants. and green leaves
What do plants need to survive?
2. Drag the magnifier over container 2. The green stems have lighter
How do these plants differ from the container 1 plants? leaves, rather than purple
stems.
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
, Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
The Fast Plants® ● Click Reset ( ). Plant seeds A in container 1.
life cycle ● Turn on Show hints.
Introduction: Fast Plants® are grown in wicking systems, typically made of nested plastic containers. The larger
container is the water reservoir. Water from the reservoir travels through the wick into the soil, where roots draw
the water into stems and leaves.
Question: How do Fast Plants grow and reproduce?
1. Grow: With seeds A in container 1, click Play. Click Pause on day 17.
A. Is the container full of water? No If not, drag the water bottle to the container.
B. Do the plants look like they are Yes If so, use the tweezers to pull out a few plants
too crowded? and discard them in the waste hole.
2. Pollinate: The bee stick should be active at the bottom of the Gizmo. A bee stick is a dead bee glued on a
toothpick. Drag the bee stick through the flowers.
A. What happens to the appearance of the bee stick as it is dragged through the flowers?
It becomes brighter and more yellow, it is showing the pollen on the bee.
The bee’s hairy thorax (middle section) is covered in pollen. Pollen is produced by male reproductive
organs in the flower. Each grain of pollen contains a sperm cell.
B. What happens to the flowers?
The flowers become fertilized
The orange color represents flowers that are pollinated, or fertilized. (In reality, pollinated
flowers do not turn orange. This is done to show pollination in the Gizmo.)
3. Grow: Turn on Auto-watering. This will keep the containers full of water automatically. Click Play, and then
Pause around day 24. Use the magnifier to observe the plants.
A. What do you notice happening at the top of the plants?
Pollinated flowers develop into long, thin seedpods.
Pollinated flowers develop into long, thin seedpods.
B. Click Play, and then Pause at day 38. Is the container filled with water? No its not filled with
water
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
Student Exploration: Fast Plants® 1 – Growth and Genetics
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and prompts in
the orange boxes.
ast Plants® Gizmo was created in collaboration with the Wisconsin Fast Plants
Note to teachers and students: The F
Program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. These lessons can be used independently or in conjunction with
classroom Fast Plants experiments.
Vocabulary: allele, dominant allele, Fast Plants, gene, genetics, genotype, heterozygous, homozygous, offspring,
phenotype, pollen, pollinate, Punnett square, recessive allele, trait
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. What do plants need to survive? Water, Sunlight, Nutrients in the soil, space, and CO2
2. How do plants reproduce? By pollination
Gizmo Warm-up
Several common vegetables, including Bok choy, napa cabbage, and turnips, are
varieties of a plant called Brassica rapa. Fast plants are a rapid-cycling variety
of Brassica rapa t hat was developed at the University of Wisconsin. These plants
have short growing cycles and are ideal for classroom use. In the Fast Plants® 1–
Growth and Genetics Gizmo, you will learn about the life cycle and genetic traits
of Fast Plants.
In the Gizmo, drag seed packet A to container 1 and seed packet B to container 2.
Click Play ( ), and then Pause ( ) after about 10 simulated days.
1. A plants traits are its characteristics. Drag the magnifying glass over All of them have purple stems
container 1. Describe the traits of these plants. and green leaves
What do plants need to survive?
2. Drag the magnifier over container 2. The green stems have lighter
How do these plants differ from the container 1 plants? leaves, rather than purple
stems.
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
, Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
The Fast Plants® ● Click Reset ( ). Plant seeds A in container 1.
life cycle ● Turn on Show hints.
Introduction: Fast Plants® are grown in wicking systems, typically made of nested plastic containers. The larger
container is the water reservoir. Water from the reservoir travels through the wick into the soil, where roots draw
the water into stems and leaves.
Question: How do Fast Plants grow and reproduce?
1. Grow: With seeds A in container 1, click Play. Click Pause on day 17.
A. Is the container full of water? No If not, drag the water bottle to the container.
B. Do the plants look like they are Yes If so, use the tweezers to pull out a few plants
too crowded? and discard them in the waste hole.
2. Pollinate: The bee stick should be active at the bottom of the Gizmo. A bee stick is a dead bee glued on a
toothpick. Drag the bee stick through the flowers.
A. What happens to the appearance of the bee stick as it is dragged through the flowers?
It becomes brighter and more yellow, it is showing the pollen on the bee.
The bee’s hairy thorax (middle section) is covered in pollen. Pollen is produced by male reproductive
organs in the flower. Each grain of pollen contains a sperm cell.
B. What happens to the flowers?
The flowers become fertilized
The orange color represents flowers that are pollinated, or fertilized. (In reality, pollinated
flowers do not turn orange. This is done to show pollination in the Gizmo.)
3. Grow: Turn on Auto-watering. This will keep the containers full of water automatically. Click Play, and then
Pause around day 24. Use the magnifier to observe the plants.
A. What do you notice happening at the top of the plants?
Pollinated flowers develop into long, thin seedpods.
Pollinated flowers develop into long, thin seedpods.
B. Click Play, and then Pause at day 38. Is the container filled with water? No its not filled with
water
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
