The Great Bean Race is a competition among classrooms from different countries to see which collaborative team can grow the tallest bean plant. Controlling for certain variables (including growth time and bean seeds), multiple teams within each classroom design and conduct a controlled bean plant experiment to investigate ideal conditions for growth. On an agreed-upon date, the challenge begins: seeds are planted, daily growth and temperature measurements are recorded in a log. Measurements and digital pictures are taken weekly. At the end of each week, students compare the plants, describing the differences and similarities among the plants. They also discuss what might explain these differences in the plant log and journal. E-mails between classes keeps the competition lively. Any changes to the growing conditions are recorded. At the end of three weeks, the winner will be declared.

 

This project was inspired by:

 

Suman Sood, India 

 

"“The Great Bean Race has again been a wonderful learning experience for my children. They have been able to understand how we can grow the same kind of a plant in different parts of the world and not only was this learning as a scientific experiment but they also learned that using emails is a wonderful way to stay connected with people all over the world."

 

 

 

See Suman Sood talk about her award-winning project.

1. Students will work like scientists to theorize, plan, and carry out experiments, then analyze and report the conclusions of those experiments.

2. Students will compare prior knowledge to the results of a scientific investigation, and organize evidence of a change over time.

3. Students will collect, organize and record data from surveys or experiments.

4. Students will make sequential observational drawings of a plant to show how it changes as it grows. They will also make periodic measurements and record plant height, then create a chart showing growth over time

5. Students will complete a variety of written tasks. They will locate and cite the use of several print and electronic sources to write an informational report in their own words.

6. Students will practice working cooperatively in small groups.

Students will compose a PowerPoint with information about their plant growth. Students may also write a collective class story, based on the Bean Race and cultural elements learned through their email exchange. Students will write and publish a newsletter about the race.

 

Student Work Examples:

Example of Project PowerPoint with conclusions about bean growth

Example of Class Story

Example of Email Exchange

Background Tasks

1. Contact classrooms in different countries to participate in the project, preferably engaging those in regions with different climactic conditions. Be sure to have parental approval to participate in ePals, and if students are under age of 13, to post pictures of students on ePals website. You can use the Plan Brochure (see Resources) as an invitation to potential partners.

2. Within your class, divide students into groups. Set up an excel spreadsheet with all groups, from all participating classrooms listed.

3. Assign groups to germinate their seeds with varying amounts of light (8, 12, and 24 hours) to demonstrate how exposure to light affects plant growth.

4. Instruct students to set up journals, in order to make observational drawings, write notes, and develop outlines and charts. Most importantly, students write responses to questions posed by the teacher.

5. Students share journal entries about light, water absorption and soil among the group. They gather materials and prepare for The Great Bean Race.

 

 

The Great Bean Race

1. Using the pre-germinated lima bean seeds, instruct each group to choose 2 seeds to use in the challenge.

2. Plant the seeds and record growth, watering and temperature daily in a log. Students record in journal; educators record in excel spreadsheet.

3. Weekly, measure plant growth, take digital photos, and record data.  Post digital photos in media gallery. Post data in class wiki.

4. At the end of each week, initiate classroom discussion. Instruct students to compare plants, describing the differences and similarities between the plants. Then they discuss what might explain these in the plant log and journal.

5. Weekly, have your students share their data with ePals. In email messages, students should discuss both their growth results and cultural elements of day-to-day lives. The email exchange helps integrate writing into the science curriculum, as well as build a foundation of friendship amongst the students.

6. At the end of three weeks, students analyze results of growth investigations, compare and contrast their experimental designs and subsequent results with those of the other participants.

7. Declare a winner! The team whose plant has grown the tallest is declared the winner. Digital Winner Certificate is presented to the winning team and Certificate of Participation is presented to other teams.

 

Follow-Up Task

1. Synthesizing data.  Students should develop conclusions on the best methods for growing bean plants.

2. Students create Power-Point Presentations of the Great Bean Race, including their analysis and conclusions.

3. Extend the activity:

• Students write a collective class story based on the Great Bean Race and/or cultural elements learned from their email exchange.
• Students write up the bean statistics, results of the experiments, and information gathered in emails in a class Newsletter.
  
• Collective class story and newsletters can be exchanged with ePals.

1. Great Bean Race Group Plan (Word Doc)

2. Plant Brochure (invitation to parents/partners) (PDF)

3. Full of Beans Newsletter

The timeline for the Great Bean Race project is approximately four weeks. After recording bean growth and exchanging emails with ePals for three weeks, students will create presentations synthesizing the data. Further activities, that will extend the timeline beyond four weeks, can include writing a whole-class story or creating a newsletter with the results of the project.

Project Leader:

Country:
Subjects: Email Exchange, Science, Math, Writing

# of Students: 21-30
Age Range: 8-10
Collaboration: Email Exchange, Skype / Video Chat
Languages: English

About my classroom: BF Yancey is a small, rural elementary school of approximately 150 students in grades pre-Kindergarten through Fifth, located in central Virginia, USA. We are interested in communicating with other students from as many countries as possible regarding your school lunch experience. Do students eat in a cafeteria or common space? What foods are eaten for lunch at school where you live? Is the lunchtime meal prepared by the school or do students bring their own food from home? Are the meals sourced from local farmers and providers? What are the components of your favorite school lunch? We are especially interested in collecting photos of school lunches from around the world! Currently, we prefer to correspond by email and Skype, and to write at least 2x per month. We look forward to meeting you and learning about the food culture of your area.