Amazing amaryllis activities

Students will use an amaryllis started from a bulb to explore the growth of the plant, measure, record and compare the growth of the leaves and the flower. They will enter the data on a spreadsheet and convert it into a graph.

A lesson plan for grades 2–3 Mathematics and Science

By Mary Rizzo

Learn more

Related pages

• MaraLIMAthon: Kindergarten students will work with an older grade buddy (we worked with 1st grade students) to make predictions, and then over a two-week period, see changes in lima bean growth, and be able to document the lima bean's progress. The buddies will work together to create an illustrated short story about lima bean characters that they create.
• From dirt to dinner: This lesson serves as an introductory study of the plant world. The lesson allows students to study seeds, parts of plants, microclimates, and how to grow seeds into vegetable plants for harvest. Parents are encouraged to assist at home.
• Fun with fruits and vegetables: The activities will help the student identify, describe, and classify fruits and vegetables and learn how each grows.

Related topics

• Learn more about biology, graphing, hands-on, labs, mathematics, measurement, plant growth, plants, and science.

Help

Please read our disclaimer for lesson plans.

Legal

Learning outcomes

In this lesson students will use an amaryllis bulb to enhance their learning of science, math, and technology by observing, evaluating, and discussing the growth of the amaryllis.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

4 weeks

Materials/resources

• Amaryllis bulb (double blooming is best).
• Pot and soil.
• Sunlight and water.
• Ruler for measuring.
• Large class graph chart, individual student graph paper, and/or overhead transparency of graph.
• Two colored crayons or pencils: green for leaf data and another color for flower data.
• Notebook or journal for student notes.

Technology resources

• Spreadsheet program.
• Printer.
• Digital camera.
• Presentation program such as HyperStudio.

Pre-activities

It is helpful for students to know how to plot data on a graph, but this can be taught as the lesson begins.

Activities

Scheduling this lesson so that students will be in school for approximately one full month is important. Try not to schedule too close to Christmas or spring holidays so that data can be collected every day except for the weekend.

1. Teacher purchases an amaryllis bulb, pot, and potting soil. The bulb should not have yet sprouted.
2. Show the bulb to the class and discuss its parts and how it will be planted. Discuss the importance of reading and following the directions to guarantee success.
3. Discuss and decide on the best place to put the pot. Talk about the differences between direct and indirect sunlight and the affects it will have on the plant.
4. Discuss the watering schedule.
5. Create a line graph to measure growth. This graph can be a class graph and/or individual student graphs. The horizontal axis is used to record the number of days, and the vertical axis is used to record the height in cm (or inches.) Plan on recording data for approximately 30 days or more. The length (height) of the leaves can grow in excess of 30 inches.
6. Begin recording data the first day (Day 1) as growth being ‘0 cm (or in.)’. Use green for leaf data and other color chosen for the flower data.
7. Students take notes of previous activities including the planting procedure, care of the amaryllis, and how to set up the graph. Teacher may either write the notes on the board for them to copy, or put key words on the board and have the students write the notes in their own words.
8. The class checks the amaryllis daily for growth activity. Students can take an active part in the care of the plant such as watering and turning the pot.
9. Once growth begins, with teacher guidance, students take turns measuring the length of the leaves, and eventually the bud. It is important to make sure to measure from the same spot on the bulb so that the data will remain accurate. The growth may be plotted on a large class graph, and/or on an overhead transparency for the students to copy onto their own individual graphs.
10. Discuss the rate of growth and how it can be evaluated: i.e. angle of the line on the graph, or the number of centimeters it grew from one day to the next in comparison to previous day’s growth. Growth can be measured in fractions of a whole. When subtracting one day’s length from the previous day’s length, students practice subtraction by regrouping and are introduced to working with fractions.
11. Once the flower bud starts to grow, compare the rate of growth between the leaves and the flower bud. Discuss why the rates of growth differ and what causes one to grow at a faster rate than the other.
12. After a few days growth, ask students to predict the rate of growth. Record their predictions, and later check back and see how accurate their prediction(s) were.
13. If the plant is placed near a window, observe if the plant bends toward the light. Discuss why this is happening.
14. Once the flower blooms, you can choose to cease taking flower measurements. You may continue to measure the growth of the leaves to see if they will continue to grow after the plant bloomed.
15. Either as a class, or as individual students, using a spreadsheet program, input data collected in the class. Convert data into a graph. Print spreadsheet and graph.
16. If the bulb sends up a second bulb, record its growth and compare it to the first.
17. Display graphs and student paragraphs (see assessment.)

You may choose to take pictures (with a digital camera) of the class taking part in this activity beginning with planting the bulb, measuring, plotting data. You could also take pictures of the plant in various stages of growth. Use these pictures in a presentation program (i.e. HyperStudio) as students showcase their discoveries.

Assessment

Assessment can be done in several ways. Possibilities include:

• student notes
• student graphs
• student spreadsheet and graphs
• a teacher constructed quiz. This works well as an open-notes quiz.
• students write about what they learned. I asked my students to pretend an alien came down from another planet and had never heard of an amaryllis. Their job was to explain all that they knew.
• Use a presentation program such as HyperStudio. As a group, students contribute to pages explaining the process of planting the bulb, taking care of the plant, plotting data, and discussing what they learned from observation. Input pictures taken with the digital camera.

Supplemental information

Comments

Last year I purchased an amaryllis bulb and as I read the directions, it occurred to me that there was a valuable and fun lesson in the bulb. The majority of the activities outlined above evolved one after the other with great success. After completion, I decided I would have liked to have had taken pictures of the process and had students create a HyperStudio presentation.

My second graders thoroughly enjoyed this activity. They learned far more about plants and how they grow since this was a hands-on activity. By using real data, they had a better understanding of graphs, math concepts such as measurement and fractions and the spreadsheet program.