Stem Case

Fruit Production and the Environment (Middle School)

As an agricultural scientist, students help a strawberry farmer who is having problems with low fruit production. Students learn about the factors involved in fruit production including plant nutrients, pollination and bees, and the interaction with the environment.

STEM Cases are interactive explorations in which students practice problem-solving and critical thinking as they solve a real world problem as a STEM professional.

View students results in realtime.
Cases take 30-90 minutes to complete.

Student progress is automatically saved.
Complete in multiple sessions.

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STEM Case

Student progress is automatically saved so that STEM Cases can be completed over multiple sessions.

You must have a Gizmos account to launch STEM Cases.

Level	Description	Estimated Time
Elementary School Free	This version is for elementary school classes.	25-30 min
Middle School Free	This version is for middle school classes.	30-40 min

Expanded Handbook

Most content from the Expanded Handbook is included in the corresponding STEM Case.

You must have a Gizmos account to launch Handbooks.

Level	Description	Estimated Time
Elementary School	The Elementary School Expanded Handbook covers bee jobs, life cycle, pheromones, the waggle dance, pesticides, and compost in addition to the concepts covered in the handbook section of the Elementary School Case.	10-15 min
Middle School	The Middle School Expanded Handbook covers photosynthesis, mutually beneficial relationships, life cycle of bees, pesticides, compost, and GMO’s in addition to the concepts covered in the handbook section of the Middle School Case.	15-20 min

Cell Energy Cycle

Explore the processes of photosynthesis and respiration that occur within plant and animal cells. The cyclical nature of the two processes can be constructed visually, and the simplified photosynthesis and respiration formulae can be balanced.

Flower Pollination

Observe the steps of pollination and fertilization in flowering plants. Help with many parts of the process by dragging pollen grains to the stigma, dragging sperm to the ovules, and removing petals as the fruit begins to grow. Quiz yourself when you are done by dragging vocabulary words to the correct plant structure.

Growing Plants

Investigate the growth of three common garden plants: tomatoes, beans, and turnips. You can change the amount of light each plant gets, the amount of water added each day, and the type of soil the seed is planted in. Observe the effect of each variable on plant height, plant mass, leaf color and leaf size. Determine what conditions produce the tallest and healthiest plants. Height and mass data are displayed on tables and graphs.

Plants and Snails

Study the production and use of gases by plants and animals. Measure the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in a test tube containing snails and elodea (a type of plant) in both light and dark conditions. Learn about the interdependence of plants and animals.