MORE IS LESS

Not only is science perceived by some as a hard-to-teach subject, but there are certain topics that all teachers regard as notoriously hard to teach. While their natural inclination may be to eliminate some of the details, teachers have to be careful not to water down the curriculum. How do they share the complexity of the natural world without introducing content that is over students' heads? How do teachers facilitate experiences for students that encourage their natural curiosity while at the same time delivering content that is cognitively appropriate? Instead of asking "What do I need to eliminate?" teachers should start asking, "Which details can I 'add' to increase my students' understanding?" By playing into their students' inquisitive nature and taking a closer look into the details of their content, teachers can start uncovering student misconceptions, correcting them, and even preventing future misconceptions from developing. This third-grade lesson provides a unique approach to teaching about plants as living things that are responsive to their environment, which typically presents a challenge to students and teachers alike. In this lesson, students were able to visually see how plants move in adaptive ways as well as the genetic features that plants have in common with all living things. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)