The Getting Ready section for each part of the investigation helps you prepare. It provides information on scheduling the activities and introduces the tools and techniques used in the activity. Be prepared—read the Getting Ready section first.

The first item in the Getting Ready section gives an estimated amount of time the part should take. Sessions can range from 50 minutes to plant seeds or set up a terrarium to 20 minutes to monitor changes in plants.

Plan ahead for the scheduling of the parts. On the next page is a teaching schedule for the module. The readings and videos will provide you with some flexibility in scheduling so you can wait until just the right time for students to monitor the plant growth or the terrariums.

In addition to the main lesson plans, each investigation suggests additional activities for home and school, and math problems of the week. Each extension requires additional class time.

The investigations are numbered, and should be conducted in that order, as the concepts build upon each other from investigation to investigation. We suggest that a minimum of 12 weeks be devoted to this module, with science occurring three or four times per week for varying session lengths. Take your time, let the plants grow and grow, let the animals interact in the terrariums, and explore the subject of life science thoroughly.