The top of the wheat plant is called the head. The head contains the seeds or kernels and the hairy part called the beard. The stem supports the head and is used for bedding for animals. The leaves are where the food is made for the plant to grow. The roots anchor the plant, absorb water and minerals and store food it has made through photosynthesis.
Give each student a stalk of wheat and a paper plate. Discuss the parts of the plant. Ask each student to estimate how many kernels are on their head of wheat. Ask each student to thresh their wheat head by rolling it back and forth between their hands. After the grain has been threshed out of the head, have the students separate the grain from the chaff. Ask the students to count their seeds and determine how accurate their estimations were. Have all students place their seeds in a cup. Do they have a cup of wheat? How many wehat heads does it take to make a cup of wheat? How many cups of wheat does it take to make a loaf of bread?
For an extension, place the wheat kernels in a clean pepper mill. Grind the wheat kernels to determine how many kernels are needed to make enough flour to bake a loaf of bread.
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