SEEDPOP!
TEACHER ZONE
Before you begin...
IS SEEDPOP! FOR YOU?
Designed to work in your classroom
✓ Teacher-led: You deliver the sessions in your own classroom.
✓ Fully resourced: Lesson plans, slides, pupil materials and experiment materials are provided.
✓ 5 sessions: Approx. 40–60 minutes each, delivered over 3–4 weeks.
✓ Hands-on: Pupils carry out their own seed germination experiment in pairs.
✓ Curriculum-aligned: Supports STEM learning through plant science, scientific inquiry, data handling, critical thinking and communication.
✓ Scientist engagement: University of Galway volunteer scientists join your classroom for the final session.
WHAT WILL YOUR PUPILS GAIN?
Here are some expected benefits for your pupils:
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Explore plant science in the context of climate change and food security
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Experience carrying out a real scientific experiment and investigation
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Develop scientific skills including asking questions, making predictions and hypotheses, observing, measuring, recording and analysing data, creating graphs and presenting results
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Build confidence in talking about and communicating science
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Meet university scientists and discover the different people and pathways involved in science
WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?
Here are some expected benefits for you as a teacher:
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A complete, classroom-ready science programme aligned with the new STEM-focused curriculum
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Ready-to-use lesson plans, presentations, pupil materials and experiment kits
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Support from the SeedPop! team throughout the programme
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An opportunity to build confidence in facilitating hands-on science and scientific inquiry
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Direct engagement with University of Galway scientists
WHAT WE ASK FROM YOU
SeedPop! is both a science outreach programme and part of a research and evaluation project.
By taking part, you and your pupils will help us understand how the programme works in the classroom and how we can improve it for future teachers and pupils.
As a participating teacher, we ask you to:
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Deliver the SeedPop! sessions using the programme resources and experiment materials provided.
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Support your pupils to complete the pre- and post-programme questionnaires.
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Complete a short teacher questionnaire after the programme.
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Allow a member of the SeedPop! team to observe selected classroom sessions, where arranged.
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Share your feedback on the lessons, resources and your experience of delivering SeedPop!.
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Where applicable, consider taking part in a short follow-up interview to tell us more about your experience.
Your feedback — and your pupils' experiences — will help us evaluate SeedPop!, improve the programme and develop resources that work well for teachers and classrooms.
YOUR SEEDPOP! JOURNEY
1. Express your interest
✓ Submit an expression of interest in taking part in SeedPop!.
The SeedPop! team will contact you to confirm whether a place is available and, if successful, agree your programme delivery and scientist-visit schedule.
3. Receive your SeedPop! materials
Your school receives the SeedPop! Kit Box, containing:
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Experiment kits — one per pupil pair, plus spare kits for the teacher
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Printed pupil workbooks/handouts
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Printed Teacher Handbook
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Pupil pre- and post-programme questionnaires
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Teacher post-programme questionnaire
And online, teachers can access all digital resources through the Teacher Zone: Resource Area.
2. Confirm participation & schedule
✓ Agree your programme delivery and scientist-visit schedule
✓ Return your consent form
4. Get ready
Before starting the programme:
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Read the Teacher Handbook
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Familiarise yourself with the lesson plans and PowerPoint presentations
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Check the contents of your experiment-kit
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Read the Health & Safety information and risk assessment
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Contact the SeedPop! Project Manager if you have any questions
5. Complete the pupil pre-programme questionnaire
Before Session 1:
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Ask participating pupils to complete the SeedPop! pre-programme questionnaire
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Collect and safely store the completed questionnaires for return to the SeedPop! team
6. Deliver SeedPop!
6.1. Deliver Sessions 1-4
Run Sessions 1–4 according to your agreed programme schedule.
All the resources you need to deliver the sessions are available in the Teacher Zone: Resource Area.
Here’s a quick overview of the sessions:
6.2. Prepare for your scientist visit
The SeedPop! team will confirm the date and time of your scientist visit with you in advance. During the final session, University of Galway volunteer scientists will join your classroom. Pupils will have an opportunity to share their investigation and findings, ask questions and hear about the scientists’ experiences of studying and working in science.
Please read the Session 5 lesson plan in advance and be prepared to facilitate the session.
Optional activity:
Before the scientist visit, you may like to explore your pupils’ ideas about science and scientists. For example, you could discuss:
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What is science, and where do we encounter it in everyday life?
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What do scientists do?
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Who can be a scientist?
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Do you need to be “good at science” to think and work scientifically?
You may also like to show the Cell EXPLORERS video Being a Scientist to support the discussion.
6.3. Scientist visit (Session 5)
Prior to the scientist visit, pupils will create a scientific poster, similar to those used by scientists at conferences using the SeedPop! template (Session 4). During the visit, pupils will share their investigation and findings with volunteer scientists in small groups, giving each pupil pair the opportunity to talk through their experiment and results in an informal, friendly setting — rather than presenting to the whole class.
You will lead and facilitate the session, with the volunteer scientists supporting pupil discussion and engagement.
7. Complete the post-programme questionnaires and feedback
After the final session (Session 5):
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Ask pupils to complete the post-programme questionnaire
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Complete the teacher feedback questionnaire
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Some teachers may also be invited to take part in a short follow-up interview about their experience of SeedPop!
8. Return your questionnaires — finished!
Return the completed pupil pre- and post-programme questionnaires and teacher feedback questionnaire to the SeedPop! team as arranged.
That’s it — you’ve completed SeedPop!
Thank you for helping us develop and evaluate SeedPop!, and
for bringing hands-on plant science into your classroom.
Contact us
Have a question or need support with SeedPop!? We’d be happy to help.
Yoshiko Nishigori (she/her)
SeedPop! Project Manager
School of Biological and Chemical Sciences
University of Galway
yoshiko.nishigori@universityofgalway.ie