Jordan had waited until the last minute to start the science fair project. It was due in three days, and Jordan didn't even have an idea yet. The science fair was a big deal at school, and Jordan wanted to win a ribbon.
Jordan's older brother, Marcus, suggested a project about plants and sunlight. 'You could see if plants grow better with different amounts of light,' Marcus said. Jordan thought this sounded too complicated.
Marcus helped Jordan set up three small plants in identical pots. One would sit in the window all day, one in a closet with no light, and one in a shady spot. Jordan would water them all the same and measure their growth each day.
Jordan wrote everything down in a notebook: the date, how tall each plant was, and what color the leaves were. By day three, the plant in the closet looked sickly and yellow, while the window plant was green and healthy.
On the day of the science fair, Jordan's project won second place! The judges said Jordan had done careful observation and kept good notes. Jordan thanked Marcus for helping, and learned that starting early and working with others made projects much easier.