11/18/2026

Morning Announcements

Morning Meeting Agenda

Mon · Social Studies Tue · Literacy Wed · Science Thu · Math Fri · ROAR + Houses
November is Native American Heritage Month
Science of the Day

The Three Sisters

Native farmers figured out something remarkable: plant corn, beans, and squash together and all three grow better than any would alone. It’s brilliant science — discovered centuries before anyone had a word for it.

Native American farmers planted three special plants together and called them the Three Sisters. Just like sisters, they help each other!

Corn Grows tall like a pole Beans Climb up the corn Squash Big leaves shade the ground

Three plants that take care of each other!

Let’s talk
  • Which of these three have you eaten before? Which is your favorite?
  • The beans climb UP the corn. Why do you think they need something to climb?
  • How do YOU help the people around you, like the Three Sisters help each other?
Reveal a plant factHide the fact
The squash’s big prickly leaves keep weeds away AND keep the soil wet — like a blanket for the garden. The prickles even keep hungry animals from nibbling!
Try it

Be the Three Sisters! Stand tall and straight like corn. Now wiggle your arms upward like a climbing bean. Now crouch down low and spread out wide like a squash leaf!

This is called companion planting, and each plant solves a problem the others have. Corn needs support but takes nitrogen from the soil. Beans need something to climb but add nitrogen back. Squash needs space but protects the ground.

Each plant solves a problem CORN Gives: a living pole to climb Needs: nitrogen from the soil BEANS Gives: nitrogen back to the soil Needs: something to climb SQUASH Gives: shade that blocks weeds Needs: room to spread out

Nobody’s needs go unmet.

Let’s talk
  • Trace the loop: what does each plant give, and what does it get? Is anyone left out?
  • Nutritionally, corn and beans together provide something neither gives alone. Why would that matter to a farming people?
  • Native farmers worked this out through generations of observation, without microscopes or chemistry. Is that science? Why or why not?
Reveal the answersHide the answers
Beans are legumes — bacteria on their roots pull nitrogen from the air and put it into the soil, fertilizing the corn that supports them. Together, corn and beans supply a more complete set of proteins than either alone. And yes, it’s absolutely science: careful observation, testing, and passing verified knowledge across generations. Scientists today call this traditional ecological knowledge, and modern agriculture is actively studying it.
Try it

Design your own system! With a partner, think of a group you’re part of — a team, a family, this class. Name what each person gives and what each person needs. Does it loop like the Three Sisters, or is someone giving without getting?

Additional Notes/Activities

If additional activities are needed for the Morning Meeting, they will be added here.