Biology • Topic
1
Plants
1.1 Parts of plants Student’s Book pages 2–3
Scientific enquiry skills
Biology learning objective
• Obtain and present evidence: Observe and compare objects, living things and events.
• Know that plants have roots, leaves, stems and flowers.
Resources • Workbook pages 1 and 2
Key words • leaves • roots
• stem • flowers
• Video B1: Plants in the sun and rain
Classroom equipment • a healthy flowering pot plant or garden plant with plenty of leaves • a collection of leaves of different sizes and shapes • set of cards with the names and functions of plant parts written on (optional)
Students should avoid all poisonous plants and should check with an adult before they take samples of leaves to ensure that they are not poisonous. If you are in doubt, do not let them pick the leaf.
Scientific background
Introduction
The main parts of almost all plants are the roots, leaves, stems, flowers, fruits and seeds.
â—? Review what the students already know about plants. They should be able to recognise and name the roots, stems, leaves and flowers of a plant.
The roots help provide support by anchoring the plant in the ground and absorbing water and nutrients needed for growth. The leaves use energy from the Sun, carbon dioxide and water to make sugar (glucose) and oxygen. This process is called photosynthesis. Oxygen is given off as part of this process. Stems carry water and nutrients taken up by the roots to the leaves. Food produced by the leaves is then transported to other parts of the plant. Stems also keep leaves clear of the ground and allow leaves to reach as much sunlight as possible. Flowers are important in making seeds as they contain pollen, which combines with other parts of the flower to grow seeds. Petals are important parts of the flower because they help attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies which carry pollen from plant to plant to start the seed-forming process.
â—? Show Video B1, of plants growing in the sunshine and the rain. Ask: How does the video show that the plants are alive? (They are moving and responding to the light.) Which parts of the plant are moving? Why are the plants moving? â—? Show the class a healthy indoor pot plant or the plant that you have prepared for the lesson. It should have flowers and plenty of leaves, Ask: Why do plants have lots of different parts? (Because they all need to do different jobs to keep the plant alive.) â—? Point to each of the different parts of the plant. For each part, ask students: What is the name of this part? What job does it do?
2
Biology • Topic
1
Plants 1.1
Teaching and learning activities
Consolidate and review
� Ask students to turn to page 2 of their Student’s Books and to look at the labelled picture of the flowering plant. Read through the jobs that each part of the plant does with the students. You could ask for volunteers to read about each part. As students identify the parts and their jobs from the book, show them the same parts on your plant in the classroom.
â—? Describe the function of a part of the plant and ask students to name the part. You could do a matching exercise with one set of cards labelled with plant names and another set of cards labelled with plant part functions. Alternatively, you could do this as a chalkboard exercise.
� Talk about the questions with the class. Show the students that the plant takes in water from the ground and then trace the path of the water as it moves from the roots, through the stem, to the leaves and flowers. Ask what they think would happen if a plant couldn’t get water. � Ask students to do the activity on page 1 of their Workbooks. They should label the parts of a plant, and write down the job each part does. � Take the class outside to collect leaves for the next part of the lesson. Remind students that they should ask an adult for permission and help when they are collecting their leaves. Stress that this is important as some plants are poisonous.
Graded activities 1 Ask the students to study photographs A and B on page 3 of the Student’s Book. Tell the students that although the two plants are very different, they share common parts. Ask them to identify the roots, stems, leaves and flowers. If there are other plants in the classroom, extend the activity to include identifying the parts of these plants too.
â—? Draw a leaf on the board and ask the students what part of a plant it is. Ask: Which part of the leaf is the vein? Which is the leaf stalk? Get students to check their drawings in their Workbooks to make sure that they have labelled their leaves correctly. Circulate while they are doing this and offer help where needed.
Differentiation All of the students should know and be able to identify the different parts of a plant. They should all know that each part of the plant has a particular function. Most of the students should be able to give the function of each part of the plant and know that although plants are different and look different, they all have the same parts, performing the same function. Some of the students should be able to identify things that are common in leaves and make a list of edible leaves.
2 The students should have collected at least five leaves each. These can be fallen leaves or leaves taken (with help and permission) from a live plant. In their groups, they should discuss the similarities and differences in their collections. Point out the veins and the leaf stalks to the students. Ask: What do you think the purpose or job of the vein is? What connects the leaf to the rest of the plant? After the discussion, ask students to complete the activity on page 2 of their Workbooks. They will draw and label two of the leaves from their collection.
3 Encourage the students to extend their knowledge. Ask: What leaves can you eat? What leaves do you eat every day? Ask them to make a list of edible leaves and mark which ones they eat regularly.
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