Plants

The goal of this  unit is to develop an understanding of the many types of plants and their characteristics. It will include lessons on plant parts, what plants need to grow, kinds of plants, and plants we use and eat.

 

    1.  What are the parts of a plant?
    2.  What do plants need to grow?
    3.  How do people use plants
    4.  What kinds of plants are there?
    5.  What do plants eat?
    6.  Where do plants live?
    7.  How are plants grouped?

STUDENTS WILL LEARN

    1.  What is a leaf?
    2.  What do leaves do?
    3.  Do we eat plant leaves?
    4.  What are seeds?
    5.  How do plants grow from seeds?
    6.  Do we eat seeds?
    7.  How do seeds travel?
    8.  What do seeds need to sprout?
    9.  Where do seeds come from?
    10. What kinds of seeds do we eat?
    11. What are roots?
    12. How do roots help plants drink?
    13. Why do plants have roots?
    14. Do we eat any plant roots?
    15. Is a fruit a part of a plant?
    16. What fruits grow on plants?
    17. What fruits grow on trees?
    18. What plants have flowers?
    19. What are flowers?
    20. What kinds of flowers are there?
    21. Do flowers grow from seeds?
    22. What is a stem?
    23. How do stems help plants?
    24. How does the sun help plants grow?
    25. Why do plants need sun?
    26. What do plants eat for food?
    27. How do they get food?
    28. Why do plants need water?
    29. How do plants drink water?
    30. Why do plants need soil?
    31. Are trees plants?
    32. What kinds of trees are there?
    33. What do trees look like?
    34. What kinds of leaves do trees have?
    35. What is a forest?
    36. Do trees have flowers?
    37. Do trees have fruit?
    38. How do people use trees?
    39. What plants grow in forests?
    40. What is a desert?
    41. How do plants get water in a desert?
    42. Where do cacti store water?
    43. Where do plants live in deserts?
    44. What plants live in or near ponds?
    45. Are plants used to build houses?
    46. How do we use plants for food?
    47. What parts of a plant do we eat?
    48. Can we all the parts of every plant?
    49. How are plants used for medicine?
    50. How are plants used for decoration?
    51. What plants are used for decoration?
    52. Are plants used to make clothing?
    53. Are plants used to make furniture?
    54. What else are plants used for?
    55. Can we group plants by shape?
    56. Can we group plants by size?
    57. Can we group plants by leaves?
    58. Can we group plants by flowers?
    59. Can we group plants by their stems?
    60. Can we group plants by their roots?
    61. Can we group plants by how their seeds grow?
    62. What kinds of plants are there?

 

Seeds Need... 
        Water 
        Soil
        Sunshine
to grow!
 
 How do seeds grow?

Seeds grow and it is called Germination.

 First, a radicle grows out of the seed down into the soil to get nutrition from the soil and roots form out of the radicle.

Next, a stem called a plumule grows up out of the soil to become the future stalk of the plant.

Finally, leaves begin to grow and the seed has become a plant!

The plant can either be a monocot, one leaf, or dicot, two leaves.monocot/dicot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can grow seeds yourself!
Here's an experiment you can try at home!

All you need is:bean seeds (soaked over night)
soil
clear plastic cup
white paper towels
spray botttle of water
ruler
journal

1.  Look at your bean seed.  Draw and record what you see in your     journal.

2. Measure your bean seed.  Record this in you journal.

3. Fold your paper towel in half.

4. Place your folded paper towel in the cup. Place it around the cup.

5. Place the bean seed in the cup between the paper towel and the side of the cup.

6.  Spray three sprays of water in your cup.

7.  Place your cup near a window for sunlight and warmth.

8.  Watch and record the bean seed's growth. You can see it grow right before your eyes!

 

Click here to play a game...


The Great Plant Escape -- Help Detective LePlant and his partners Bud and Sprout unlock the amazing mysteries of plant life!

Plants

Plants can be grouped according to common characteristics.
They can also be classified in more than one group.

So what is a group?

Well, here are some ways plants have been grouped (or put together) by their characteristics.

One common plant group is the wildflowers.  These flowers make their own food.
 
Sometimes we group things by their similarities and differences.
What do these wildflowers have in common? What differences are there between these wildflowers?  More cool pictures of wildflowers.
 
 

There are also plants that do not have flowers.  They are nonflowering plants.
 
 
 
 
How can we group nonflowering plants?  More about non-flowering plants--a great link.
 
 

Plants that eat insects have been grouped together and are called carnivorous plants.
 
Carnivorous plants can be grouped also.  More about carnivorous plants.
As we can see plants can be grouped in a variety of different ways.
There are many more kinds of plants than are shown here.
How would you group plants?

Some examples of other ways to group plants.

 

HOW WE USE PLANTS

Plants have many uses and can be found everywhere we look.

There are many different kinds of plants.
A tree is one type of plant.
How many different uses for trees can you come up with?
 
 

 

How many of these things come from trees or other plants?
 

 
 
 
 
 

Do you remember reading the story The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein?  In case you don't remember the story click on the blue letter above to read it again.  In this story, the tree gave the boy many things.  Can you name some of those things?
 
 

Besides people, animals also need plants.  What do you think these animals would use plants for? 

 

Do they use plants for the same things people do?
 
 

 
 

After all the uses you have discovered for plants, do you think that humans or animals could survive without plants? 

Can you think of some ways to save plants so that we can continue to use them in the future?

 

 

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