|
What do you already know about plants?
|
1. Rebecca moved into a new house. She wants to grow plants in different areas of her garden.
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
|
2
|
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
4. A girl has an idea that green plants need sand in the soil for
healthy growth. In order to test her idea she uses two pots of
plants. She sets up one pot of plants as shown.
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
|
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
6. Here is a graph of the number of healthy leaves on a plant for
ten days. A student watered the plant each day at first, but then
stopped. The plant had lots of sunlight. Answer the questions about
the graph.
|
|
| Congratulations! You have completed this section. |
|
1
|
|
This unit explores plants and how they make food. |
|
2
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
You have completed the Introduction. Click on the UDL HOME button below. |
|
|
What do plants eat?
|
|
1
|
|
Read "Chen and Maria Plant a Radish" by using the forward and back buttons below. |
|
Chapter 1
|
2
|
|
Maria was holding a tiny seed in her hand. She looked at it.
"I don't get it," she said.
"What don't you get?" asked her mother. |
"How can this tiny seed turn into a great big radish plant? There's no room in this seed for a radish plant!"
"You'll see!" said her mother.
Maria's neighbor Chen had a radish seed, too. He asked, "What is a radish, anyway? Are they good to eat?"
"Some people like them," Maria's mother said, "and some people don't. But one good thing is that they grow very fast. That's why we're planting them."
Maria scooped out a hole in the ground and put her seed into it. Her mother gave her a big bag of fertilizer and she put some in the hole. Then she covered the seed with dirt. Chen made his own hole and planted his seed near Maria's. Then the children sprinkled water on their seeds.
Reread this page. This will help you make a prediction.
Can you predict what will happen next in the story?
I predict that the children will watch their seeds grow into plants.
"We'd better put up some signs so we know which seed is whose!" said
Maria's mother. So Maria and Chen made some signs and stuck them in
the ground next to their seeds.
|
Chapter 2
|
3
|
| The next morning before school, Maria and Chen met at the garden to see whether their seeds were growing. The two little mounds of dirt looked just the same. Nothing was growing out of them. Chen and Maria sprinkled more water on them. Then they walked to the school bus stop. |
The next day the same thing happened, and the day after that. "I told you!" said Chen. "We're never going to get a great big radish plant out of such a small seed!"
"Wait and see!" said Maria's mother. "Just remember to keep watering your seeds."
It can be hard to wait!
What are the children waiting for?
The story says that Maria and Chen are waiting for their seeds to grow.
Another day went by and still there were no changes to the little
mounds of dirt that covered up their seeds. It looked as though
nothing was happening. Even Maria was getting discouraged, but
Maria's mother just said, "Wait and see!" so the children sprinkled
water on their seeds and waited.
The next day was Saturday. There was no school so Maria and Chen had planned to play basketball with some friends. But when Chen arrived at their house, Maria's mother had a little smile on her face.
"Before you go play," she said, "you might want to check on your radish seeds."
Maria and Chen rushed out to the garden and looked at the mounds of dirt where they had planted their seeds. In the middle of each mound there was a tiny green sprout just barely poking out of the dirt.
"Is that a radish plant?" asked Chen. "It doesn't look big enough!"
"It's just a baby!" said Maria. "It's cute!" She picked up the watering can and sprinkled some water on her baby plant. Chen watered his plant, too, and then they went to the playground.
The next day was Saturday. There was no school so Maria and Chen had planned to play basketball with some friends. But when Chen arrived at their house, Maria's mother had a little smile on her face.
"Before you go play," she said, "you might want to check on your radish seeds."
Maria and Chen rushed out to the garden and looked at the mounds of dirt where they had planted their seeds. In the middle of each mound there was a tiny green sprout just barely poking out of the dirt.
"Is that a radish plant?" asked Chen. "It doesn't look big enough!"
"It's just a baby!" said Maria. "It's cute!" She picked up the watering can and sprinkled some water on her baby plant. Chen watered his plant, too, and then they went to the playground.
|
Chapter 3
|
4
|
| Maria and Chen's plants grew and grew! The children raced to feed their plants with water to see whose plant would be the biggest. Some days Chen's was bigger than Maria's, while other days Maria's was bigger. Some days they were just the same. |
"Don't water them too much!" warned Maria's mother. "That would be bad for them. They need just enough water and just enough sunlight to grow."
The plants continued to grow and grow. By the end of two weeks both of them came up to Chen and Maria's ankles.
"Whose plant is bigger?" asked Maria.
"They're both the same size," said her mother.
"When can we eat them?" asked Chen.
"Soon," said Maria's mother. "They're not quite ready yet."
"I don't want to eat mine," said Maria. "I want to keep it just the way it is forever."
"Well, I think you should both keep them to show Elvira," said Maria's mother. "She's coming to visit tomorrow."
"Elvira is coming?" said Maria. "Why didn't you say so? Of course, we should show them to her!"
"I don't want to eat mine," said Maria. "I want to keep it just the way it is forever."
"Well, I think you should both keep them to show Elvira," said Maria's mother. "She's coming to visit tomorrow."
"Elvira is coming?" said Maria. "Why didn't you say so? Of course, we should show them to her!"
|
Chapter 4
|
5
|
| Maria and Chen were looking forward to Elvira's visit. She was a friend of Maria's parents, but she was also a friend of theirs. And surprising things often happened when she visited – especially when Maria's parents weren't around. Maria and Chen could hardly wait to see what would happen this time! |
On Sunday morning the children waited until almost noon for Elvira to come. Finally, just when they were losing hope, they heard the sound of her car coming down the street. Elvira drove a little red sports car that sounded very loud! They rushed out just in time to see it screech around the corner and pull into the driveway in front of the house. Elvira got out. She was very tall and her hair was flaming red and her eyes were as green as grass. She was wearing a long purple dress and sandals and she carried a large cloth bag. It was green with bright yellow flowers on it.
"Elvira, Elvira!" shouted Maria. "Come and see!" She grabbed Elvira by the hand and dragged her around the house to the garden. Chen followed close behind.
Maria and Chen are excited about Elvira's visit. Why?
The story says that surprising things happen when Elvira visits. I
think that's why the children are happy for her to come!
What details does the story give about Elvira?
"Look!" said Maria. "That's my radish plant! I planted it!"
"That one's mine," said Chen, pointing. "Mine's bigger!"
"It is not!" said Maria.
|
6
|
Now is a good time for another prediction! What do you think will happen next?
I predict that Elvira will help the children see underground.
There are clues in the story to help you make a prediction.
|
7
|
|
"Cool!" said
Chen. "I wish we could see underground."
"You can!" said Elvira, "Now where did I put that viewer?" She reached into her bag and poked around. "I know it's in here somewhere," she said. "Oh, yes, here it is!" She pulled out something that looked like a flashlight. "Is that a flashlight?" asked Maria. |
"It's kind of like a flashlight," said Elvira, "only better. It's a magic flashlight that lets you look right through things. Watch!"
She turned on the flashlight and pointed it at Chen's shoes. In the light from the flashlight the shoes disappeared and they could see Chen's feet.
"Cool!" said Chen. He wiggled his toes and they could all see them move.
"It's like an X-ray," said Maria. She had learned about X-rays in school.
"Yeah, like Superman!" said Chen. "He can see right through stuff."
|
8
|
|
"Sort of like that," agreed Elvira. "Let's use this flashlight to
take a look at the part of your radish plant that's underground."
She pointed the flashlight at Chen's radish plant. The ground
disappeared and Maria and Chen could see right through it.
"It looks like a tree upside down!" said Maria. |
"Those are the roots," said Elvira. "They were busy growing down all the time you were waiting for the plant to come up."
"That's why we had to keep watering it," said Chen.
"Yes," said Elvira, turning off the flashlight. "Plants need water in order to grow."
I would love to have a special flashlight!
The children use the flashlight to learn about the parts of a plant.
What do the children use the flashlight for?
|
Chapter 5
|
9
|
|
"Would you like to see how your plants grew when you planted
them?" asked Elvira.
"Sure!" said Maria. "But how can we do that? They're already grown!" |
"It's easy," said Elvira. "If I can just find my time controller." She reached into her bag again and this time she took out a small plastic box with buttons on one side.
"That looks just like the remote control on our TV," said Chen.
"It's sort of like that," said Elvira, "except that a regular remote only controls the TV. This one controls the whole world! Watch your radish plants now while I push the 'Rewind' button."
Maria and Chen got down on their knees and put their faces right up next to their plants. Pretty soon something began to happen.
"My plant is getting smaller!" said Maria.
"So is mine," said Chen.
"What's going on?"
"I hit the 'Rewind' button on the controller," explained Elvira, "and now time is running backwards!"
As Elvira said this, Chen and Maria's plants disappeared into the ground.
"They're gone!" said Maria. "After all that hard work, our plants just disappeared. I don't like this remote control thing! Bring my plant back!" "Your plant is still there, it's just underground," said Elvira. "Remember? Let's take a look at it." She pointed the flashlight at the ground and turned it on. The ground disappeared again and Chen and Maria could look right through it.
"I don't see my plant!" said Maria, "What have you done with it?"
"It's there," said Elvira, "but it's very small. Look closely!"
"There it is!" said Chen. "It's just a seed!" He pointed at the seed in the ground.
Elvira said, "Now watch what happens when I run time forward again." She pressed a button. "I've hit the 'Fast Forward' button," she said, "so we don't have to wait a whole week for the plants to come up again."
"I hit the 'Rewind' button on the controller," explained Elvira, "and now time is running backwards!"
As Elvira said this, Chen and Maria's plants disappeared into the ground.
"They're gone!" said Maria. "After all that hard work, our plants just disappeared. I don't like this remote control thing! Bring my plant back!" "Your plant is still there, it's just underground," said Elvira. "Remember? Let's take a look at it." She pointed the flashlight at the ground and turned it on. The ground disappeared again and Chen and Maria could look right through it.
"I don't see my plant!" said Maria, "What have you done with it?"
"It's there," said Elvira, "but it's very small. Look closely!"
"There it is!" said Chen. "It's just a seed!" He pointed at the seed in the ground.
Elvira said, "Now watch what happens when I run time forward again." She pressed a button. "I've hit the 'Fast Forward' button," she said, "so we don't have to wait a whole week for the plants to come up again."
|
10
|
|
"Good!" said Chen. "The roots are beginning to grow!" said Maria. "Mine's growing sideways!" said Chen. |
What a cool remote control!
Maria and Chen make observations just like scientists do.
Special tools help the children learn. Scientists also use tools, though they are not magical.
|
11
|
"It doesn't matter how you plant the seed," said Elvira, "The roots always end up going down. Sometimes they start out sideways, but then they turn down. See?" Sure enough, Chen's root had turned and it was now growing down. "Remember," said Elvira, "I'm running time on fast forward. Two days have gone by already."
"Ooh!" said Maria, "the top part of my root is turning pink!"
"And there's a green thing on the end of it," said Chen.
"The pink thing is going to turn into the stem of the plant," said Elvira, "and the green thing is really two green things – the first two leaves!"
"But they're still underground!" said Maria.
"Not for long!" said Elvira. "This is the fourth day since you planted the seeds. The plants are about to come up."
"The roots are getting fuzzy," said Chen.
|
12
|
Just then an amazing thing happened. Maria's plant came popping right out of the ground. Then Chen's plant came up right behind it. Their stems straightened and their two little leaves spread out. Chen and Maria were very excited.
"They're beautiful!" said Maria.
"They're amazing!" said Chen.
"This is the way the plants looked yesterday," said Elvira. "Remember to look at their roots, too. What do you see?"
"The roots are sprouting roots!" said Chen. And sure enough, all along the root of each plant little roots were growing out! They grew and grew. Pretty soon the roots from Chen's plant touched the roots from Maria's plant and they got all tangled up.
In the meantime, the stems of the plants were growing, too. The plants got taller and taller. Soon, new leaves began to sprout from the stems. The leaves all turned toward the sun.
"That's it," said Elvira. "My little time machine has brought us back to the present." She put the remote control back in her bag.
|
Chapter 6
|
13
|
"You mean like the fertilizer we put in the hole?" asked Maria. "That kind of nutrient?"
"Exactly!" said Elvira. "Then the stem carries the water and nutrients to the leaves and the leaves bring in air and sunshine and make food for the plant to grow."
"I get it," said Maria.
"I don't," said Chen.
"What don't you get?" asked Elvira.
"You said the leaves make food for the plant to grow," said Chen.
"That's right," said Elvira.
"And they need air and sunshine to do that," Chen went on.
"That's right, too," said Elvira.
"But our plants were growing before there were leaves," said Chen.
"He's right!" said Maria. "The roots were growing before the leaves popped out! So where did the plant get the food for that?" "You two are very clever!" said Elvira. "I left something out when I explained about plants. I left out the fruit."
"What fruit?" asked Chen. "These plants don't have any fruit."
"They don't have fruit yet," said Elvira, "but they will if you wait a while. In another two or three weeks, if you keep watering your plants, they will grow fruits with seeds inside them."
"You mean like an apple?" asked Maria.
"But our plants were growing before there were leaves," said Chen.
"He's right!" said Maria. "The roots were growing before the leaves popped out! So where did the plant get the food for that?" "You two are very clever!" said Elvira. "I left something out when I explained about plants. I left out the fruit."
"What fruit?" asked Chen. "These plants don't have any fruit."
"They don't have fruit yet," said Elvira, "but they will if you wait a while. In another two or three weeks, if you keep watering your plants, they will grow fruits with seeds inside them."
"You mean like an apple?" asked Maria.
|
14
|
"All this talk about food is making me hungry!" said Chen. "I'm going to eat my radish."
"I'm not," said Maria. "I'm going to let it make fruit and seeds and then I'll plant the seeds and make baby radishes."
And that's what they did!
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
Can you summarize what the story was about?
Think about what the children did and learned. What did you learn?
The children grew radish seeds and were able to watch them grow with special tools. They learned about the parts of a plant.
Congratulations! You have completed this activity. Click on the Home button below, then ask your teacher for further instructions.
|
What are the parts of a plant, and what are they for?
|
|
1
|
|
In this activity, you will identify the structures found in plants and figure out how those structures help plants make food. |
|
Engage
|
2
|
|
|
Courtesy of Roger P. Hangarter, Indiana University,
http://plantsinmotion.bio.indiana.edu
|
|
Explore
|
3
|
|
|
This model was created by the Concord Consortium.
|
I love to use computer models.
You will use the computer model to learn more about plant parts. Click on a part of the plant.
As you click on a plant part, read about its function.
Enlarge the window so that you can see the whole model.
|
Explain
|
4
|
|
Elaborate
|
5
|
|
|
This model was created by the
Concord Consortium.
|
Scroll over the model to investigate the specialized cactus plant parts. To run the model, click on each label that appears. Then answer the questions on the next page.
|
6
|
|
|
Congratulations! You have completed this activity.
|
Why do plants look the way they do?
|
|
1
|
|
In this activity, your job is to figure out why plants have leaves, stems, and roots. |
|
Engage
|
2
|
|
|
Explore
|
4
|
Each of you will investigate a separate part of the plant. As a team, decide who will become the Leaf expert, the Stem expert, and the Root expert.
| If you are the Leaf expert | |
| If you are the Stem expert | |
| If you are the Root expert |
|
Explore
|
5
|
|
Explore
|
5
|
|
Explore
|
5
|
| Take your plant and carefully pull it out of its pot. Lay the plant on the newspaper. Carefully brush away the soil from the roots. |
|
|
Why do plants have leaves, stems, and roots?
|
|
1
|
|
In this activity, you will explore what happens to plants if they don't get water or sunlight. |
|
Engage
|
2
|
| How do you think the amount of sunlight will affect the plant? |
|
|
3
|
|
How do you think the amount of
water
will affect the plant?
|
|
Explore
|
5
|
|
|
|
|
6
|
-
Plant #1: lots of water and lots of sunlight
if you will monitor plant #1.
-
Plant #2: no water and lots of sunlight
if you will monitor plant #2.
-
Plant #3: lots of water and no sunlight
if you will monitor plant #3.
-
Plant #4: no water and no sunlight
if you will monitor plant #4.
|
7
|
Lots of water, lots of sunlight
No water, lots of sunlight
Lots of water, no sunlight
No water, no sunlight
|
8
|
|
9
|
|
|
|
Explain
|
10
|
|
|
|
11
|
|
|
|
|
12
|
|
Elaborate
|
13
|
What happens if plants are exposed to different amounts of sunlight? As scientists, we can measure the exact amount of sunlight the plants are exposed to if we use a light sensor. In this experiment, you will compare how the four plants do with different amounts of light for about a week.
|
14
|
|
|
|
on the right.
|
15
|
|
|
|
Follow the steps on the next page.
Click on the magnifying glass
for
a technical hint.
for
a movie showing how to use the data collection graph.
Each student should fill in the data for their own plant (#1, #2, #3, or #4).
Record your measurement in the table.
|
16
|
|
Can plants survive without water and sunlight?
|
|
1
|
|
In this activity, you will use a computer model of a growing plant, called the Plant Food-o-Meter. lt will show the effect of water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide on the health of the plant. |
|
Engage
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
| Here is how you use the model. |
|
|
4
|
|
|
This model was created by the
Concord Consortium.
|
at the bottom of the computer model.
|
Explore
|
5
|
|
|
This model was created by the
Concord Consortium.
|
Let the model run for five days and nights. However, if the plant dies, it may stop sooner.
below the model. This will show you how much sugar the plant made during
each run.
|
6
|
|
|
This model was created by the
Concord Consortium.
|
. Notice how much sugar the plant made.
|
7
|
|
|
This model was created by the
Concord Consortium.
|
Let the model run for five days and nights. However, if the plant dies, it may stop sooner.
. Look at how much sugar the plant made.
|
Explain
|
8
|
|
Elaborate
|
9
|
|
10
|
|
|
Congratulations! You have completed this activity.
|
What do plants need to stay alive?
|
|
1
|
|
In this activity you will read and make bar graphs to show how a plant grows under different conditions. |
|
Engage
|
2
|
|
A bar chart can be used to compare things. Sometimes it is
easier to understand than looking at a table of numbers. Here
is an example.
A class planted 10 bean seeds and measured how much they grew in two weeks. This table shows the length of each bean plant. |
|
3
|
|
|
|
Explore
|
4
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
This bean plant was given some special fertilizer on day 10.
|
|
Explain
|
7
|
"A plant started with 10 leaves on Day 1. It was the same on Day 2. Starting on Day 3, it grew two new leaves each day for 4 days. Then Karen went on holiday and stopped watering it. From then on, it lost 3 leaves a day for 4 days."
|
8
|
|
|
|
Elaborate
|
9
|
| Graph 1: Lots of sun and lots of water | Graph 2: Lots of sun and no water | Graph 3: No sun and lots of water | Graph 4: No sun and no water |
Congratulations! You have completed this activity.
|
How can bar graphs show how a plant grows?
|
|
1
|
|
Now it's time to review and summarize what you have learned
about plants. To help, you can show all of your snapshots and
some of your written answers from the activities. They are all
in your lab book.
Review the questions on the following pages. There is a separate page for each activity that you worked on. Be prepared to share your answers with the rest of the class. |
|
|
Chen and Maria Plant a Radish
|
2
|
|
Food-o-meter
|
3
|
|
Parts of a plant
|
4
|
|
Leaves, stems, roots
|
5
|
|
Water and sunlight
|
6
|
Graph it growing!
In this activity you learned how to read and make bar graphs.
|
Summary
|
7
|
|
8
|
Let your teacher know that you are done. Your teacher will give you a password so you can take a short test.
| Password: |
|
Wrapping up
|
1. Rebecca moved into a new house. She wants to grow plants in different areas of her garden.
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
|
2
|
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
4. A girl has an idea that green plants need sand in the soil for
healthy growth. In order to test her idea she uses two pots of
plants. She sets up one pot of plants as shown.
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
|
|
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
6. Here is a graph of the number of healthy leaves on a plant for
ten days. A student watered the plant each day at first, but then
stopped. The plant had lots of sunlight. Answer the questions about
the graph.
|
|
|
|
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page. |
|
4
|
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
|
5
|
Click the Submit button when you have finished.
|
What have you learned about plants?
|
|
6
|
| Depending on the type of plant, you may have multiple plants in one pot. You will only need one. Carefully separate one from the rest. Don't pull too hard because you may rip the roots apart. |
|
|
7
|
| Remove most of the soil by gently brushing the roots. Place your plant in a cup of water. Swish your roots around in the cup of water to wash away the soil. Dump the water and obtain clean water in your cup. Place your plant in the cup. |
|
|
8
|
|
9
|
|
The main function of roots is to take up water and nutrients
from the soil. There are two different types of root systems.
The portion that we eat in a carrot or a turnip plant is really the main root of the plant. This type of plant has a large main root with smaller hairs growing from it. |
|
|
10
|
| Other types of plants have a large number of branching roots, all about equal in length and thickness. There are also small root hairs to take in additional water and nutrients from the soil. Grasses and some trees have this type of root. |
|
|
11
|
|
Explain
|
12
|
|
Here is a plant with a branching root system.
|
|
|
Elaborate
|
11
|
|
|
|
- how carbon dioxide enters the plant
- how oxygen exits the plant
|
14
|
Congratulations! You have completed this activity.
|
Root expert
|
|
6
|
| Using a pair of scissors, cut off one of the biggest leaves of the plant. Make sure to cut it where it attaches to the stem. |
|
|
7
|
|
8
|
| Air is made of many different gases. One of them is called carbon dioxide. Plants need carbon dioxide to make food. Carbon dioxide enters the plant through a hole on the underside of the leaf, called a stoma. Plants take in carbon dioxide and get rid of oxygen through their stomata (the plural of stoma). |
|
|
9
|
|
Explain
|
10
|
|
11
|
|
Here is a plant with many leaves along a single stem.
|
|
|
13
|
Congratulations! You have completed this activity.
|
Leaf expert
|
|
6
|
|
7
|
|
Using your scissors, cut off one stem at the base of the
plant. Carefully remove all of the leaves.
|
|
|
8
|
|
9
|
Take the bottom of your plant stem and split the stem in half with your fingers.
|
Explain
|
10
|
|
Here is a plant with a branching root system.
|
|
|
12
|
Congratulations! You have completed this activity.
|
Stem expert
|