3 The Plant kingdom THE PLANT 3 KINGDOM n this unit students learn about the plant kingdom. Students The mixed-ability resources are to be used at the teacher’s discretion, will understand that plants are very important organisms and although each lesson contains suggestions. notI just decorative parts of a landscape. Plants are essential for the survival of other organisms, as we have seen in previous units. Suggested Timing Students will be able to identify the parts of plants and how these This unit can be worked on over a period of four weeks parts relate to the vital functions. They will also find out the most (approximately 11 sessions). The number of sessions should be common uses humans have for plants. determined by the interest that students show for the content and by the general unit planning. Objectives Sections N.° of sessions LEARNING OBJECTIVES Warmer 1 ❚❚ Describe the characteristics that are found in all plants. 1. The plant kingdom 1 2. Parts of a plant 3 ❚❚ Recognise the most common plants which are typical of their taxonomic classes. 3. Seedless plants 1 ❚❚ Identify the most important parts of plants and describe what 4. Plants with seeds 1 their functions are. 5. Plants and us 1 ❚❚ Explain how plants have evolved from the beginning of life on Consolidation 1 Earth to the present day. Work and experimentation techniques 1 ❚❚ Describe the process of autotrophic nutrition and relate it to the Final task 1 importance of plants for other living things. ❚❚ Analyse the relationship between human beings and plants. ❚❚ Carry out a research task. Mixed-ability needs In order to meet the needs of students of different abilities, a wide variety of classroom resources are provided as complements or alternatives to the work in the unit: worksheets, lesson summaries, slide show presentations with core content and curricular adaptations. Also, since science combines many skills, it is important to pair up students of mixed abilities, so that they can support each other. 66 The Plant kingdom 3 UNIT LESSON PLAN Contents Assessment criteria Learning outcomes The Plant kingdom 1. Identify plants according to criteria. 1.1. Classify plants according to a range of criteria. ❚❚ Classification of plants (MCST) ❚❚ The characteristics of plants 2. Describe the characteristics of the Plant kingdom 2.1. Describe the general characteristics of plants and its importance for other living things. and their importance. (LC, MCST) Parts of a plant 3. Relate each part of the plant with its adaptation 3.1. Identify the parts and the importance of the ❚❚ Roots: absorption and anchoring to the environment. root. (LC, MCST, DC, LL, SIE) ❚❚ Stem: conducting vessels 3.2. Identify the parts and the importance of the ❚❚ Leaves: synthesising organic matter stem. (LC, MCST, DC, LL, SIE) ❚❚ Flowers: the reproductive organs 3.3. Identify the parts and the importance of the leaf. (LC, MCST, DC, LL, SIE) 3.4. Identify the parts and the importance of the flower. (LC, MCST, DC, LL, SIE) Seedless plants 4. Identify the main characteristics that make 4.1. Identify characteristics of bryophytes. (LC, MCST, ❚❚ Bryophytes: hepatic plants and mosses seedless plants different. LL, SIE) ❚❚ Pteridophytes: ferns 4.2. Identify characteristics of pteridophytes. (LC, MCST, LL, SIE) Plants with seeds 5. Identify the main characteristics that make plants 5.1. Identify characteristics of gymnosperms. (LC, ❚❚ Gymnosperm plants with seeds different. MCST, LL, SIE) ❚❚ Angiosperm plants 5.2. Identify characteristics of angiosperms. (LC, MCST, LL, SIE) Plants and us 6. Value the importance of plants for humans. 6.1. Relate characteristics of plants (or parts of ❚❚ Plant uses plants) with the uses humans have for them. (LC, ❚❚ Natural and artificial vegetation MCST, DC, SIE) LC: Linguistic communication; MCST: Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology; DC: Digital competence; LL: Learning to learn; SIE: Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship; SCC: Social and civic competence. 67 3 The Plant kingdom UNIT CONTENT MAP Oxford investigation > > > > > > Interactive activities > > > > > > Talking book > > > > > > Video 2: Parts of a plant Video 3: Photosynthesis Science experiment: Observing the different parts of a flower Weblink 1: Animation: Reproduction in flowering plants Video 5: Fern: the Weblink 2: Plant cells Video 4: Pollination rock life cycle Seed dispersal STUDENT RESOURCES RESOURCES STUDENT Video 1: Introduction to plants Unit 3. The Plant kingdom 1. The plant kingdom 2. Parts of a plant 3. Seedless plants 4. Plants with seeds 1.1. Classification of plants 2.1. Roots: absorption and 3.1. Bryophytes: hepatic 4.1. Gymnosperm 1.2. The characteristics of anchoring plants and mosses plants plants 2.2. Stem: conducting vessels 3.2. Pteridophytes: ferns 4.2. Angiosperm plants 2.3. Leaves: synthesising organic matter 2.4. Flowers: the reproductive organs Concept map Video 2 worksheet Video 5 worksheet Weblink 2 worksheet Presentation Video 3 worksheet Video 4 worksheet Reinforcement worksheets > > > > > > TEACHER RESOURCES TEACHER Curricular adaptation worksheets > > > > > > 68 The Plant kingdom 3 > > > > > > Oxford investigation > > > > > > Interactive activities > > > > > > Talking book Weblink 3: Plants and us Unit 3. The Plant kingdom 5. Plants and us Consolidation Work and Final task 5.1. Plant uses experimentation Plants around me 5.2. Natural and artificial techniques vegetation The height of trees Weblink 3 worksheet Concept map Competence test Presentation Unit tests Extension activities > > > > > > Reinforcement worksheets > > > > > > Curricular adaptation worksheets 69 3 The Plant kingdom TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 3 THE PLANT KINGDOM YOU WILL LEARN TO… ● Describe the characteristics that are found in all plants. ● Recognise the most common plants which are typical of their taxonomic classes. ● Identify the most important parts of plants and describe what their functions are. ● Explain how plants have evolved from the beginning of life on Earth to the present day. ● Describe the process of autotrophic nutrition, and relate it to the importance of plants for other living things. + Final task www ● Analyse the relationship between human beings and plants. Plants around us ● Carry out a research task. If we look carefully in parks, gardens and in certain other areas of our cities and villages, we can see many plants. Most of them have been planted by people in order to get various products or to make the landscape look more attractive. However, some of these plants were already part of the landscape before human activity was involved. What do all plants have in common? In this unit, you are going to learn about the What are the three basic organs which most plants share? characteristics of plants that allow us to recognise What are their functions? and classify them. How do plants without flowers or seeds, such as ferns, Using some simple identification criteria, you will reproduce? learn how to recognise the most common plants in Are pine nuts, which are sold and eaten as dried nuts, really nuts? your local area. You will also create a dichotomous Can you think of some ways in which humans benefit from plants? key to identify them. 3. The plant kingdom 45 tudents look at the image carefully trying to work out how ❚ Where in the world are plants found? many types of plants they can see. Some of the plants that ❚ How are plants important to habitats? Scan be seen in the image are ferns, mosses and other trees, which are probably conifers. Get them to work in pairs to write Students can share their prior knowledge of these two questions. down as many plant names as they can. Students are allowed to Do not worry if they are unsure as the video will stimulate and write any names they know: names of fruits, flowers, herbs or any motivate them. other plant-related term. Write the terms on the board and then ask: Video 1: INTRODUCTION TO PLANTS What makes plants different from each other? This video displays great footage of plants across the world. Plants are different in many ways as we will see in this unit. The two main groups of plants are flowering and non-flowering plants. Discuss students’ understanding of the video. Have they changed Ask students to read the objectives in pairs or groups. When they their minds about where plants can be found? Discuss how plants have finished they should discuss the objectives’ meanings and are found everywhere on Earth and discuss the meaning of the explore any prior knowledge they may have. following statement: Plants make up the backbone of habitats. Create a spidergram on the board (or ask groups to draw their The following questions are designed to continue to spark own on large pieces of paper) and allow students to contribute student’s thoughts: concepts and ideas that relate to the unit or the objectives ❚ What do all plants have in common? (knowledge about living things, classification of living things, any prior knowledge of microorganisms, viruses, microscopes). Plants have a particular type of cells: eukaryote plant cells that Discuss as a class. have a cell wall made of cellulose. They are all multicellular organisms that perform autotrophic nutrition and perform Finally, ask students to draw their own spidergram in their photosynthesis. Plants have tissues. notebooks. This activity can be revisited at the end of the unit, for assessment. Students can add to it, using different colours each ❚ What are the three basic organs which most plants share? time different concepts are learned. What are their functions? Before playing the following video, ask questions so that the The roots: their main function is to absorb water and minerals students can think about them while watching it. from the environment as well as to anchor the plant to the 70 The Plant kingdom 3 ground. The stem, which carries the water and minerals to the stoma, phloem photosynthesis, fruit, inflorescence, nerve, leaves, which in turn perform photosynthesis.