Download Plant Power School Program

Regional Parks
T: 250.478.3344
490 Atkins Avenue
F: 250.478.5416
Victoria, BC, Canada V9B 2Z8
www.crd.bc.ca/parks
Plant Power School Program
Grade:
3-6
Aims:
Subject: Science
This program is designed to:
Skills:

Foster an appreciation of the richness of forest
ecosystems

Encourage students to think of plants as having
basic needs in order to grow

Encourage students to understand that all living
things are important in the web of life.

Encourage respect for the plants and animals of
the forest ecosystem
analysis
description
discussion
exploration
observation
synthesis
Duration: 1.5 hours
Setting: forest
Learning Outcomes:
Keywords: photosynthesis
root
stem
leaves
flower
fruit
seed
petal
sepal
stamen
pistil
habitat
It is expected that the child will:

Recognize at least three different plant species in
the forest.

Identify the main parts of a plant and how they
function for the plant.

Identify the basic components required for plant
photosynthesis.

Identify at least three uses for plants by both
people and animals.

Demonstrate good forest explorer etiquette
(e.g.,staying on the trail, leaving plants where
they grow, not littering, etc..)
1
Plant Power
(Background Information for Teachers)
Plants
Almost all life on earth depends on plants. Plants provide oxygen for humans and animals to
breathe and food for many animals. There are about 260,000 plant species in the world
today, on land, in freshwater and in oceans.
Like animals, plants are living things, or organisms. These three features distinguish
plants from animals:



plants have chlorophyll, a green pigment necessary for photosynthesis (i.e.,
plants can make their own food)
their cell walls are made sturdy by a material called cellulose
they are fixed in one place (they don’t move)
Plants are generally divided into two groups: flower- and fruit-producing plants and those
that do not produce flowers or fruits. Flowering and fruit plants include all garden flowers,
agricultural crops, grasses, shrubs and most leaf trees. Non-flowering plants include
pines, ferns, mosses and conifers (evergreen trees or shrubs that produce cones).
Parts of a Plant:
Root
Roots originate from the lower portion of a plant and they are in the soil. They absorb
nutrients and moisture, anchor the plant in the soil, support the stem, and store food. In
some plants, they can be used for propagation. Carrots are just one big orange root.
Stem
The stem is the upper part of the plant and bears branches, leaves, flowers and fruits. Stem
is generally green when young and later often become woody and dark brown. It conducts
water and minerals from the root to the leaves. Celery is a stem that we eat.
Leaves
Leaves provide trees with all their food because they turn sunlight into food energy through
photosynthesis. Leaves also make the oxygen in the air that we breathe. Lettuce is a leaf
that we eat.
Flowers
Flowers generally are the showiest part of a plant. Their beauty and fragrance attract
pollinators (insects or birds) that play an important role in the reproductive process.
Cauliflower or broccolis are flowers we eat.
2
Fruit and Seeds
Fruit is the fleshy structure of certain plants that may be sweet and edible in the raw state,
such as apples, oranges, grapes etc. It also consists of seeds which are for propagation of
plant. The seeds contain food which supplies energy and materials for growth until the plant
grows its first leaves above the ground.
Photosynthesis
Green plants use energy from the sun to transform water, carbon dioxide, and minerals
into oxygen and organic compounds. This process is called photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis happens when water is absorbed by the roots of green plants and is
carried to the leaves by the xylem, and carbon dioxide is obtained from air that enters
the leaves through the stomata (pores) and diffuses to the cells containing chlorophyll.
The green pigment chlorophyll is uniquely capable of converting the active energy of
light into a latent form that can be stored (in food) and used when needed.
Photosynthesis provides us with most of the oxygen we need in order to breathe. We, in
turn, exhale the carbon dioxide needed by plants. Plants are also crucial to human life
because we rely on them as a source of food for ourselves and for the animals that we
eat.
Some of the plant species that can be found in our local forests:
TREES:
Alder
Broadleaf maple
Douglas-fir
Grand fir
Western redcedar
SHRUBS
Huckleberry
Nootka rose
Ocean spray
Oregon grape
Salal
Salmonberry
Snowberry
OTHER
Mosses
Licorice fern
Sword fern
Bracken fern
3
SUGGESTED PRE-TRIP ACTIVITIES

On the classroom bulletin board, have students draw pictures of the field trip topic or
write predictions about what they might see.

Have each student choose a local native plant to learn and write about.

Make a large class diagram of plant parts, and labels below, to be used in learning
the plant parts

Go out and identify plants found on the school grounds

Show photographs of plants we might see on the program and discover their uses
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES
Have students make a list of the things they saw, and do one or more of the following:

return to the class bulletin board to mark changes in their drawings or predictions
based on their new knowledge gained from the field trip

trace food chains and webs involving the various plants they have seen (e.g.plantmouse-owl; plant-insect-bird)

make a mobile of the ecosystem around your school grounds, showing the plants
and the animals that depend on them.

Make a class food web connecting the plants around you to humans and animals in
your area
The Park Interpretive staff always welcomes student letters, comments and drawings in
relation to their field trip.
4