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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