Grade Six Science
Hello Boys and Girls,
We are very far into the month of November already, actually more than half way. Can you imagine? I hope you have been working very hard, and that you pay great attention to your teachers. Ensure that revising is a frequent activity that you do.
This week we will begin our journey into the plant kingdom. Are you ready? Well let’s go!
Plants form a big group of living things. Do you remember what living things do? These things that living things do are also referred to as characteristics of living things. Here is a reminder:
Here we recognise that plants are indeed living things just like animals: They grow and die. They need energy, nutrients and water. They produce young, and among other things, react to what is around them. Plants are living things.
Plants include trees, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns and mosses which many of us are familiar with.
Did you know that the scientific study of plants is known as botany, and that there are more than 300,000 species of plants? Oh yes.
Most plants grow in the ground with stems above and roots below. Some float in water.
Let us now look at parts of the plant. Look around you - in the yard, on the parapet near to the road, in the forest, savannah, ... You will see many plants. Examine their parts. Do you see parts similar to the ones in the picture below?
We will now examine each part of the plant. We will look at what it is made of, the various types that are around, and the functions.
Roots
Roots are very important to the plant. The root of anything is its foundation, its centre, its core. The roots of the plant are often found at the bottom and in the soil as mentioned before. What do roots do for the plant? Do you know? Yes, they do different things. They act as straws, absorbing water and nutrients and minerals from the soil and then to be transported to the other parts of the plant. Name the parts. The root hairs on the root help them to absorb the water and minerals.
Roots also help to anchor the plant in the soil, keeping it stable so that it would not turn or fall over. Roots also store extra food for the plant. Let’s look at the external parts of a root.
Have you seen the primary or main root? Look at the lateral roots and the root hairs. See where the root cap is; it protects the root tip.
There are several types of roots. Below we can see the fibrous root system and the tap root system. Can you think of others?
Look at plants and see if you can identify the type of root they have. Look at the words below. Find them in the wordsearch.
Botany Plants Growth Fruit
species trees parts seeds
living ferns root flowers
grasses bushes stem water
vines characteristics leaf moss
As an assignment, find out as much as you can about stems and their functions, and about leaves and their functions.
Until next week, have fun, Boys and Girls!