Grade Six Science
Hello Boys and Girls,
How was your week? How were the activities at your school showing awareness that Essequibo belongs to Guyana? Did you have special assemblies, did you have your Golden Arrowhead flown, did you wear a jersey with one of the colours of the flag, did you sing national songs? What did you do?
Last week we started our investigation of plants. We will continue this week. We saw that there are seven characteristics that show that plants are living. Do you remember them? Tell them to your friend.
Now answer the following questions: 1. What is botany?
2. Name three main parts of a plant.
3. Draw and label a plant found in your neighbourhood.
4. What use are roots to the plant? 5. Draw a root and label the parts. 6. What is the function of the root cap?
7. Name the two root systems that we have looked at last week.
How well have you done in answering the questions above? You may check last week’s article.
Let’s find out more about types of roots. Look at the pictures of roots below. Can you identify them as you examine plants and their roots?
Fibrous roots can be found on plants such as peas, beans, lettuce and grasses.
Adventitious roots can originate from stems, branches and leaves.
Below you can see that there are examples of plants with different types of roots. Do look at them carefully.
There are other roots such as aerial roots and buttress roots which grow above the ground. Many of these can be found in the beautiful forests of Guyana.
Let’s do a few exercises. 1. List different types of roots. 2. Draw two of them. 3. Label their parts. 4. How important are roots to the plant?
You will remember that roots carry out so many functions for the plant. Look at the roots in the picture below. Have you eaten any of them before?
Be sure to identify the various storage roots when you eat them.
Storage of food is not really a normal function of roots, so when they do it, they undergo some changes. These roots are often referred to as storage roots. Because of this food- storage function, many types of roots are filled with nutrients, starches and sugars.
We take advantage of this ability to store when we grow and eat them. Can you give any other examples of these storage roots?
Until next week, be safe and be good, Boys and Girls.