Teacher sheet · Ages 6–7 · about 45–50 minutes
Plants: what do they need to grow?
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/plants/ages-6-7/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/plants/ages-6-7/print/
Learning aims
- Know that plants need light, water and air to make their own food.
- Name roots, stem and leaves and say what each does.
- Observe that plants grow towards light.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Starter: show a real plant. What does it eat? Collect ideas. |
| 10 min | Read the text together; point to roots, stem and leaves. |
| 15 min | Set up the light and dark pots. |
| 5 min | Game: Plant or animal? |
| Over 1–2 weeks | Look every day and fill in the table; finish with the quiz. |
Materials for the experiment
- Cress seeds (or broad bean seeds)
- Two small pots or yoghurt pots with cotton wool or soil
- Water
- A cupboard or a box with a lid
- A sunny windowsill
Safety: Wash hands after touching soil. Do not eat seeds bought for planting. Mop up spilled water so nobody slips.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| Plants get their food from the soil. | They make their food from light, water and air; soil gives water and some minerals. |
| Plants don't need light to grow. | Seeds can start in the dark using stored food, but then grow pale and weak. |
| Only animals are alive. | Plants are living things too: they grow, take in water and make food. |
Worksheet answers
- Roots at the bottom in the soil, stem in the middle, leaves at the top.
- Light, water and air (carbon dioxide).
- Usually the light pot: greener and stronger.
- Because they need light to make their food, and they grow towards it.
Quiz answers
- What do plants need to make their own food? Light, water and air. Plants use light, water and carbon dioxide from the air.[2]
- Which part of the plant drinks up water from the soil? The roots. Roots take up water, and the stem carries it up.[3]
- Why are leaves green? They have green chlorophyll inside. Chlorophyll is the green colour that catches light.[2]
- A plant on a windowsill leans… towards the window. Plants grow towards the light.[4]
- What do plants give out that we breathe? Oxygen. Photosynthesis releases oxygen.[1]
Going further
Turn the windowsill pot round. After two days, which way do the stems lean now?
Sources used in this lesson
- [1] Biology 2e, 8.1 Overview of Photosynthesis (OpenStax, Rice University): reliability High
- [2] Concepts of Biology, 5.1 Overview of Photosynthesis (OpenStax, Rice University): reliability High
- [3] Biology 2e, 30.5 Transport of Water and Solutes in Plants (OpenStax, Rice University): reliability High
- [4] Biology 2e, 30.6 Plant Sensory Systems and Responses (OpenStax, Rice University): reliability High
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/plants/sources/
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