Plants need water and the right temperature booklet
Plants need water and the right temperature booklet
- Unit 1: Living things
- Unit 2: Sound
- Unit 3: Materials in my world
- Unit 4: The Earth
- Unit 5: Humans
- Unit 6: Forces
This Topic is About...
- I will investigate how plants need water to stay healthy.
- I will see how plants need the right temperature to be healthy.
- I will see how water moves up through a plant stem.
- I will measure using standard units.
- I will make predictions and see if they are right.
- I will make a conclusion from the results.
- I will read results from a bar chart and look for patterns in the results.
You’re going to be a science explorer!
Key Words
- freezes
- level
- survive
Tap to Learn the Meanings!
- freezes: When a liquid turns into a solid because it becomes very cold.
- level: A height, amount, or position compared to something else.
- survive: To stay alive or continue to exist in difficult conditions.
Nice work! You’re learning key words about science and survival.
All plants need water
Every part of a plant needs water. Water is absorbed by the roots from the soil. Look at the diagram to see how water moves around a plant.
Without enough water, plants will wilt and die.
Let’s Investigate!
Question: How much water do plant stems use?
You will need: a narrow jar, five leafy stems, water, a ruler, sticky labels
Method:
- Place the stems into the jar.
- Use a ruler to measure the height of the water — this is the water level.
- Predict what you think will happen to the water level after five days.
- Mark the starting water level on a sticky label.
- Measure and mark the water level at the same time each day.
- Record how the water level changes from day to day.
- Decide whether you will use mm, cm, or simple marks on the label. Which is best? Why?
Questions to think about:
- What happened at the end of the test?
- Was your prediction right?
- How much water did the plant stems use?
- What kind of science enquiry was this?
Tap to See Example Answers
- What happened: The water level slowly dropped over the five days as the stems absorbed water.
- Prediction: Most predictions say the water level will go down — usually correct.
- How much water was used: The difference between the starting and final water level shows how much water the stems took up.
- Best measurement: Millimetres (mm) are most accurate because they allow you to see small changes.
- Type of enquiry: This was an observing over time enquiry, because you measured changes every day.
Great work! You used careful measuring skills to explore how plants take up water.
Looking at a bar chart
Sofia did this investigation and recorded what happened in a bar chart.
FUN QUESTIONS
1. What happened to the level of the water on days 1 to 4?
Show answer
2. What changed on day 5?
Show answer
3. Why might this have happened?
Show answer
4. What happened over the five days of the test?
Show answer
Plants need the right temperature
Some plants can live in cold places and some in hot places. If it is very hot or very cold plants cannot survive. Too much heat or cold can kill them.
If it is too cold a plant’s leaves cannot make food. Water freezes, which means that it turns into a solid and the plants cannot use it.
If it is too hot, the plant may have no water. Roots, stems and leaves can dry and break.
Let’s Investigate!
Topic: Plants need the right temperature
You will need: 15 seeds, three plant pots, soil, a thermometer
Investigation steps:
- Sow five seeds into each pot.
- Cover the seeds with soil and water them.
- Place the pots in three different places:
- one warm
- one at room temperature
- one cold
- Use a thermometer to measure the temperature in each place.
- Keep the soil moist — do not let it dry out.
- Predict what will happen to the seeds in each pot.
- Observe the pots at the same time each day and record what happens.
- Decide how you will record your data: drawings, measurements, tables, or graphs.
Questions to consider:
- Will all the seeds start to grow at the same time?
- Will all the seeds grow well?
- What differences do you notice between the warm, room temperature and cold pots?
- What kind of science enquiry was this? Explain your answer.
Tap to See Example Answers
- Warm place: Seeds began growing the fastest because warmth speeds up germination.
- Room temperature: Seeds grew at a normal, steady rate.
- Cold place: Seeds grew very slowly or not at all because cold temperatures slow germination.
- Prediction: Most predictions match the results — seeds in warm conditions grow best.
- Recording: You could draw the plants each day, measure their heights, or make a growth graph.
- Type of enquiry: This was a comparative test because you compared seed growth in different temperature conditions.
Excellent work! You discovered how temperature affects seed germination and plant growth.
Water can move up tall trees
Some trees are over 80 metres tall! Water has to travel all the way to the top. Water travels in lots of very narrow tubes in the main stem and goes to every leaf.
Let’s Investigate!
Topic: How does water move up a plant stem?
You will need: a cup of water, food colouring, a dropper or teaspoon, a white flower, celery, a clock
Investigation steps:
- Look carefully at diagrams 1 and 2.
- Put the flower and celery into the pot of water.
- Add a few drops of food colouring to the water.
- Predict what you think will happen.
- Observe the pot every hour or two over a day.
- Make drawings or take photographs to record what you see.
- Compare your results with your prediction.
- Think about what this investigation tells you about water movement inside plants.
Questions to consider:
- Was your prediction correct?
- Why did the coloured water move into the celery and flower?
- What does this show about water inside plants?
- What kind of science enquiry was this?
Tap to See Example Answers
- What happened: The coloured water travelled up the celery stem and into the petals of the white flower, making them change colour.
- Why: Water moves through tiny tubes inside the stem called xylem. The coloured water shows the path water takes inside plants.
- Prediction: Most predictions say the flower will change colour — usually correct.
- What this shows: Water travels upward through stems, carrying nutrients and minerals to all parts of the plant.
- Type of enquiry: This was an observing over time enquiry because you watched changes happening slowly throughout the day.
Great work! You explored how plants transport water through their stems.
How am I doing?
If a friend asked you to care for a small potted plant for a week, how much water would it need? Use what you learned in this investigation to explain your answer.