Botany Unit Part 4: Roots, Plant Tissues, Hormones, Tropisms, Lear Processes

This unit includes 11 Lessons (50 minutes each) and 20 pages of printable work bundle. The Work Bundle has students fill-in critical notes (red slides), conduct exciting hands-on activities, answer questions, interpret graphs, includes games, built-in quizzes, and much more. The work bundles chronologically follow the detailed and interactive set of slideshows. A quiz game concludes each part for a great review and additional assessment. Answer Keys, video links, crosswords, built-in quizzes, and much more are provided. Everything you need to run a fantastic learning experience is provided. Everything arrives in editable format if you want add in your own slides and activities, and the slideshows and work bundles can easily be converted into Google Slides / docs for friendly Google Classroom learning.

Lesson 1 Roots and Water: The slideshow begins discussing how plants are different from people and need different strategies to obtain water and nutrients. Roots and their roles are then described in a series of slides, usually on the underground portion of the plant, lacks buds, leaves, nodes, serves to support, draws minerals, stores food. Next the PowerPoint describes the two types of roots (taproots and fibrous roots are discussed, and a series of questions to demonstrate understanding follows.

Lesson 2 Hydroponics and Plant tropisms: Hydroponics is addressed and emphasis is put on how plants do photosynthesis from water and air. A neat video follows a restaurant owner in NYC that has a whole hydroponic roof top garden. The slideshow then begins asking a series of questions about plants know when to do many of the processes that plants do? Plant tropisms are then described with visuals. Students study the various plant tropisms and then participate in a visual challenge where they match the picture to the tropism.

Lesson 3 Plant Hormones: Plant hormones are described in a series of slides that makes the difficult definition manageable for the students.

Lesson 4 Vascular System: The slideshow begins examining the three types of plant tissues with visuals that point out these tissue on the plant. The students are then given a sequence of slides that challenges them to name the correct plant tissue. The definition of a vascular system is then described. Xylem is then presented in a series of slides, Phloem follows in a similar fashion. An activity that has students examine celery and carrots is included with directions built into the PowerPoint. 

Lesson 5 Woody Plants: Woody Plants then begins, and starts with the Pith. A visual of a tree is provided throughout this portion of the PowerPoint and is referenced to often. Heartwood and Sapwood and Cambium follow. Students continue to label the tree cross section in their work bundle. 

Lesson 6 Dendrochronology Activity: Dendrochronology is then described and an activity is provided that requires either tree coring tools and trees, or slices of a tree that can be obtained that shows annual rings. Chainsaw safety slides are covered as I go outside with the students and demonstrate some chainsaw techniques to get fresh samples. A printed version of the tree rings is provided in the work bundle, and you can also order decorative tree rings from amazon. A few challenge questions that ask students to determine years of growth etc are provided as well several other questions and graphing exercise in the work bundle. 

Lesson 7 Leaf Processes: The definition of a leaf is described in a step by step process with many images. A difficult definition is broken down. The three aspects of light and plants is addressed as well as the energy flow of life occurring through plants. A neat optional activity has students use chromatography paper (coffee filters will work) to examine the contents of leaves. The question of why leaves turn color in the fall is eventually answered. A link is provided and visuals in the slideshow. Chloroplasts are introduced and students then need to guess the correct equation for photosynthesis. The real equation is presented after in a step by step process.

Lesson 8 Photosynthesis Continued: Photosynthesis is reviewed and practiced a few more times. Students get good at know what goes and what comes out and how the molecules are rearranged. The students then get to choose one of three more complex version that describe the process. There's a part of the work bundle to record information for this advanced version of photosynthesis.

Lesson 9 Wrap-Up. Stomata openings and transpiration are covered. A series of box games conclude where students guess pictures beneath as shapes are removed. A crossword puzzle is also provided that covers the key vocabulary from the unit. The word bank can be removed to make the puzzle more challenging.

Lesson 10 Review Game: