Unit 2:Plants

Essential Questions
 How do plants obtain water and nutrients needed for survival?
 How do plants minimize water loss through their leaves?
 What is photosynthesis and how is it accomplished?
 What factors affect the rate of photosynthesis?

Day 1: Mineral and Water
Uptake by Plants
 Required Readings:
 2.22, 2.27
 Learning Objectives:
 To know that plants require minerals and what their functions are
 To understand that water can enter and leave cells by osmosis
 To understand that dissolved substances may enter and leave cells by diffusion and active transport

Starter
 Read the “Mineral Nutrients” information
 Choose 5 minerals and explain why they are important for plant growth and development.
 Time: 15 minutes

Activity 1
 Design an experiment that would test how different mineral deficiencies affect the growth of a plant
 Include:
 Question – what are you testing?
 Variables & control
 Method and materials
 Expected outcomes
 Time: 20 minutes

Activity 2
 How do fertilizers have a negative effect on the environment?
 Research the various ways that fertilizers can be harmful to the environment and the other organisms that can be effected (with a partner).
 Write a 1-2 page paper on the harms fertilizers can cause
 Due: September 24
 Time: 30 minutes

Activity 3
 Draw a picture (on paper provided) to show how water and minerals (ions) are taken into a plant.
 Include:
 What processes are occurring? (What mode of transport? There are 3 different ones occurring.)
 The structures needed in order for this to happen
 How does the shape of these structures allow the transport of water to occur?
 Time: 20 minutes

Closing and Homework
 Discuss the following questions:
 Why would farmers drain fields that are susceptible to flooding?
 Why would farmers cover their fields with black polythene? Why would they not cover it with white polythene?
 Homework:
 Fertilizer paper (September 24)

Day 2
 Required Readings:
 2.28
 Learning Objectives:
 To appreciate that water and dissolved substances are transported around the plant in specialized transport tissues

Starter
 Look at the microscope drawings in the back
 Draw a picture of what you see
 Compare and contrast the different slides
 How do these structures accomplish water and mineral transport?
 Time: 20 minutes

Activity 1
 Create a slide of a piece of celery to view under the microscope
 The celery needs to be thinly sliced
 Draw a diagram of what you see
 Time: 20 minutes

Activity 2
 Look at the picture of the potato plant.
 What is a source and what is a sink in plants?
 How can a potato be both?
 Time: 15 minutes

Activity 3
 Create a concept map to show how various materials are transported from the roots to the leaves of a plant.
 You may include diagrams/pictures as well
 Time: 25 minutes

Closing and Homework
 Discuss the following questions:
 What are the two vascular tissues in flowering plants and what is their job?
 Why does the direction of sugar transport vary from season to season?
 Why must sugar be transported to sinks?
 Homework:
 Fertilizer paper (September 24)

Day 3: Transpiration
 Required Readings:
 2.29 Transpiration: Water Movement Through the
Plant
 Questions from wiki
 Learning Objectives
 To recall that water movement through a plant begins with water loss from the leaves
 To understand that water is lost from leaves via the stomata, through which the exchange of gases occurs
 To understand how environmental conditions can affect water movement through plants

Starter
 Draw a picture that shows the following water flow in a plant:
 Where is water lost from?
 Where and how does water uptake occur?
 What structure does water flow up the plant in?
 What causes water to move up the stem of the plant?
 Time: 15 minutes

Activity 1
 Brainstorm with your group the various conditions
(environmental and physical) that affect the rate of transpiration in plants.
 From these different conditions, rank them in order of highest transpiration to lowest transpiration.
 Time 10 minutes

Activity 2
 Move and sit with your lab group
 Together choose one of the environmental factors
(humidity, light intensity, wind, temperature) to test
 Using the “Measuring Transpiration” sheet, devise a plan for how you will test your factor
 Remember you will need 3 plants to test: 1 control and
2 in extremes
 What are you going to measure (what data will you collect?)? How often will you measure it?
 Time: 20 minutes

Activity 3
 Carry out the investigation, we will make a change to the set up (as per previous diagram)
 Give yourself 15 minutes to set up and 20 minutes to record data
 You need to create a table to record your data
 Time: 35 minutes

Closing Activity
 Sit with 2-3 other people who are not in your lab group and discuss your results
 Questions:
 How did your results compare to your expected outcomes?
 Do you think the results would be different if you used different plants? How so?
 What structure(s) is/are responsible for water loss in a plant?
 Time: 5 minutes

Homework
 Reading for section 2.30
 Completed plan for your investigation done today.
To be included:
 Aim/Objective of lab
 What variable you tested and how you changed it
 What was controlled
 What materials you needed
 Procedure
 Due: Tuesday, October 2

Day 4 (60 minutes)
 Required Readings:
 2.30: The Leaf and Water Loss
 Questions from wiki
 Learning Objectives:
 To understand that stomata are opened to allow carbon dioxide to enter the leaf, and that this allows water vapor to diffuse out of the leaf
 To describe adaptations of leaves to reduce water losses

Starter
 Draw a picture of a stoma when it is open and closed.
 In what conditions is a stoma closed?
 When does a stoma open?
 Where are stomata usually located?
 Time: 15 minutes

Activity 1
 Obtain 2 leaf samples from outside from 2 different plants
 Using the “Stomata Lab” handout, complete the procedure
 Draw the 2 pictures of the stomata on the different leaves
 Time: 30 minutes

Closing & Homework
 Complete the discussion questions on the “Stomata
Lab” handout
 Due: Friday, September 28
 Transpiration Lab: October 2

Day 5
 Required Readings:
 2.17: Photosynthesis and Plant Nutrition
 Learning Objectives:
 To understand that plants, like all living organisms, must receive nourishment
 To know the basic definition for photosynthesis
 To know word and symbol equations for photosynthesis
 To remember that a plant body has organs that are well suited to carry out particular functions

Starter
 If plants make energy in the form of sugar, why do they need to store it?
 What do plants need energy for?
 Time: 15 minutes

Activity 1
 What is photosynthesis and where does it occur?
 Write a word and symbol equation for photosynthesis
 Time: 10 minutes

Activity 2
 Look at the graph on the next slide.
 What do you think it is representing?
 Chloroplasts are green because of the pigment chlorophyll. At what colour of light do you think plants absorb light best in? What colour of light are plants not effective at absorbing light in?
 Would this change if a leaf had a different colour?
 Time: 20 minutes

Activity 3
 Photosynthesis has 2 stages:
 Light dependent
 Light independent
 Use the picture on the following slide to figure out which reactants are used for each stage, and what is produced in each stage.
 What would happen if there was no light available?
 Time: 15 minutes

Activity 4
 What are the four macromolecules present in living organisms?
 What do plants need these four macromolecules for?
 How are the macromolecules synthesized from the products of photosynthesis?
 Time: 15 minutes

Closing and Homework
 You may use this time to work on your lab plan for the transpiration lab
 You may use this time to get caught up on any missing work or re-do any assignments
 You may use this time to make your test corrections

Day 6
 Required Readings:
 2.18: The rate of photosynthesis
 Learning Objectives
 To understand a quantitative method of investigating photosynthesis
 To perform an exercise in experimental design

Starter
 What are the two products of photosynthesis?
 How can the rate of photosynthesis be measured?
(Two ways)
 Which method is more accurate?
 Time: 15 minutes

Activity 1
 Read through “Photosynthesis and Oxygen”
 Complete steps 1-4.
 Time: 30 minutes

Activity 2
 Graph the data on page 65 of your text book
 Be sure to include an appropriate title and label the axes
 What type of graph will you use?
 Time: 15 minutes

Activity 3
 You are going to plan an experiment to test how much starch is produced in different colours of light
 You will set this experiment up on Thursday
 You will be given 4 of the same plant to test
 There will be coloured celophane paper to use
 The amount of time for the experiment will be 1 week
 You will need to bring in other supplies with your group
 Time: 30 minutes

Closing and Homework
 All outstanding work due by Friday, October 5

Day 7
 Required Readings:
 2.19: The Leaf and Photosynthesis
 Learning Objectives:
 To understand how the structure of the leaf is adapted for photosynthesis
 To recall the structure of a palisade cell
 To understand how whole plants can be adapted to make the most of light energy

Starter
 The leaf is a very important structure in the plant
 What are the functions of the three structures of a plant (roots, stem, leaves)?
 Which structure do you think has the most important job and why?
 Time: 15 minutes

Activity 1
 Set up your plants for your investigation.
 The materials I have available are at the back
 Time: 45 minutes

Activity 2
 The leaf of a plant needs to exchange gases, make sugar, obtain minerals and absorb light energy
 What are the different structures in the leaf that makes this possible?
 Explain the interdependence of the other structures in a plant in order to maintain homeostasis
 Time: 15 minutes

Activity 3
 How would the following affect the rate of photosynthesis? Use a picture to help your explanation.
 Size of the leaf
 Number of stomata
 Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
 Shape of the leaf
 Time: 15 minutes

Closing and Homework
 All work due by Friday, October 5