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Background

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Some types of ivy are also specially designed to help them survive. Ivy that grows in wet climates must have large leaves to get enough sunlight to grow, because the large trees block the sunlight. Elodea is an underwater plant.  It has multiple leaves so that it can absorb a lot of light. Grapes are vines that have tendrils that help them grow on things. The tendrils twist around branches or other small things and helps support them in growing up towards the sun.

Animals also have special features. Camels have a special sack to help them store water when they walk through the desert. Owls have special feathers that help them fly silently. Ducks have webbed feet to help them swim better. Birds have feathers to help them fly.

Vocabulary

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Cactus- type of plant with large, water-filled stems and small spine-like leaves
Spines- thin, sharp modified leaves
Succulent- type of plant with large, water-filled stems and leaves
Trellis- structure used to support the plant as it grows
Tendrils- plant part that grows to “hold onto” the trellis (see picture below)

Attention Grabber

Imagine you are a jackrabbit. A jackrabbit is a special kind of rabbit that can survive in the desert. They have really big ears that help them keep cool and they are the same color as sand, to help hide them from other animals that want to make them lunch. What do you think a jackrabbit eats? They eat plants. Are there a lot of plants that grow in the desert? No, so I bet the first plant you see you want to eat, right? Well those plants know it. So in order to protect themselves, they have little spines. It helps protect them from being eaten. There are some cacti and other plants that have special things that help them grow better in the garden. 

Show students a cactus and have them observe the spines. 

Today, we are going to observe those plants and then perform an experiment to watch a very special and delicious plant grow.

Garden Activity   

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Part 1- Plant Observation

• Bring in a variety of plants for students to observe or have some growing in the garden.  Some examples include: a cactus, ivy, aloe vera (or other succulent), grapes, and elodea (an underwater plant).  
• Discuss the differences in the structure and appearance of the various plants.

Part 2- The Sugar Snap Peas

• In a large garden bed, have some lettuce and other plants that are compatible with sugar snap peas already growing. Leave space to plant the peas in the middle of the bed.  
• In one half of the bed, plant the seeds with a trellis for them to grow on.  
• In the other half of the bed, plant the seeds without a support.  
• Over the next month, have students observe the plants about once or twice a week.  Record their observations.
• Have students keep track of the number of fruits they collect from the sugar snap peas on the trellis compared to the number of fruits they collect from the plants without the trellis.  (There will be a huge difference). Make a graph to compare the two groups.
• Ask the students what helps the peas grow the best? Answers should be similar to:
  • The tendrils wrap around the trellis to help the plants grow up to the sun.  Without this, they grow along the ground, don’t get much sun, and probably won’t grow so quickly or as well
  • The tendrils are a special part of the plant that helps the plant grow better in the environment.

Wrap Up 

• Have students review from the last lesson what plants need to survive: water, nutrients, and sunlight.
• Ask students to share different ways they learned that plants have special parts that help them survive.

What's Next?

• Students can continue the discussion about special features that animals have to help them survive.