Background

Roots are the part of the plant typically found below the ground. Their role is to absorb water and nutrients through capillary action and anchor the plant in the ground. Some roots can grow above ground and absorb water and nutrients in the air. There are many different types of roots as you can see below in the picture. Different types of roots can be advantageous to the plant depending on the soil type and environment.
 

Vocabulary

Nutrient: something a plant or animal needs to grow.
Vitamin: something a plant and animal needs to grow; our body cannot make some essential nutrients. We need to get those nutrients through the food we eat. We call those nutrients “vitamins”.
Root: the part of the plant that absorbs water and nutrients from the soil. Roots also anchor the plant in the ground.

Background Experiment for Students (start in the winter)

Begin the Plant Unit with a K-W-L chart. Ask students what they know about plants and what they want to know. This will be a basis for where you want to begin your lesson. Below is one example.

How do we get energy? Through the food we eat. How do we eat? We eat with our mouths. How do plants eat? Do plants have mouths? Have students share their answers with a neighbor. Any ideas how plants get their energy? Students can share their predictions with the class. Record their predictions to model the scientific method.

Choose a fast growing plant and grow it in a pot. A houseplant such as a philodendron cutting can work well (You can cut a part of the plant and keep it in water. Once it starts growing roots, it can be transplanted into a pot with soil. This can be a good way for students to start observing the root growth). Weigh the dry soil and the cutting before planting. Record the results in their science notebook. We’re going to perform an experiment. We’re going to see if this plant gets its energy from the soil. Do you think that if it ate soil for energy, there would be less soil in the pot after it grew for a while? So we’re going to take care of this plant for about a month and see if the soil weighs less after it has grown. After the plant has grown for about a month, remove the plant from the soil. Be careful to remove all of the roots to show the students. Wait for the soil to be dry and then weigh it. The soil should weigh approximately the same.

Plants do not eat soil for their energy, but they do need soil to live and grow. We’re going to perform some experiments that show us why plants need soil and how they get their energy.
 

Attention Grabber

From our experiment, we learned that plants do not eat soil. Then why do most plants grow in soil? Let’s find out!

Have students participate in “Root Races!” Prepare small cups with equal amounts of water.  Using coffee straws, have students race to suck up the water the fastest.

What do plants grow in? Plants grow in soil and plants like to grow in soil that is wet, that way, they can use their roots to suck up the water. That is why, when we water a plant, we water the soil where the plant is growing. They also use their roots to suck up nutrients. Let’s say that word together “nutrients”. Nutrients are in the soil and are things that both plants and animals need to grow. We also need nutrients, but we get those through the foods we eat.
 

Garden Activity

Part 1- Plant Pictorial

·    Draw a pictorial for students to see the roots in the soil and show what they do for the plant.  It should be mentioned that soil has nutrients that help the plant grow and are also sucked up by the roots. Use the photographs of the roots (provided in appendix) to aid in this lesson.
 

 Part 2- Root viewer

·    Create a root viewer box with the students.
·    First, wash out a milk carton and open up the flaps. 
·    Cut a 1” x 1” square in the side of the carton. Note: It is helpful to prepare this beforehand or draw in the outline of where students should cut.
·    Use a piece of plastic slightly larger than the 1” x 1” opening.  Tape the plastic on all four sides on the inside of the container.  Note:  Plastic passed through a laminator machine works well. Extra grownups would be useful to help students tape the plastic to the container.
·    Fill the milk container with soil and put a seed in the container.  Radishes are a good seed to use. When planting the seed, place it TOWARDS the area with the VIEWING SQUARE. 
·    Have students water the plants regularly.  Observe the plants weekly after the seed sprouts. Have students record their observations. Model how to record their observations on a piece of paper. A paper folded into four, can be used to record weekly observations over a month.
·    When the plants are ready, transplant them into the garden. 

 

Wrap Up & Assessment

·    Have students draw a picture showing what plants need to grow and how they get those things. When they are finished, ask them to share what is happening the picture with their neighbor.
·    Have students write a brief narrative sharing with other students how to make a “Root Viewer Box”. A first step to this may be writing down the sentences and having students organize them in the correct order. The sentences are included in the appendix.
·    Have students add what they learned to their K-W-L Plant Chart.
 

What’s Next?

Have students go out to the garden and pull weeds. Show the students how to pull weeds and make sure that they pull the roots out. (It’s important to pull out the roots so that the weeds cannot grow back.) Have the students observe the different types of roots they find.

Download Materials

Student Worksheets

How to build a root view box sentence order