BACKGROUND:
The classification of plants can
help students think how to group organisms with similar characteristics.
Dichotomous keys are ideal for plant classification. You can either
eliminate or include plants based on several key characteristics. For
instance, if it has woody tissue (bark) it can be a tree. Leaves, types
of seed, overall shape, type of flowers produced can all help in
identification. In the lower grades it is important for students to look
at the characteristics that will enable them to later identify the
different groups of plants.
The plant kingdom can include one
celled organisms (diatoms) as well as complex organisms like angiosperms
(which are trees but yet have flowers). A main division of plants and
trees is based on whether they have vascular tissue or well-developed
conducting tissue through which water and solutes pass to various parts
of the plant (tracheophytes) . Other plants are non-vascular (bryophytes) and do not possess internal transport systems. Most
non-vascular plants live in water or in wet environments that facilitate
direct diffusion of water and nutrients. Vascular plants, however, live
on land and possess special features adapted to this environment: roots,
stems and leaves. As in most classification systems, not all botanists
agree on the same system.
Kindergarten students should learn to
look at plants and try to group them into plants that are similar. Learning
how to identify different types of leaves and bark will help them later
group them into the larger groups.
PROCEDURE:
- This coloring exercise is to have
children look at different plants and to realize that not all plants
produce flowers. There are many different types of
plants. Instruct your students to color the rose, daisy, daffodil and
label the flower, the stem, and the leaves. Ask them why flowers are
important to plants. Flowers in many plants help the the plant produce seeds which help the plant
reproduce.
Do all plants have flowers? No. Ferns and similar plants do not have flowers. They reproduce by other methods which
produce spores.
- Do all trees have flowers? Trees like apple
trees do have flowers, but later produce a fruit that contains
the seeds. Pine trees do not have flowers. They do have cones that contain the seeds that will help make new plants.
- What is the difference between
plants and all other organisms? Plants produce their own food by a
process called photosynthesis. The color green is associated with the
plant being able to produce its own food.
