New
New
Year 3

How water is transported in plants

I can investigate the way in which water is transported in plants.

New
New
Year 3

How water is transported in plants

I can investigate the way in which water is transported in plants.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Plants use their roots to absorb the water they need from the soil.
  2. The functions of a stem are to provide support for the plant and to transport water and nutrients.
  3. Water travels from the roots, up the stem to the leaves and flowers.
  4. Changes in plants can be observed over time.

Keywords

  • Roots - The part of a plant that anchors it in the soil is called the root. Roots take in water and nutrients for the plant.

  • Stem - The stem of a plant supports the leaves and flowers.

  • Absorb - To absorb is to soak something up.

  • Transport - To transport something is to move it from one place to another.

  • Observe - To observe is to look very closely and use other senses too.

Common misconception

Pupils may think that water is taken into the plant through the leaves or flowers, due to the way water can sometimes be seen pooling there after rain.

Use the slide deck and lesson activities to support pupils’ understanding that water is absorbed by the roots of a plant, then transported via the stem, and that the flowers and leaves are not able to take in water.

The third learning cycle will need to be delivered some time after the first two to allow for changes to take place in the plants. Different types of dye and plant take different amounts of time to change, so it is a good idea to carry out a trial run before the lesson to see how long is needed.
Teacher tip

Equipment

See additional materials.

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment
  • Exploration of objects

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the name of this part of the plant?
An image in a quiz
flower
Correct answer: stem
leaf
root
Q2.
Which of these is not a plant stem?
A
B
C
Correct answer: D
Q3.
What does it mean to absorb something?
Correct answer: to soak it up
to clean it up
to release it into soil
Q4.
The task, or purpose, of something is called its …
classification.
location.
Correct answer: function.
Q5.
What are the functions of roots on a plant?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: absorbing water and nutrients from the soil
making food for the plant
Correct answer: anchoring the plant in the soil
making the plant look nice
Q6.
The function of leaves on a plant is to …
An image in a quiz
anchor the plant in soil.
support the plant and keep it upright.
Correct answer: make food for the plant.
absorb water for the plant.
Q5 jm13129/Shutterstock.com

6 Questions

Q1.
How do plants get the water they need?
their leaves collect it from the rain
their flowers gather it when humans water the plant
Correct answer: their roots absorb it from the soil
Q2.
The water that leaves and flowers need is transported to them from the root through the .
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: stem
Q3.
What are the functions of a stem?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: to transport water and nutrients around the plant
to absorb water and nutrients from the soil
to make food for the plant
to attract insects towards the plant
Correct answer: to provide support for the plant
Q4.
Plants can be ___________ to find out more about how they change.
given scientific names
Correct answer: observed over time
sorted into groups
Q5.
Jun left a celery stalk in water with some red dye. After a few hours, the leaves started to turn red. Why did this happen?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: The red water moved up through the stem to the leaves.
The leaves absorbed the red water from the glass.
The plant absorbed the red dye from the air around it.
Red dye must have been spilled on the leaves when the investigation was set.
Q6.
Which of these statements is incorrect?
Water is transported around the plant in the stem.
The leaves and flowers of a plant need water.
Water is absorbed from the soil by roots.
Correct answer: Leaves absorb water to keep the plant healthy.

Additional material

Download additional material
We're sorry, but preview is not currently available. Download to see additional material.