New
New
Year 3

Plants without roots

I can observe and describe what happens to a plant that has had its roots removed.

New
New
Year 3

Plants without roots

I can observe and describe what happens to a plant that has had its roots removed.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Roots anchor the plant in soil and provide it with the support it needs.
  2. Roots absorb water and nutrients from soil to provide the plant with what it needs to grow and stay healthy.
  3. To investigate why plants have roots, a plant with roots removed can be observed over time.

Keywords

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

  • Anchor - Roots help to anchor the plant by placing it firmly in the soil.

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

  • Absorb - To absorb is to soak something up.

  • Nutrients - A nutrient is any substance that plants or animals need in order to live or grow.

Common misconception

Pupils may think that plants can support themselves and stay upright without roots as the stem provides support.

The task carried out in Learning Cycle 1 will demonstrate to pupils that plants need roots anchoring them in the soil in order to stay upright.

The third learning cycle for this task needs to be delivered around two weeks after the first two, to give the investigation plants time to grow and change. Make sure to plan in time for this when carrying out medium term planning.
Teacher tip

Equipment

See additional materials.

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment

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

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6 Questions

Q1.
This part of the plant is called a .
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: root, roots
Q2.
The roots of a plant usually grow …
up the stem.
Correct answer: beneath the soil.
around the leaves.
out of the flowers.
Q3.
Which of these pictures does not show a plant’s roots.
A
B
C
Correct answer: D
Q4.
What does it mean to absorb something?
Correct answer: to soak it up
to release it
to dry it out
to see through it
Q5.
The functions of roots on a plant are anchoring it in the soil and …
An image in a quiz
making food for the plant.
Correct answer: absorbing water and nutrients.
attracting animals towards the plant.
transporting water and nutrients to the leaves.
Q6.
To observe something means to …
make a prediction about what might happen to it.
explain why it has changed.
Correct answer: look at it closely using our senses.
Q3 image 2 Tim Knight/Shutterstock Q3 image 3 Artography/Shutterstock Q3 image 4 "Bamboo" by mike lowe is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

6 Questions

Q1.
What do roots absorb that helps the plant to grow and stay healthy?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: water
Correct answer: nutrients
soil
sunlight
Q2.
Roots provide support for the plant by …
An image in a quiz
holding its flowers and leaves above the ground.
sucking up soil to make it strong.
Correct answer: anchoring it in the soil and holding it upright.
Q3.
What is likely to happen to a plant without roots in very windy weather?
An image in a quiz
It will grow taller.
Correct answer: It will fall down.
It will have more flowers.
Q4.
Why do plants with their roots removed struggle to survive?
Because they can’t get the right amount of sunlight.
Because they can’t eat the soil that they need to stay healthy.
Correct answer: Because they can’t absorb the water and nutrients they need from the soil.
Q5.
We can a plant with its roots removed over time, to find out more about roots and their function.
Correct Answer: observe, measure
Q6.
Andeep is carrying out an observation over time investigation to see what will happen to plants that have had their roots removed. How often should he make observations?
An image in a quiz
Observe the plant every 5 minutes for an hour.
Observe the plant every hour for a day.
Correct answer: Observe the plant every three days for a fortnight.
Q3 New Africa/Shutterstock

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