Plant Requirements - PowerPoint

A comprehensive lesson plan for Year 3 students delves into the essential requirements for plant growth and survival. The students explore the fundamental needs of plants, which include room to grow, water, air, light, and nutrients. They learn that plants are unique in their ability to produce their own food through a process called photosynthesis. This process requires sunlight absorbed by the leaves, water taken up from the roots, and carbon dioxide from the air passing through tiny holes in the leaves. The lesson plan emphasises the importance of each of these elements and explains how plants utilise them to thrive.

To further their understanding, students are invited to consider the adaptations of desert plants like cacti, which have evolved to survive with minimal water. They compare these to plants such as bluebells in a forest, which flower early in the year to take advantage of sunlight before the trees grow their full canopy of leaves. The lesson includes a practical experiment where students investigate the effects of sunlight deprivation on cress plants, learning the principles of a fair experiment by controlling variables. Finally, the students are tasked with designing a poster that summarises what plants need to survive and how to care for them, reinforcing their grasp of plant biology and care.