Download This Full Lesson: Root, Root for Life
Lesson Description: Students discover the importance of roots to plants, soil and people during hands-on learning station activities.
Objectives
The student will:
- identify at least three ways in which roots help plants;
- explain how roots help the soil;
- list three reasons why roots are important to people;
- compare taproots and fibrous roots;
- observe roots and write observations;
- grow plants from roots; and
- eat and evaluate roots
Estimated Teaching Time
- Session One: 20 minutes for introduction and oneand-a-half to three hours to move through six learning stations.
- Session Two: 30 minutes for conclusion.
- Session Three: 30 to 60 minutes for root-tasting feast.
Alignments
Next Generation Science Standards
2-ESS2-1. Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.
2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
2-LS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow. 2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. K-2-ETS1-2. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
K-2-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
5-PS1-3. Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties. MS-LS1-1. Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells, either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.
MS-LS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the function.
Common Core English Language Arts – Writing
W.2.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
W.2.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
W.2.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
W.3.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.3.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
W.3.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.
W.4.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. W.4.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
W.4.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
W.4.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. W.5.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. W.5.7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
W.5.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources. W.5.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. W.6.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
W.6.7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
W.6.8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources.
W.6.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. W.6.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Common Core Literacy 6-12 in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects English Language Arts – Science and Technical Subjects
RST.6-8.1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
RST.6-8.2. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
RST.6-8.7. Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
RST.6-8.9. Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.
RST.6-8.10. By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
English Language Arts – Writing: Text Types and Purposes
WHST.6-8.2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
WHST.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
WHST.6-8.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.
WHST.6-8.7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
WHST.6-8.8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
WHST.6-8.9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.
National Family and Consumer Science Standards
2.2.2 Summarize environmental trends and issues affecting families and future generations.
2.2.3 Demonstrate behaviors that conserve, reuse, and recycle resources to maintain the environment. 9.5.6 Conduct sensory evaluations of food products.
14.3.3 Demonstrate ability to select, nutritious and aesthetically pleasing foods