Year 8 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 4
Foundation Worksheet
Learning Goals
Fill the gap
Choose the correct word from the word bank. Two words will not be used.
The hold a plant firmly in the soil and absorb water and . The holds the plant upright and connects the roots to the leaves. The take in and use it to make food for the whole plant.
1. Name the organ system that is mostly underground and the one that is mostly above ground. Give one part of each.
True or false? Fix the false ones
Circle T or F. If a statement is false, correct it on the line.
1. The stem holds the leaves up and connects them to the roots.
Correct it:
2. Leaves could keep a plant alive on their own, without roots or a stem.
Correct it:
3. Water and minerals enter a plant mainly through its leaves.
Correct it:
4. The root system and the shoot system depend on each other.
Correct it:
5. Plants are not living systems, because they have no heart or lungs.
Correct it:
Sort it
Write each item in the box where it belongs. Each box gets exactly four items.
Root system
Shoot system
2. A student says: “Carrots aren’t green inside, because they grow underground in the dark.” Explain why a carrot has no need for chloroplasts, and name two jobs it does for the plant instead.
Read the data
Investigation: four bean seedlings
A class grew four identical bean seedlings in pots for 14 days. Each pot was treated in a different way. At the end, they counted the new leaves on each seedling and noted how it looked.
| Pot | How the pot was treated | New leaves | How the seedling looked |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Light, water and all its parts | 4 | green and upright |
| B | Light and all its parts, but no water | 0 | wilted and drooping |
| C | Water and all its parts, but kept in a dark cupboard | 1 | pale yellow and weak |
| D | Light and water, but most roots trimmed off at the start | 1 | small and drooping |
Source: sample class results.
3. Which pot grew the most new leaves? How many more did it grow than pot C?
What went wrong in each pot?
Complete the table. Pot B is done for you.
| Pot | What the seedling was missing | Which part could not do its job, and why |
|---|---|---|
| B | water | The roots had no water to absorb, so no water went up the stem to the leaves. |
| C | ||
| D |
4. Seedling D still had its leaves, light and water, but it drooped. Use seedling D to show that a plant is a system of connected parts, not a set of separate parts.
5. Your friend says: “A lemon tree is just a bunch of leaves stuck on a stick.” Write a better description of a lemon tree as a living system. Name its two organ systems, give the job of its roots, stem and leaves, and explain how one part depends on another.
Fill the gap
roots; minerals; stem; leaves; light. Not used: heart, lungs.
1. Underground: the root system (for example the roots). Above ground: the shoot system (for example the stem, leaves or flowers). [2 marks: 1 per system with a correct part]
Sort it
Root system: a carrot, a radish, the fine roots, the thick main root. Shoot system: a sugar cane stalk, a tree trunk, a lettuce leaf, a flower.
True or false
1. True. 2. False: leaves need water and minerals from the roots, carried up the stem. 3. False: water and minerals enter mainly through the roots. 4. True. 5. False: plants are living systems, because their roots, stems and leaves are organised parts that work together.
2. Chloroplasts use light to make food, and a carrot (a root) grows in the dark, so they would be no use. Any two jobs: anchors the plant, absorbs water and minerals, stores food made by the leaves. [3 marks: 1 why, 1 per job]
Read the data
3. Pot A, with 4 new leaves; that is 3 more than pot C (4 − 1 = 3). [2 marks]
What went wrong in each pot?
C: light; the leaves could not make food, so there was little food for growth. D: most of its roots; the roots left could not absorb enough water and minerals for the leaves.
4. With few roots, too little water reached the leaves, so they drooped even with light and water. Damage to one part (the roots) harmed another (the leaves), so the parts depend on each other. [2 marks: 1 roots could not supply water, 1 link to parts depending on each other]
Show What You Know
5. Marking guide: 1 for stating the tree is an organised living system; 1 for naming the root system and the shoot system; 2 for correct jobs of roots, stem and leaves (1 if only two are right); 1 for a dependence link. Model answer: A lemon tree is an organised living system. Its root system anchors it and absorbs water and minerals. Its shoot system is the stem, which holds the tree up and links roots to leaves, and the leaves, which use light to make food. The leaves need the roots’ water and the roots need the leaves’ food, so each part depends on the others. [5 marks]
Common error to watch for: listing roots, stem and leaves with no link between them.