Year 8 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 13
Foundation Worksheet
Learning Goals
Fill the gap
Choose the correct word from the word bank. Use each word once. Three words will not be used.
A plant needs three key inputs from its environment: , and . The take in water and minerals from the soil. The are linked to capturing light and exchanging gases with the air. The plant uses all of its inputs to survive and .
True or false? Fix the false ones
Circle T or F. If a statement is false, correct it on the line.
1. Plants only need sunlight, because they make their own food.
Correct it:
2. Roots are only there to hold the plant in the ground.
Correct it:
3. Leaves are linked to capturing light and to exchanging gases with the air.
Correct it:
4. A plant with plenty of water and light can still grow poorly if its soil has too few minerals.
Correct it:
5. Plants get their food from the soil through their roots.
Correct it:
Sort it
Write each item in the correct box. Each item has exactly one home, and each box gets two items.
Taken in by the roots
Captured or taken in by the leaves
Not a plant input
Put the steps in order
These steps show how a plant gets and uses its inputs. Number them from 1 (first) to 4 (last).
| Step (1–4) | What happens |
|---|---|
| The plant uses the food it has made to grow new leaves and roots. | |
| Roots take in water and minerals from the soil. | |
| Leaves capture light and use it, with water and carbon dioxide, to make food. | |
| Water and minerals travel up the stem to the leaves. |
Read the data
Investigation: cress trays missing one input
A class grew cress seedlings in four trays for 21 days. Tray A got all three inputs. Each of the other trays was missing one input. Everything else, such as the temperature, was kept the same.
| Tray | Input missing | Height (cm) | What the seedlings looked like |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | none | 7 | dark green, upright, many leaves |
| B | light (kept in a dark cupboard) | 9 | pale yellow, very thin stems falling over |
| C | water (not watered after day 2) | 2 | brown, dried out, dead |
| D | minerals (pure water on washed sand) | 3 | small, pale green, lower leaves yellow |
Source: sample class results.
1. Which tray had the shortest seedlings, and which input was it missing?
2. Tray B had the tallest seedlings. A student says, “So tray B grew best.” Use the table to explain why the student is wrong, and name the plant part that could not do its job in tray B.
3. Why did the class need tray A? Compare tray A with tray D and say what the pair shows about minerals.
4. A friend says: “Plants only need sunlight.” Explain why this statement is incomplete. Name all three key inputs, say which plant part is linked to each one, and use at least two trays from Table 1 as evidence.
Fill the gap
water, minerals, light (any order); roots; leaves; grow. Not used (3): food, lungs, blood.
True or false
1. False: plants also need water and minerals; light alone is not enough. 2. False: roots also take in water and minerals from the soil. 3. True. 4. True. 5. False: plants make their own food in their leaves using light; roots take in water and minerals, which are not food.
Sort it
Taken in by the roots: water from wet soil, minerals dissolved in soil water. Captured or taken in by the leaves: sunlight, carbon dioxide from the air. Not a plant input: chewed food, blood pumped by a heart.
Put the steps in order
Reading down the table as printed: 4, 1, 3, 2. (Roots take in, the stem carries up, leaves make food, the plant grows.)
Read the data
1. Tray C (2 cm); it was missing water. [2 marks: 1 tray, 1 input]
2. Height is not the only sign of health: tray B’s seedlings were pale yellow with thin stems falling over, while tray A’s were dark green and upright. With no light, the leaves could not capture light to make food. [2 marks: 1 evidence from the table, 1 leaves named]
3. Tray A is the comparison (control): it shows how cress grows with all three inputs. Tray D grew only 3 cm with yellowing leaves against 7 cm and dark green in tray A, so the plants need minerals to grow well, even with water and light. [2 marks: 1 purpose of tray A, 1 comparison with data]
Show What You Know
4. Marking guide: 1 light is needed (so the statement is partly right); 1 water and minerals are also needed; 1 roots take in water and minerals; 1 leaves capture light; 1 evidence from two trays (for example, tray C with no water died; tray D with no minerals reached only 3 cm with yellow leaves; tray B with no light was pale and weak). Model answer: Light is needed, but it is not the only input. Plants also need water and minerals. The roots take in water and minerals from the soil, and the leaves capture light. In Table 1, the tray with no water died, and the tray with no minerals was only 3 cm tall with yellow leaves, so every input matters. [5 marks]
Common error to watch for: reading “tallest” as “healthiest” for tray B, or calling minerals “plant food”. Plants make their own food; minerals are a separate input.