PlantsWeek 4

Directions1.Prepare your desk for science.2.Use voice level 2 (conversation) to discuss this

question: Do you know about any plants that have interesting behaviors or survival skills?

If you have homework or quizzes to turn in, please put them on the desk up front.

Quiz & Homework

Targets & Warm Up

Targets:Students will discover how plants adapt to various environments.

Warm Up: What does the word “adapt” mean? How do you adapt to the environment around you?

Adaptation

A change that living things go through to fit better with their environment.

Study Jams Video

http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/plants/plant-adaptations.htm

Environments

Think about these questions:• What environments do you know about from

around the world?• What are the conditions (rainfall,

temperature, etc.) like in each particular environment?

** Think about the biome unit from 3rd grade!

Biome

A biome is a large geographical area of distinctive plant and animal groups, which are adapted to that particular environment.

Each biome consists of many ecosystems whose communities have adapted to the small differences in climate and the environment inside the biome.

Biomes

Think about…

• What is the environment like?• How would it be difficult for a plant to live in

this environment?• What type of adaptations could a plant have

to survive in this environment?

Desert

Desert

The desert is very dry and often hot. Annual rainfall averages less than 10 inches per year, and that rain often comes all at the same time. The rest of the year is very dry. There is a lot of direct sunlight shining on the plants. The soil is often sandy or rocky and unable to hold much water. Winds are often strong and dry out plants. Plants are exposed to extreme temperatures and drought conditions. Plants must cope with extensive water loss.

Tundra

Tundra

The tundra is cold year-round. It has short cool summers and long, severe winters. The tundra has a permanently frozen sublayer of soil called permafrost. The tundra receives little precipitation, about 4 to 10 inches per year, and what it does receive is usually in the form of snow or ice. It has long days during the growing season, sometimes with 24 hours of daylight, and long nights during the winter. There is little diversity of species. Plant life is dominated by mosses, grasses, and sedges

Tropical Rainforest

Tropical Rainforest

The tropical rainforest is hot and it rains a lot, about 80 to 180 inches per year. Heavy rainfall increases the risk of flooding, soil erosion, and the loss of nutrients from the soil. The tropical rainforest is very thick, and not much sunlight is able to penetrate to the forest floor. However, the plants at the top of the rainforest in the canopy must be able to survive 12 hours of intense sunlight every day of the year.

Deciduous Forest

Deciduous ForestThere are four distinct seasons in the temperate deciduous forest: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The temperature varies from hot in the summer to below freezing in the winter. Rain is plentiful, about 30 to 50 inches per year. The temperate deciduous forest is made up of layers of plants. The tallest trees make up the forest canopy, which can be 100 feet or more above the ground. Beneath the canopy, the understory contains smaller trees and young trees. Below the understory is a shrub layer. Carpeting the forest floor is the herb layer made up of wildflowers, mosses, and ferns.

Plant Text VocabularyDense• Very thick; so thick that it is difficult or impossible to

see throughVegetation• The plants of an area or a region; plant lifeCanopy• The upper (top) layer of the forestMoisture• Presence of a liquid, especially water, often in small

amounts

Your Task1. There will be 4 groups of 5 to 6 people.2. Each group will rotate from station to station.3. The group will read (out loud) the text about

how plants adapt to a specific biome.4. After reading, each group will discuss the

adaptations that they read about.

Table of Contents

Date Title PagePlant Adaptations 9

Once you are finished with the Table of Contents, go to page 9 and add the title and date to the top of the page.

Targets (Revisited)

Targets:Students will discover how plants adapt to various environments.

Homework

Subject Homework Due DateScience Return signed plant quiz Wednesday

9-24