Introduction:

The World of Flowers

Chapter One:
Flowering Plant Anatomy

Chapter Two:
Photosynthesis

Chapter Three:
Reproduction of Flowering Plants

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Chapter Four:
Benefits of Flowering Plants

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Culminating Activity
Glossary
Index
Compelling Question
References

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Plants are the oldest living things on earth. They

grow almost everywhere! In rain forests, grasslands,
wetlands, in the desert, on mountains, and even in cold
regions and the sea! Plants add beauty to our planet. They
give us food to eat and shelter to protect us from the
weather. We produce products from the leaves, roots,
stem, and other parts. One way or another, every person
and animal on the planet depends on plants for survival.
Flowering plants, or angiosperm, represent the
largest group of plants on Earth. Approximately 80
percent of all known plants are flowering plants. They are
commonly found in our backyards, parks, and
greenhouses. Like all living things, flowering plants grow
and die; need energy, nutrients, air, and water; produce
young; are made up of cells; and react to whats around
them. Every plant has a part to play, from tiny flowers to
giant trees.
Video: The Flora and Fauna

ANGIOSPERMS
Plants that produce seeds and have flowers are
called angiosperm. These flowering plants all have
flowers at some stage in their lives. Flowers are
essential to reproduction, as they make seeds that will
grow into a new plant, but they are not vital for
survival.

Learning Target:
Students will be able to identify the four main
parts of a flowering plant and describe their
functions.
PRIMARY ANATOMY
Typical flowering plants have four main parts:
roots, stem, leaves, and flowers. Each part plays a role
in the life cycle of a plant.
Roots under the soil hold the plant in the
ground. Roots take in water from the soil, which is
required for a plant to grow. The stem provides upright
support and keeps the flower away from the ground
and up in the sunlight. Green leaves take in the energy
of sunlight to make the plants food. Leaves contain a
green material called chlorophyll that gives them their
color as well as enables plants to make their own food.

Flowers hold the reproductive parts of a plant.

When flowers bloom, it is a sign that the plant is ready
to make seeds. Seeds hold food for the new plant to
use until it grows leaves and is able to make its own
food. When the flower dies, seeds fall to the ground,
and a new plant begins to grow. The seeds of
angiosperms are enclosed in fruits, which protect and
help disperse the seeds. The fruit is the new
generation. Whether its an apple, a pumpkin, or
poisonous berries, its the point of flowering. Its the
renewal of the species.

Chapter Activity: The Cycle of a Flower

1.In this activity, youll grow plants from seeds and
then care for the plants until they flower and
produce seeds.
2.Your Goal: To care for and observe a plant
throughout its life cycle.
3.Process:
a. Grow a plant from a seed
b. Observe key parts of your plants life cycle
c. Using your plant journal:
i. Predict what changes you expect your
plant will undergo during its life cycle.
ii. Identify the conditions your seed might
need to grow.
iii. Once your seed sprouts through the soil:
Measure and record the growth of
your plant daily.
Describe and draw your observations.

Learning Target:
Students will be able to describe the process of
photosynthesis, including the substances used
and produced.
The Equation of Photosynthesis

Chapter Questions
1.Describe the characteristics that all plants share.
2.Describe the characteristics that angiosperm
share.
3.Explain the substances plants need to survive?
4.List the primary functions of roots, stems, and
leaves.

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PHOTOSYNTHESIS:
HOW PLANTS MAKE FOOD
The leaves of a plant are the food
factories containing all of the materials
needed to make food. Once a plant has leaves
it can perform photosynthesis, using the
energy in sunlight to make sugar and oxygen
from carbon dioxide and water.
During the process of photosynthesis,
sunlight strikes the plants leaves and is
absorbed by the chlorophyll in the
chloroplasts of its cells. Carbon dioxide gas
enters the plant through tiny holes in the
leaves called stomata. Water and nutrients
are absorbed from the soil by the plants roots
and flows through the stem to the leaves. The
light energy joins with the carbon dioxide
and water to produce oxygen and a sugary
plant food called glucose. The oxygen then
exits through the leaves stomata as waste,
which is used by other organisms for
breathing. Whereas the glucose is stored until
the plant needs it for food.

RESPIRATION
Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide, produced
oxygen, and only occurs during the day while there is
sun. On the other hand, respiration uses oxygen,
produces carbon dioxide, and occurs all the time.
Respiration is the opposite of photosynthesis.
Plants need a constant supply of energy to function
and grow. In order to get this energy plants perform
respiration. During this process plants use oxygen,
taken in through their roots and leaves, to break down
food made during photosynthesis, to release its energy.
Plants then release water vapor through their stomata
and carbon dioxide through their roots and leaves as
by products of respiration.

TRANSPIRATION
During transpiration plants take water in
through their roots, transport it through the stem and
leaves, and releases it back out as water vapor. The
movement of water vapor out of the leaves opens the
stomata and allows the plant to take in carbon dioxide.
The water moving through the plant also carries
nutrients and allows the plant to stand. When
transpiration stops, the plant loses more water than it
takes in. In response, plants close their stomata to save
water and stop performing photosynthesis. If a plant
does not have enough water for transpiration it cannot
make food.

Chapter Activities
1.Use a cycle diagram to describe the process
of photosynthesis.
Be sure to include the materials plants
use and produce during this process.
2.Create your own acrostic poem using one
of the vocabulary words from this chapter.
Photosynthesis, stomata, chloroplasts,
transpiration, respiration

Learning Target:
Students will be able to describe the life cycle
of an angiosperm including the process of
reproduction, from pollination to seed dispersal.

Chapter Questions
1.What substances do plants need to make
their own food? Explain.
2.Describe the role chlorophyll plays in the
process of photosynthesis.
3.What are the products of photosynthesis?
What are they used for? Explain.
4.Compare and contrast the primary
differences between photosynthesis and
respiration.
5.Describe the way water gets into a leaf.
How does it exit?

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GERMINATION
Germination is the process in which a seed
becomes a seedling. When seeds are planted in a
location with good soil, water, and warm weather, they
germinate. During its early stages of growth seedlings
rely on the food stored in the seed until it is large
enough to grow leaves and begin to make food
through photosynthesis. The roots anchor the seedling
into the soil and the shoots grow towards the surface
to reach sunlight. The germination stage ends when a
shoot emerges from the soil. The plant will continue to
grow as long as it gets water, warmth, light, and
nutrients from the soil.

FLOWER ANATOMY:
REPRODUCTIVE PARTS
Reproduction is an important part of a plants
life cycle that requires a lot of energy. The beautiful
flowers you see on plants are actually what the plants
use to reproduce. Typical flowering plants only
produce flowers during certain times of the year, when
growing conditions are best. But there are also some
flowering plants with flowers all year.

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A typical flower is made up of a number of

parts, each of which has a specific role. These parts
can be divided into two categories: reproductive parts,
the carpel and stamens, and non-sexual parts, sepals
and petals.
The pistil is the collective term for the
carpel(s), also known as the female reproductive
organs. Each carpel contains three parts: an ovary, a
style, and a stigma. The ovary is where the ovules are
produced. The ovules, or eggs, are the flowers female
reproductive cells. The stigma, which receives pollen
during fertilization, is joined to the ovary by a tube
called the style.
Stamens are the male reproductive parts of
flowers and it consists of an anther, which produces
pollen, and a stalk called a filament. Pollen is a
powder-like dust that contains male reproductive cells,
called sperm, that fertilize the ovules.
Flowers can have only pistils, only stamens, or
both. Perfect flowers contain both male and female
reproductive organs. Imperfect flowers, on the other
hand, contain only male or female reproductive
organs.
The sepals are leaves that cover and protect the
flower bud while it is growing. The sepals will open
when the flower is ready to bloom. Brightly colored
flower petals attract pollinators, such as birds and
bees. Pollinators collect pollen from the flower,
which facilitates the growth of new seeds.

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POLLINATION AND FERTILIZATION

Flowering plants have been around for
millions of years and have come to enlist
animals, as well as wind and water, to help
transfer their pollen from one plant to
another in a process called pollination.
Pollination is essential to the reproduction of
flowering plants. By producing bright
colored petals and strong scents flowers
attract birds, insects, bats, and other animals
to help pollinate them. During the process of
pollination, pollinators visiting flowers
spread pollen around, some of which is
deposited to the female part of the flower, the
stigma.
Male sperm in the pollen is then
transferred, through pollen tubes within the
style, from the stigma to the ovary, where the
sperm fertilizes an ovum (an egg cell), in the
ovule. In order to produce a viable seed, this
fertilization process must occur. After
fertilization, the ovule develops into a seed in
the ovary. The ovary of a fertilized flower
develops into a fruit.
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SEED DISPERSAL
It is difficult for a seed to grow when it
falls to the ground under a parent plant. A
seed will compete with parent plants and
other seedlings for space, nutrients, water,
and sunlight. Through seed dispersal, seeds
travel (via wind, water, and animals) far
away from a parent plant increasing the
number of seedlings that can grow
successfully. Seed dispersal prevents
overcrowding, without it young plants have
to fight for more sunlight, water, space, and
nutrients.
Chapter Activity 1:
The Life Cycle of a Seed Plant
Conditions need to be just right for a
seeded plant to grow and reproduce.
Using the information in this
chapter complete the activity on
the stages of an apple trees life
cycle here.
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Chapter Activity 2:
Life Story of a Seed
Write a story from the viewpoint of a seedling.
1. Describe how you were dispersed as a seed
and
2. How you grew into a seedling.
Use the following terms in your letter:
dispersed, germination, dormant,
sunlight, water, environment, nutrients

Chapter Questions
1.Describe the function of a flower.
2.Identify and describe the functions of the
reproductive structures of a flowering plant.
3.Identify the characteristics of a flower that draws
insects to them? How do these visits help flowering
plants to survive?
4.Define pollen. Where is it produced?
5.Explain the difference between pollination and
fertilization.
6.Briefly describe the steps in the reproduction of
an angiosperm, from pollination to seed dispersal.
7.Name the part of a flower that develops into a
fruit.

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Learning Target:
Students will be able to identify the economic
and environmental benefits of flowering
plants.
THE VALUE OF PLANTS
Plants make the world livable. They provide
food, medicines, building materials, and even replace
carbon dioxide in the air with oxygen.
Make food: Most of the world depends on food
produced from plants, including people and animals.
Many people even enjoy growing their own fruits and
vegetables right at home! Common products harvested
from plants include: grasses (such as grain, rice, and
wheat), fruits (such as apples and oranges), nuts,
berries, and even vegetables (such as potatoes and
lettuce). Some of these products are even harvested as
food for livestock.

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 Provide useful products for people:

Plants provide more than food. They are
important sources of products that we use
everyday. Flowering plants produce herbs
and spices that are used in various ways.
For example, ginger commonly used for
cooking has also been known to be used as
a herbal remedy to treat various aliments.
Plant oils and juices can be made into
soaps, lotions, and household cleaners;
and extracts can be made into medicines.
Many of our modern medicines, such as
aspirin, originated from flowering plants.
The fibers in the stems and roots of plants
are used to make thread and paper. Woven
threads are used to produce clothing and
sheets. Construction materials, including
lumber, are made from a variety of plants
to frame buildings and make furniture.
Plants can even provide energy, from
wood used to cook meals to the fuel we
put in our cars.

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Make oxygen: All of the oxygen that we

breathe is produced by plants. Plants
release oxygen as a byproduct of
photosynthesis. That oxygen is used by
plants and animal for respiration.
Help make and preserve soil: Plants
serve to both protect and enrich soil. The
roots of plants protect the soil from
erosion and when a plant dies its
nutrients are added to the soil.
Provide habitats for animals: Animals
live in, on, or under plants. A single tree
can be a home for thousands of animals
year round, providing shelter from cold
winter and scorching summers. This
shelter even provides sources of food
such as leaves, nuts, and fruits.
Plants are universally valued for both
their beauty and abundant uses, but each
year more and more of nature is under
threat. The main threat to flowering
plants is habitat loss due to the
construction of roads and buildings.
Other threats include pollution, cutting
down trees, and global warming.
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Chapter Activity:
How Its Made
1.With a partner, compose a list of everyday
products produced from flowering plants.
2.Using your list, select one product each to
research.
3.Predict the process in which your product
is made, from plant to product.
4.Using the internet, determine:
a. How your product is used by people
b.What plants are harvested to make
your product
c. How your product is manufactured
and distributed
5.Based off your findings, create a pictorial
timeline from plant to product
6.Share your timeline with your partner
a. Compare the similarities and
differences in the production of your
products
b.Record the findings using a Venn
Diagram

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Chapter Questions
1.Identify three ways flowering plants
benefit you or the environment. Explain.
2.Describe the types of products produced
from plants.
3.Identify and describe the threats that plants
face.
4.Could we survive in a world without
plants? Explain.

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Bees - Pollinating a Farmers Crop

1.Watch video: Click here
Think about the following questions
while you watch:
What makes bees important?
In what way do beekeepers benefit the
survival of bees?
2.Write a letter, from the perspective of a
beekeeper, in which you thank bees for their
important work.
Be sure you include the following:
Include five vocabulary words from
this book.
Identify at least one way bees
contribute the environment
Identify one fruit or product bees help
make
Explain how the disappearance of
honeybees would effect your life
Describe three ideas that could be
used to help save the bee population.

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Angiosperm: A flowering plant that produces seeds

enclosed in a protective structure.
Anther: The male part of a flower that produces
pollen.
Carpel: The female reproductive part of a flower,
consisting of a stigma, style, and ovary.
Chlorophyll: A green substance that captures light
energy to carry out photosynthesis.
Chloroplasts: A plant cell structure in which
photosynthesis occurs.
Fertilization: The joining of a sperm cell and an egg
cell.
Filament: The stalk of the stamen that supports the
anther.
Germination: The process by which a plant grows
from a seed.
Imperfect Flowers: Flowers that contain only male or
female reproductive organs.

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Ovary: The female part of a flower that encloses and

protects the ovule and develops into a fruit.
Ovule: The female part of the flower that contains the
egg. The ovule develops into a seed.
Perfect Flowers: Flowers that contain both male and
female reproductive organs.
Petal: A colorful leaflike structure of some flowers.
Photosynthesis: The process by which plants use light
energy to make food from carbon dioxide and water.
Pistil: Collective term for the carpels, the female
reproductive part of a flower.

Reproduction: The process by which a plant creates a

new plant.
Respiration: The process of breaking down food to
release its energy.
Seed Dispersal: The movement of transport of seeds
away from the parent plant.
Sepal: The part of a flower, typically green and
leaflike, that encloses the petals and reproductive
parts.
Sperm: male reproductive cells.
Stamen: The male reproductive part of a flower
consisting of an anther and filament.

Pollen: A dustlike particle that contains a male cell.

Stigma: The sticky part of the female carpel at the top

of the style.

Pollination: The transfer of pollen from male

reproductive structures to female reproductive
structures in plants.

Stomata: The small openings on the surfaces of most

leaves through which gases can move.

Pollinator: An animal, such as an insect, bird, or bat,

that carries pollen from the anther to the stigma.

Style: The part of a flower that grows from the ovary

and holds the stigma upright.
Transpiration: The process by which water vapor is
lost through the stomata in a plants leaves.

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Angiosperm, 2, 4
Sperm, 12, 13
Anther, 12
Stamen, 12
Carpel, 12
Stigma, 12, 13
Chlorophyll, 3, 7
Stomata, 7, 8
Chloroplasts, 7
Style, 12, 13
Fertilization, 12, 13
Transpiration, 8
Filament, 12
Germination, 11
Imperfect Flowers, 12
Ovary, 12, 13
Ovule, 12, 13
Perfect Flowers, 12
Petals, 12, 13
Photosynthesis, 7, 8, 11, 18
Pistil, 12
Pollen, 12, 13
Pollination, 13
Pollinator, 12, 13
Reproduction, 4, 11, 13
Respiration, 8, 18
Seed Dispersal, 14
Sepal, 12
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How do flowering plants impact the people in your

community?

Students will be able to:

1.Identify the parts of a flowering plant and describe
their functions.
2.Explore, analyze, and describe the life cycle of a
flowering plant.
3.Explain how plants produce their own food through
the process of photosynthesis and identify the
substances that are used and produced.
4.Explain the substances needed for a seed to grow.
5.Describe the life cycle of an angiosperm including
the process of reproduction, from pollination to seed
dispersal.
6.Identify the economic and environmental benefits of
flowering plants.

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Morgan, S. (2009). The plant cycle. New York,

NY: Rosen Pub. Groups PowerKids Press.
Parker, S. (2010). Sunflowers, magnolia trees, &
other flowering plants. Minneapolis, MN:
Compass Point Books.
Padilla, M.J., Miaoulis, I., Cyr, M., Jenner, J.
(2007). From bacteria to plants. Boston,
MA: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Slingerland, J., & Kemarskaya, O. (2012). The
secret lives of plants!. North Mankato, MN:
Capstone Press.
White, J., Barrett, K., & Kopp, J. (2006). Math in
the garden. Burlington, VT: National
Gardening Association.

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