SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM
PRE-VISIT MATERIALS FOR THE "TREES & OTHER PLANTS"
Overview: Plants are one of five major groups of living things. Animals, fungi, protists and monerans are the other groups. Plants are very important because they provide so many things needed for life. Discuss ways plants are used every day. Food, medicine, furniture, clothes and cosmetics are only a few examples. Ask your students to imagine the earth without plants.
We must carefully manage and use plants because we literally rely on them for life. It is necessary to understand their needs and the way they function for them. The tree (the largest of all plants) will be used to help students visualize the structures of plants and how those structures work. The lesson will include a visit to two exhibits on the museum floor. One shows the many products that come from trees and a second exhibit shows enlarged plant structures.
This pre-visit packet contains some activities that you may want to do before and after your museum lesson, a glossary, resources and a word search.
| These are South Carolina Science Standards that this lesson will enhance. The standards were approved January 2000. |
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Standard I
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Standard III
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| Grade 3 |
Process Skill
1a, 2a & 4a |
Characteristics of Organisms
1a &1b |
| Grade 4 |
1a & 2a |
1c |
| Grade 5 |
1a , 2a & 4a |
Population & Ecosystems
2a & 2b |
| Grade 6 |
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Fungi & Plants
1c & 1e
Regulation & behavior
1b, 1d, 1e & 1f
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Before your museum visit:
- You may want to plant a variety of seeds to give students the opportunity to observe the plant’s stages of growth. Have students keep a record of the growth and development of a selected seed (plant) by drawing and describing their observations every few days.
- Make a bulletin board showing different leaves, roots and stems to help students see
the variety in their shapes and sizes.
After your museum visit:
- Make a leaf, stem, root and fruit collection. Ask each student to contribute to the collection. Make an identification card describing some of the possible uses of each item.
- As a long-range project, identify and label the trees on the grounds of the school.
- Ask a forester to visit your classroom and discuss with your students the importance of trees.
Resources:
For general information
John Helms (803) 798-4265, Society of American Foresters, Columbia, SC 29210
A very good poster
What Is a Tree? By Frank Schaffer Publications, Inc.
Contact Educational Wonderland (803) 798-6827 or (803) 865-0048
Try these web sites
Some good books
Florian, Douglas, (1986). Discovering Trees, Charles Schibner’s Sons. New York.
Hindley, Judy, (1990). The Tree, Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. Publishers New York.
Lauber, Patricia, (1994). Be a Friend to Trees, HarperCollins Publishers. New York.
Morgan, Gareth and Harlow, Rosie (1991). Trees and Leaves, Warwick Press, New York.
Markle, Sandra, (1993). Outside and Inside Trees, Bradbury Press, New York.
Richardson, Joy, (1993). Trees, Franklin Watts, Inc New York.
Glossary:
Bark outer bark- the thick layer of dead cells that protects the tree. inner bark or cambium-the living, growing part of the tree. This layer contains tissue that carries food through out the plant.
Crown the upper most part of the tree. It includes the branches, leaves, flowers and fruit.
Embryo the first stage of growth.
Leaf the structure where most of the photosynthesis takes place.
Germination occurs when seeds sprout.
Heartwood the hard central part of the tree.
Phloem tissue conducts food through out the tree.
Photosynthes is the process plants use to make sugar- sunlight changes carbon dioxide and water into sugar and water.
Producer an organism that produces food.
Root the structure that anchors the plant and absorbs water for it.
Sap the liquid that moves through the tree, it contains mostly water and sugar.
Sapwood the softer wood of the tree.
Trunk the main stem of the tree.
Xylem tissue moves water and minerals through out the plant.