Plants Can Be Found Everywhere - Midway ISD

Plants Can Be
Found Everywhere

from the
Debbie Greenthumb Series

Teacher’s Guide

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Plants Can Be
Found Everywhere

from the
Debbie Greenthumb Unit of Study

Written and Produced by
John Colgren

Published and Distributed by

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All material in this program is the exclusive property of the copy-
right holder. Copying, transmitting, or reproducing in any form,
or by any means, without prior written permission from the
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and 506).

©2000 Colgren Communications

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Contents

Introduction to the Unit of Study … … … …1
Unit Goals … … … … … … … … … … … … … …1
Unit Assessment Tools … … … … … … … …2
Unit Answer Key … … … … … … … … … … …2
Lesson Introduction … … … … … … … … …5
Links to Curriculum Standards … … … … …6
Student Objectives … … … … … … … … … …7
Instructional Notes … … … … … … … … … …7
Teacher Preparation … … … … … … … … …8
Introducing the Video … … … … … … … …8
Follow-Up Discussion … … … … … … … … …9
Blackline Master Descriptions … … … … …9
Enrichment Activities … … … … … … … …10
Answer Key … … … … … … … … … … … …10
Internet References … … … … … … … … …13
Script of Video Narration … … … … … … …14

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reproduce or duplicate, in whole or in part, this teacher’s guide and
the blackline master handouts that accompany it for the purpose of
teaching in conjunction with this video, PLANTS CAN BE FOUND
EVERYWHERE. This right is restricted only for use with this video
program. Any reproduction or duplication in whole or in part of this
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for use with this video program is prohibited.

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PLANTS CAN BE FOUND EVERYWHERE

from the Debbie Greenthumb Unit of Study

Grades 1-4
Viewing Time: 10 minutes with an optional 10-question Video Quiz

INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIT OF STUDY

The Debbie Greenthumb Unit of Study is designed for
use in grades 1-4 as an introduction to the major ideas
and concepts associated with the world of plants. The
video programs contain information that closely sup-
ports the content established in the National Science
Education Standards for these grade levels.

UNIT GOALS

After having particpated in each of the four programs in
the Unit of Study and their respective follow-up activi-
ties, students should be able to identify that:

• Plants have basic needs which they must get from their
environment.

• Plants are the only things capable of producing their
own food.

• Plants are the foundation for all food chains.

• Plants release oxygen into the air as a by-product of
photosynthesis.

• Plants have specific structures for growth, survival, and
reproduction.

• Plants go through a life cycle.

• Plants provide many raw materials that humans have
become dependent upon.

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UNIT ASSESSMENT TOOLS

This Unit of Study is accompanied by a Unit Pre-Test,
designed to gauge what students know about plants
prior to the administration of all four individual lessons,
and a Unit Post-Test, designed to assess their knowledge
after completing all four lessons and their respective fol-
low-up activities. The results of these two assessment
tools may be compared on a student-by-student or class-
room basis in order to highlight objectives that may need
reinforcement.

UNIT ANSWER KEY

UNIT PRE-TEST
Matching Section:
8- pistil, the female part of a flowering plant.
7- crop rotation, farmers don't plant the same type

of crop each year in a field.
5- cotyledons, the stored food in a seed.
4- carbon dioxide, a gas exhaled by animals and

humans.
10- pollen, the male sex cell.
9- stamen, the male part of a flowering plant.
2- chlorophyll, the green-colored chemical that gives

plants their color and helps with food making.
6- fossil fuels, fuels that have formed over millions of

years from the remains of prehistoric plants and
animals.
1- photosynthesis, the food-making process carried on
by plants.
3- oxygen, a gas released by plants and needed by
animals.

Short Answer Section:
1. Insects visit flowers for the nectar they contain and,

in the process, rub against the anthers and pick up pollen
grains that stick to their legs and bodies. The pollen is
carried to other flowers and may be deposited on the

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stigma of the new flower. Insects help with fertilization.
2. Some seeds float and can be carried by rivers and

oceans. Some seeds float in the air and are carried by
wind. Some seeds are dispersed by birds and other ani-
mals when they are eaten and then released with waste
product. Some seeds stick to fur and gain a ride.

3. Plants produce so many seeds because most will
never grow into a new plant.
4. Many animals eat fruits that contain seeds. The seeds
are swallowed with the fruit and later released with
waste product. Sometimes seeds are sticky and cling to
animal fur for a ride to a new location.

5. Seeds need water, warmth, and darkness.
6. Leaves carry on the food-making process called pho-
tosynthesis.
7. Roots supply support to the plant and take in water
and minerals. Some roots are used as food storage.
8. Stems hold the leaves up into the sunlight. They pro-
vide a transportation system for moving water and min-
erals from the roots to the leaves and food from the
leaves to the rest of the plant.
9. Plants are the only living things capable of making
food. Plants are the foundation for all food webs and
they also release oxygen into the air, which is necessary
for animal survival.
10. Plants need water and minerals from the soil. They
also need carbon dioxide, which is taken in by leaves.
Sunlight provides the energy for photosynthesis.
11. Answers will vary, but may include: clothes, food, oxy-
gen, shelter, lumber, medicine, fuel, etc.

Flower Part Identification:

anther 4 stamen 6 stigma 1
filament 5
style 2 pistil 7

ovary 3

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UNIT POST-TEST
Definitions:

1. photosynthesis - The food-making process used by
green plants.

2. chlorophyll - The chemical found in plants that gives
them the green color and helps with the food-making
process.
3. oxygen - A gas that is released by plants and is essen-
tial to life.

4. carbon dioxide - A gas exhaled by animals and taken
in by plants as an ingredient in photosynthesis.

5. cotyledons - Food supplies found in seeds to provide
nourishment until the plant can start making its own
food.

6. fossil fuels - Fuels, such as coal, natural gas, and oil,
that were formed millions of years ago from the remains
of prehistoric plants and animals.
7. crop rotation - A technique used to keep fields healthy
by planting different crops each year.

8. pistil - The female part of a flower.
9. stamen - The male part of a flower.
10. pollen - the male sex cell of the plant world.

Short Answer Section:
1. Plants produce so many seeds because most will

never grow into a new plant.
2. Seeds need water, warmth, and darkness.
3. Many animals eat fruits that contain seeds. The seeds

are swallowed with the fruit and later released with
waste product. Sometimes seeds are sticky and cling to
animal fur for a ride to a new location.

4. Leaves carry on the food making-process called pho-
tosynthesis.

5. Roots supply support to the plant and take in water
and minerals. Some roots are used as food storage.
6. Stems hold the leaves up into the sunlight. They pro-
vide a transportation system for moving water and min-
erals from the roots to the leaves and food from the
leaves to the rest of the plant.

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7. Plants are the only living things capable of making
food. Plants are the foundation for all food webs and
they also release oxygen into the air, which is necessary
for animal survival.

8. Plants need water and minerals from the soil. They
also need carbon dioxide, which is taken in by leaves.
Sunlight provides the energy for photosynthesis.

9. Some seeds float and can be carried by rivers and
oceans. Some seeds float in the air and are carried by
wind. Some seeds are dispersed by birds and other ani-
mals when they are eaten and then released with waste
product. Some seeds stick to fur and gain a ride.
10. Insects visit flowers for the nectar they contain and,
in the process, rub against the anthers and pick up pollen
grains that stick to their legs and bodies. The pollen is
carried to other flowers and may be deposited on the
stigma of the new flower. Insects help with fertilization.
11. Answers will vary, but may include: clothes, food, oxy-
gen, shelter, lumber, medicine, fuel, etc.

LESSON INTRODUCTION

This Unit of Study is designed for use as an introduction
to the major ideas and concepts associated with the
adaptation of plants to a wide range of conditions and
climates on earth. The video was shot throughout North
America and in the rain forests of Peru to show a wide
variety of plants and the environmental conditions under
which they live. Cacti in the deserts, tundra plants in the
Rockies, and rain forest plants along the Amazon are all
used as examples of how plants have managed to adapt
to their surroundings.

Other titles in the Debbie Greenthumb Unit of Study include:
• Where Plants Come From
• How Plants Grow
• The Importance of Plants To Our World

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LINKS TO CURRICULUM STANDARDS

As stated in the the National Science Education
Standards, "During the elementary grades, children build
understanding of biological concepts through direct
experience with living things, their life cycles, and their
habitats." The specific content standards addressed in
this Unit of Study are:
The Characterisitics of Organisms
• Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need
air, water, and food; plants require air, water, nutrients,
and light. Organisms can survive only in environments in
which their needs can be met. The world has many dif-
ferent environments, and distinct environments support
the life of different types of organisms.
• Each plant or animal has different structures that serve
different functions in gowth, survival, and reproduction.
• The behavior of individual organisms is influenced by
internal cues (such as hunger) and by external cues (such
as a change in the environment).
Life Cycles of Organisms
• Plants and animals have life cycles that include being
born, developing into adults, reproducing, and eventual-
ly dying. The details of this life cycle are different for dif-
ferent organisms.
• Plants and animals closely resemble their parents.
• Many characteristics of an organism are inherited from
the parents of the organism, but other characteristics
result from an individual's interactions with the environ-
ment. Inherited characteristics include the color of flow-
ers and the number of limbs of an animal. Other features,
such as the ability to ride a bicycle, are learned through
interactions with the environment and cannot be passed
on to the next generation.
Organisms and the Environments
• All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants
for food. Other animals eat animals that eat plants.
• An organism's patterns of behavior are related to the

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nature of that organism's environment, including the
kinds and numbers of other organisms present, the avail-
ability of food and resources, and the physical character-
istics of the environment. When the environment
changes, some plants and animals survive and repro-
duce, and others die or move to new locations.
• All organisms cause changes in the environment where
they live. Some of these changes are detrimental to the
organism or other organisms, whereas others are bene-
ficial.
• Humans depend on their natural and constructed envi-
ronments. Humans change environments in ways that
can be either beneficial or detrimental for themselves
and other organisms.

STUDENT OBJECTIVES

After viewing the video and participating in the follow-up
activities, students should be able to ...

• Identify that there are many kinds of plants in the world
and give examples of some of them.

• State that plants vary in different climates and soils.

• Identify ways in which plants have adapted to different
living conditions.

• Describe the importance of the rain forest to life on
earth and to describe how human activity is destroying
these important forests.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES

Before presenting this lesson to your students, we sug-
gest that you preview the video and review this guide
and the accompanying blackline master activities in
order to familiarize yourself with their content.

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As you review the materials presented in this guide, you
may find it necessary to make some changes, additions,
or deletions to meet the specific needs of your class. We
encourage you to do so, for only by tailoring this pro-
gram to your class will they obtain the maximum instruc-
tional benefits afforded by the materials.

It is also suggested that the video presentation take
place before the entire group under your supervision.
The lesson activities grow out of the context of the video;
therefore, the presentation should be a common experi-
ence for all students.

TEACHER PREPARATION

Duplicate any blackline masters you wish to distribute.
Blackline Master 1, Pre-Test, may be used before the
video is shown. It will help to identify what students
already know about the subject matter. If you plan to use
Blackline Master 2, Video Quiz, which immediately fol-
lows the video presentation, you may wish to have copies
of the quiz ready to distribute at the completion of the
video program. Also, plan to pause the tape between
questions if students require more time. The Video Quiz
and many of the other duplicating masters were
designed for use with third and fourth graders, so if you
are working with younger children, you will need to adapt
the material. One method would be to use the Video
Quiz as a class activity together as a review.

INTRODUCING THE VIDEO

• Ask students to think of trips they may have taken. Can
they remember the plant life that they saw while travel-
ing to their destination and when they got there? Was
this plant life the same as the plant life around home?
Help them to understand that plants are different in dif-
ferent places. Climate, rainfall, and soil are all factors
that cause these differences.

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• Present the video. The viewing time is 10 minutes for
the program and 5 minutes for the Video Quiz.

FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION

Lead a class discussion using the following:
1. There is more plant life in the oceans than on land.
2. Plants can be found in almost all areas of the world.
3. Plants come in many sizes, from microscopic to giant
trees, which are the largest living organisms.

BLACKLINE MASTER DESCRIPTIONS

This program contains seven blackline masters that can
be used to reinforce ideas and information presented in
the video. An Answer Key begins on page 10.

• Blackline Master 1, Pre-Test, can be used to determine
what students already know about topics covered in this
lesson.

• Blackline Master 2, Video Quiz, is to be used at the end
of the video program. At the completion of the video,
there is a short quiz. The narrator will read the questions
which are displayed on the screen. Students can use this
sheet to record their answers.

• Blackline Master 3, Phototropism, is an opportunity for
students to design their own original experiment to
demonstrate phototropism, which is the tendency of the
leaves of plants to grow or turn towards light.

• Blackline Master 4, Tree Rings, is an exercise to prac-
tice reading tree rings. As a follow-up to this activity, you
may wish to bring in some real tree cross-sections and
have students count rings. Remember, they can use the
space between rings to describe and analyze the growing
season as dry or wet.

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• Blackline Master 5, Measuring a Tree, is an outdoor
activity that will challenge students to determine the
height and age of mature trees. They will need to build a
homemade quadrant, which is a tool incorporating a pro-
tractor to use triangulation to determine the approxi-
mate height of a tree.

• Blackline Master 6, Rain Forests, is an activity asking
students to identify the location of rain forests around
the world. Students are then asked to write a letter to
the people of the world explaining the importance of
these forests and the resources they contain.

• Blackline Master 7, Post-Test, is a tool to measure stu-
dent comprehension of the material presented in the les-
son.

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

1. A school garden is an excellent project. You will want
to find a section of land and research which plants will
grow well in your area. Have students mark off the area
and then turn over the soil and mix mulch and fertilizer
with the soil before planting.

2. Invite a farmer, greenhouse operator, or produce man-
ager from a local grocery store to come in and talk to the
students about how they work with plants.

3. Have students plant and grow their own seeds. Each
day, besides watering them and taking care of them, they
should measure the plants’ growth and record it in a log.
They can use graph paper to chart the plants’ growth
over time.

ANSWER KEY

Blackline Master 1, Pre-Test
1. A greenhouse is a glass or heavy plastic sturcture

designed to capture sunlight and heat. It creates an envi-
ronment that is perfect for growing plants.

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2. Plankton are microscopic plant life found in the
oceans. They carry on photosynthesis and form the basis
for food chains in the oceans.

3. A tree's rings tell how old a tree is and what each
growing season was like for the tree.
4. The type of soil, amount of rainfall, and the overall cli-
mate of an area.

5. Cacti live in an area where temperatures are high,
there is little water, and conditions are very dry. Cacti
store water in their stems. They have thin, needle-like
leaves which help stop the loss of water.

6. Thin, needle-like leaves will prevent the loss of water
from evaporation. They also help to protect the cactus
from thirsty animals.

7. Mangrove trees have funny looking tubes that get
oxygen to their roots.

8. When a fly enters the Venus’s flytrap, it may touch a
trip hair which causes the plant to close in on the fly.
9. Plants from the rain forest are called the “lungs of the
earth” because of all the oxygen that is produced in
these jungles. Also, many medicines come from plants
and many of the plants of the rain forest haven't been
studied long enough to find out their uses.
10. Crop rotation is used by farmers to keep fields healthy
and enriched with nutrients. The same crop type isn't
grown in the same field year after year. Instead, a dif-
ferent crop is planted to help the field regain nutrients.

Blackline Master 2, Video Quiz
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. The sunlight goes easily through the glass but is
trapped inside because of the angle of the glass. The
greenhouse heats up and maintains a proper tempera-
ture for plants to grow.
5. Water is easily lost through broad leaves, but with nee-
dles, the water is kept within the tree.

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6. The rings of a tree tell the age of the tree and what
conditions were like during each of the trees growing
seasons.
7. Type of soil, amount of rainfall, and overall climate.
8. Crop rotation is used to keep fields healthy. Crops
need certain nutrients found in the soil. If the same
crops were planted over and over, these nutrients will be
used up within a few years. Rotating crops that use dif-
ferent nutrients will help keep the fields nutrient rich.
9. Rain forests supply much of the earth's oxygen. Also,
plants within the rain forest have been used for many
medications.
10. Many rain forests are being cleared to make way for
farms and cattle ranches.

Blackline Master 3, Phototropism
Answers will vary, but should include some sort of an
experiment where light is only available from one direc-
tion for the plant.

Blackline Master 4, Tree Rings
1. 1988
2. 1997 orange
3. 1994 blue
4. 1991 green
5. 1991

Blackline Master 5, Measuring a Tree
Answers will vary.

Blackline Master 6, Rain Forests

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Blackline Master 7, Post-Test
1. Type of soil, amount of rainfall and climate.
2. They store water in their stems. They have thin, nee-

dle-like leaves to avoid losing water.
3. The thin leaves will not lose as much water. They also
provide protection from thirsty animals.
4. Destroying the rain forest before the full benefits of
the plants that grow there can be realized is a terrible
waste. The cure for cancer and other diseases may be
flourishing hidden in the dense rain forests. Once these
plants are gone, there is no returning them to the envi-
ronment.
5. The rain forests have so much plant life that much of
the planet’s supply of oxygen comes from those areas of
the world.
6. Plankton are microscopic plants found in the oceans.
They are the basis of food chains in the oceans and pro-
duce oxygen.
7. Mangroves live in salty water that would kill most
plants. The water hits the trees as waves and there are
daily tides that change the depth of the water.
8. The Venus’s flytrap has triggers on its insides so when
an insect goes into the plant and hits a trigger, it closes
quickly, trapping the insect. The insect dies, its body
breaks down, and the nutrients are used by the plant.
9. The rings of a tree tell us how old the tree was.
10. Rotating crops helps to keep the soil rich in nutrients.
Different types of plants use different nutrients from the
soil.

INTERNET REFERENCES

Here are some Internet addresses that may be helpful.
Don't forget to go to the AGC/United Learning site and
connect to the Debbie Greenthumb pages.

http://www.agcunitedlearning.com

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http://www.treetures.com
Treetures represents an environmental education effort
with direct focus on trees

http://photo.net/photo/travel/foliage.html
New England Foliage - pretty pictures of fall colors

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html
Why Leaves Change Color

http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/leaves/leaves.html

SCRIPT OF VIDEO NARRATION
PLANTS CAN BE FOUND EVERYWHERE

Debbie is very good at planting seeds and helping green
plants grow. She's so good at making plants grow that
her mother has named her “Debbie Greenthumb.“
Debbie's mother has a green house. No, not a green-col-
ored house, a greenhouse—a big glass or plastic-covered
building where they raise green plants to sell. The green-
house is made of glass or plastic so sunlight can easily
get in. Once inside, the sunlight bounces around but has
a hard time getting back out. As a result, the greenhouse
warms up quickly and that makes it easy to grow flowers
and other plants.

The greenhouse also sells seeds for people to plant.
Many green lawns around town came from seeds bought
at the greenhouse. Beautiful flower gardens grow from
plants and seeds bought at the greenhouse. Many people
in town buy vegetable seeds and plant gardens to grow
their own vegetables, such as tomatoes, zucchini, let-
tuce, corn, and even sunflowers.

Debbie Greenthumb and her mother work with hundreds
of kinds of plants. Sometimes Debbie begins a plant
inside the greenhouse. She plants seeds in a flower pot.
After the seeds have sprouted and a new plant has devel-

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oped, she takes them outside and transplants them into
the ground.

Debbie says that watching plants grow and bloom makes
you feel good, especially if you have been a kind of
nursemaid helping them along. Debbie likes working at
the greenhouse and being around all the different kinds
of plants. But she knows there are many thousands of
kinds of plants not in the greenhouse. Debbie knows that
there are many plants that are grown on farms, such as
corn, wheat, and soybeans. These crops are used to feed
animals and people or to make other products important
to the way we live. For instance, soybeans, which are
made into flour and oils, can also be used to make plas-
tic, paint, linoleum, and other products.

Farmers want to use their land year after year to grow
crops. Farmers often use a technique called crop rotation
to keep the soil in their fields healthy with nutrients. For
instance, one year corn may be grown in a field and then
the next year a different crop, such as soybeans, are
planted. In this case, the kinds of insects that attack corn
don't attack soybeans, so a farmer can avoid large popu-
lations of insects attacking his fields.

Here is a tractor planting soybeans in a field that doesn't
even need to be cleared completely of the past year’s
crop of corn stalks. Here are the actual soybean seeds.
The equipment turns up the soil and plants each seed
about an inch under the soil and about an inch apart
from other soybean seeds. The entire field can be plant-
ed in one day with the tractor and fancy equipment.

Some plants have learned to survive in different condi-
tions all over the world. In the high elevations of the
Rocky Mountains, small alpine plants and flowers have
learned to stay small to take advantage of the limited
resources and harsh conditions in the mountains.
In deserts, cactus have adapted to very difficult condi-

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tions where there is limited rainfall and very high tem-
peratures. The cactus leaves are not like those of other
plants. They are thin and needle-like. This serves two
purposes. One is that desert plants need to save mois-
ture. If the leaves were large and broad like other plants,
the water would spread out in the big leaf and the hot
sun would dry it out. The thin, needle-like leaves don't
lose much water. The other purpose of the needle-like
spines is to protect the cactus from animals. Many cactus
plants store water in their center area. Many animals
would like to get to that water so the cactus spines help
to stop the animals. Some cactus grow to be very tall.
Some cactus are used as homes by desert animals.

In Florida, there are many beautiful flowers and trees.
Mangrove trees are especially interesting because they
can live completely surrounded by salt water. Salt water
would kill most land plants. The mangrove roots help to
support the trees and hold them up against the waves.
The mangrove seeds are very large and actually begin to
grow and mature on the mangrove tree so that when
they are finally released into the water and float away,
they have a better chance of washing up into an area
where they can take root and grow into a new tree.
These funny looking tubes get oxygen for the roots of
the mangrove to help it survivie in water depths that are
constantly changing with the tides.

These water lillies have adapted to conditions where the
water level changes greatly. The leaf is made up of hol-
low tubes filled with air so it floats. The leaf is so big that
small animals can sit on it and float in the water. The
stem is long and curled so if the water level changes, the
leaf will still float on the surface of the water and the
stem will connect the leaf to its roots.

Debbie's mother told her that the oceans of the earth are
filled with tiny microscopic plants called plankton. They
may be invisible to us but they are the very important for

16

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the oxygen they release to the atmosphere and the food
they provide to other living things in the oceans.

Once Debbie was asked to do a report on the rain forests
of South America. She found a great deal of information
from a DVD she used at the library. It talked about how
the rain forests of our planet are found along the equa-
tor, which is an imaginary line running halfway between
the north and south poles of earth.
The rain forests are considered the lungs of our planet
because of the amount of oxygen produced by the huge
number of plants living in these jungles. The warm wet
environment is ideal for plant growth. Some of the tallest
trees in the world are found in the rain forests. Fifty per-
cent of all animal and plant types found on earth are
found in the rain forests.

Look at how the roots of these tall trees have additional
spread out supports. This design helps to hold the tree
up straight as it climbs to the forest top in search of sun-
light. Other plants live in the branches of the taller trees
so that they can get to the sunlight. These plants have
learned to live without soil. They get the nutrients they
need to make food from the air and humus and mosses
that also are found in the tree tops.

Trees are plants that can live for hundreds and even
thousands of years, while some plants only live for one
season or year. You can tell how old a tree has lived by
counting its rings once it has died and a cross-section
has been cut from it. The rings in the cross-section rep-
resent the seasons of growth. So if you know what year
the tree was cut down, you can count the rings back-
wards to tell how old it was. Each ring represents one
year of growth.

One of the plants that Debbie feels is most unusual is a
meat eating plant called the Venus’s flytrap. On the
inside of each trap are thin little hairs called trigger hairs.

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Flies are attracted by a sweet odor given off by the plant.
If the fly touches a trigger hair, the trap snaps shut
catching the victim. After a few days, the fly is digested
and the trap opens again.

There are different kinds of plants living in different
places. There are three things that help determine what
plants will be able to live in an area. Those three things
are the type of soil, amount of rainfall, and the overall
climate of an area. Climate is the type of weather an
area has.

Debbie can help only so many plants to grow but most
must depend on themselves to carry out the necessary
steps of life.

Video Quiz
Multiple Choice:
1. Plants capable of living in deserts with thorns for
leaves are _________.
A.) mangroves
B.) plankton
C.) cactus
D.) transplants
2. The oceans are filled with microscopic plants called
____________.
A.) mangroves
B.) plankton
C.) cactus
D.) transplants

3. Plants with prop roots and capable of living in salt
water are _________.
A.) mangroves
B.) plankton
C.) cactus
D.) transplants

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Short Answer:
4. How does a greenhouse work?
5. Why do cacti have needles instead of broad leaf
leaves?
6. What can we tell from looking at the rings of a cut
down tree?
7. What are the three things that determine what kinds of
plants will successfully grow in an area of our planet?
8. Farmers usually rotate the crops that they grow in
their fields. One year they may grow corn and then the
following year they may grow a different crop, such as
soybeans. Why do they do this?
9. Why are rain forests important to humans on earth?
10. Why are the rain forests in danger of survival?

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1

Name____________________________

PLANTS CAN BE FOUND EVERYWHERE
Pre-Test

Directions: Answer the following questions as directed by your teacher. You may use the back of this
sheet if necessary.

1. What is a greenhouse and how is it used?

2. What are plankton?

3. What can you tell from the rings of a tree?

4. What are the three things that determine which plants will grow in a certain area?

5. How are cacti different from other plants?

6. Why do cacti have thorns instead of broad leaves?

7. How do mangrove trees get oxygen to their roots when they are surrounded by salt water?

8. The Venus’s flytrap is a plant that eats insects. How does it catch an insect?

9. How are the plants of the earth's rain forests important to us?

10. What is crop rotation?

Plants Can Be Found Everywhere (Debbie Greenthumb Unit of Study)

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2

Name____________________________

PLANTS CAN BE FOUND EVERYWHERE
Video Quiz

Directions: At the end of the video production is a short quiz. You may write the answers to
the quiz on this sheet.

Multiple Choice: Circle the best answer.

1. Plants capable of living in deserts with thorns for leaves are _________.

A.) mangroves B.) plankton C.) cactus D.) transplants

2. The oceans are filled with microscopic plants called ____________.

A.) mangroves B.) plankton C.) cactus D.) transplants

3. Plants with prop roots and capable of living in salt water are _________.

A.) mangroves B.) plankton C.) cactus D.) transplants

Short Answer: Write sentences to complete the following questions.

4. How does a greenhouse work?

5. Why do cacti have needles instead of broad leaf leaves?

6. What can we tell from looking at the rings of a cut down tree?

7. What are the three things that determine what kinds of plants will successfully grow in an
area of our planet?

8. Farmers usually rotate the crops that they grow in their fields. One year they may grow
corn and then the following year they may grow a different crop, such as soybeans.
Why do they do this?

9. Why are rain forests important to humans on earth?

10. Why are the rain forests in danger of survival?

Plants Can Be Found Everywhere (Debbie Greenthumb Unit of Study)

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3

Name____________________________

PLANTS CAN BE FOUND EVERYWHERE
Phototropism

Phototropism is the tendency of the leaves of plants to grow towards light.
Directions: Create an experiment to demonstrate the phototropism behavior of green plants.
Develop an idea and approach and then collect the materials and carry out the investigation.
Write up your experiment so it can be shared with others.
PURPOSE:

MATERIALS:

PROCEDURES:

OBSERVATIONS:

CONCLUSION:

Plants Can Be Found Everywhere (Debbie Greenthumb Unit of Study)

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4

Name____________________________

PLANTS CAN BE FOUND EVERYWHERE
Tree Rings

You can tell a lot about a tree by looking at its rings. When a tree dies and is cut down, you
can see the rings of growth inside the trunk. A cross-section of a tree trunk, if cut properly,
will show these rings. There is one ring for each year of growth. You can figure out how old
a tree is by counting its rings.

Directions: Here is a make-believe tree cross-section. Use the information at the bottom of
the page to help identify rings on the picture.

Tree rings

?

1. If the tree was cut down in the year 2000, in what year was it planted? __________
2. Color the ring for 1997 orange.
3. Color the ring for 1994 blue.
4. Color the ring for 1991 green.
5. The ? question mark is pointed at what year's growth? ___________

Plants Can Be Found Everywhere (Debbie Greenthumb Unit of Study)

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5

Name____________________________

PLANTS CAN BE FOUND EVERYWHERE
Measuring a Tree

PURPOSE: To determine the height and age of a mature tree.

MATERIALS: 1. rectangular piece of cardboard
2. protractor
3. string
4. bolt
5. measuring tape
6. straw

PROCEDURES: Part One: The Height of the Tree
1. Tape the protractor to the cardboard so that the base of the protractor is

along one long edge of the cardboard.
2. Tape the straw along this same cardboard edge.
3. Tie the bolt to one end of a piece of string about 12 inches long.
4. Tape the string to the protractor center point on the straight side.
5. Sight through the straw at the top of the tree. Keep the string at the 45

degree mark on the protractor and slowly move back away from the tree.
6. Stop when the top of the tree is perfectly seen in the straw and the string is

at 45 degrees.
7. The distance from the person to the tree is the height of the tree.

Part Two: The Age of the Tree
1. Use the measuring tape to measure around the trunk of the tree at a point

5 feet from the ground.
2. The number of inches around is approximately the age of the tree in years.

OBSERVATIONS:

Type of tree Height Age

Plants Can Be Found Everywhere (Debbie Greenthumb Unit of Study)

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6

Name____________________________

PLANTS CAN BE FOUND EVERYWHERE
Rain Forests

Directions: On the map below, color in the area of our earth that is covered by rain forests.
On the back of the page, write a letter to the citizens of our planet explaining why it is impor-
tant to protect these lands from the destruction that is currently happening.

Plants Can Be Found Everywhere (Debbie Greenthumb Unit of Study)

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7

Name____________________________

PLANTS CAN BE FOUND EVERYWHERE
Post-Test

Directions: Answer the following questions in the space provided.
1. There are three things that determine which plants will grow in a certain area. What are
they?

2. How have cactus adapted to the conditions of the desert?

3. Instead of broad leaves, cacti have thin, thorn-like leaves. Why?

4. Rain forest land is disappearing as it is cleared for farm land and lumber. Why is this a
problem?

5. The rain forests have often been called “the earth's lungs.” What does that mean?

6. What are plankton?

7. Mangrove trees in Florida have developed methods for living in conditions that would kill
most plants. What are the problems these trees face?

8. Some plants, like the Venus’s flytrap, actually eat insects. How do they do that?

9. Trees can live for hundreds of years, and, in some cases, even thousands of years.
What can we tell from examining the rings of a tree?

10. Why do farmers often rotate their crops year after year?

Plants Can Be Found Everywhere (Debbie Greenthumb Unit of Study)

©2000 Colgren Communications Published and Distributed by AGC/United Learning

All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution 1560 Sherman Av., Suite 100 Evanston, IL 60201

www.agcunitedlearning.com e-mail: [email protected]