Get to Know a Plant

Objectives

• Identify the parts of a plant.

Materials

• Per Student:
  a small houseplant, or a plant in a backyard or park
  blank paper
  pencil

Key Questions

• What features stand out when you look at the whole plant (e.g. shape, colour)?
• What features stand out when you look at parts of it up close?

What To Do

1. At the top of a blank piece of paper, write the name of the plant.
2. Draw the entire plant. What does the top of the plant look like? The middle? The bottom? What do the roots look like?
3. Draw an individual branch. What shape are the leaves? How are they arranged? Are there cones, fruits or flowers?
4. Close your eyes and feel the plant. What does it feel like? Under your drawing or on another piece of paper, write some words that describe the feeling (e.g. rough, dry, soft).
5. Smell the plant. How does it smell? Write some words that describe the smell.

Extensions

• Label the parts of the plant.
• Instead of all students drawing the same plant, go out into a forest or a garden and ask students to choose a different plant.
• Ask students to research the habitat and specific needs of their plants.

Other Resources

Going Wild! Teaching about Wild Products” from BC’s Coastal Rainforests

Tomatosphere | Parts of a Plant