SC.3.L.14.1

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Describe structures in plants and their roles in food production, support, water and nutrient transport, and reproduction.
General Information
Subject Area: Science
Grade: 3
Body of Knowledge: Life Science
Idea: Level 2: Basic Application of Skills & Concepts
Big Idea: Organization and Development of Living Organisms -

A. All plants and animals, including humans, are alike in some ways and different in others.

B. All plants and animals, including humans, have internal parts and external structures that function to keep them alive and help them grow and reproduce.

C. Humans can better understand the natural world through careful observation.

Date Adopted or Revised: 02/08
Content Complexity Rating: Level 2: Basic Application of Skills & Concepts - More Information
Date of Last Rating: 05/08
Status: State Board Approved
Assessed: Yes

Related Courses

This benchmark is part of these courses.
5020040: Science - Grade Three (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
7720040: Access Science Grade 3 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2018, 2018 - 2023 (current), 2023 and beyond)
5020100: STEM Lab Grade 3 (Specifically in versions: 2016 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))

Related Access Points

Alternate version of this benchmark for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
SC.3.L.14.In.1: Identify the major parts of a plant, including seed, root, stem, leaf, and flower, and their functions.
SC.3.L.14.Su.1: Identify the major parts of a plant, such as the root, stem, leaf, and flower.
SC.3.L.14.Pa.1: Recognize the leaf and flower of a plant.

Related Resources

Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Image/Photograph

Basic Flower Structure:

Model of floral structure with labeled parts.

Type: Image/Photograph

Lesson Plans

If You Build It, It Will Grow!:

In this project students are challenged to build a greenhouse and plant seeds using the Engineering Design Process. They will measure plant growth over time and assess the quality of their greenhouses according to the results. Through this process students will gain an understanding of how plants respond to stimuli (heat, light, gravity) and will understand that plants need energy from the sun to make their own food. By designing and testing their greenhouses students will understand that using different materials can result in different outcomes. Students will observe different plant growth patterns and record their results. By doing this, students will see the importance of accurate note taking and be able to participate in group discussions by providing their evidence organized in graphs and tables.

Type: Lesson Plan

We All Need Trees:

Students are often surprised to learn how many different products we get from trees. Use this activity to help your students learn just how much we depend on trees in our daily lives.

Type: Lesson Plan

Parts of a Plant:

In this lesson, third grade students learn the basic functions of a plant and recognize their importance (flower, stem, seed, leaf, and roots). The lesson will provide students the opportunity to review parts of a plant with a five flap activity.

Type: Lesson Plan

Fertilizing Fun!:

Students are selected to develop procedures for conducting a study on plant fertilizers. They are given data to determine which fertilizer is best for school gardens based on growth rate, size of vegetables, amount of vegetables, taste, and color. They will reassess these fertilizers during the twist incorporating safety ratings.

Students may arrange the criteria based on their team's interpretation of most important to least important. Students may have to make trade-offs based on these interpretations.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

Parts of a Plant - Dissection and Diagram:

In this lesson,students will watch two videos about and read an article on flowering plant parts and their functions. Students will then dissect their own plants, draw a diagram, and write an informative structured paragraph describing the plant parts and their functions. Good lesson to use in science journals!

Type: Lesson Plan

A-maze-ing Plants:

This Engineering Design Challenge is intended to help students apply the concepts of flowering plants, plant structures, and plant responses to stimuli as they build mazes to demonstrate a plant"s response to light. It is not intended as an initial introduction to this benchmark.

Type: Lesson Plan

Exploring Plants:

Students will be introduced to the study of plants in this lesson. First they will sprout bean seeds on moistened paper towels, then make drawings and measurements of their growth. They will watch time-lapse videos that illustrate a plant's major growth stages. Another clip covers fruits and asks students to consider how their seeds are spread. They will gather seeds by walking outside with an old sock over one of their shoes, then plant their sock to observe the resulting plants.

Type: Lesson Plan

Original Student Tutorial

Plant Parts:

Explore the parts that make up many of the plants around you in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Teaching Idea

Plants and Gravity:

How do plants respond to gravity? See how gravity affects plant root growth using plant seeds, plastic zip-lock bags, paper towels, and a large cardboard box or dark closet.

Type: Teaching Idea

Text Resources

Parts of a Plant:

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. This article describes the function of the different parts of a plant.

Type: Text Resource

Biology of Plants:

Younger students can learn about plant biology. Topics include characteristics of living things, germination and growth, the basic parts of plants, photosynthesis, reproduction, and ecological adaptations of plants. The information presented can also be ordered as a video.

Type: Text Resource

Plant Parts:

This resource provides information about plant parts and their function with an interactive graphic that assists with identifying the parts of many plants we eat and a simulation about how seeds develop into fruit.

Type: Text Resource

Unit/Lesson Sequence

Major Plant Structures and Their Functions:

In this series of lessons, students learn about the major plant structures and explore their functions.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

STEM Lessons - Model Eliciting Activity

Fertilizing Fun!:

Students are selected to develop procedures for conducting a study on plant fertilizers. They are given data to determine which fertilizer is best for school gardens based on growth rate, size of vegetables, amount of vegetables, taste, and color. They will reassess these fertilizers during the twist incorporating safety ratings.

Students may arrange the criteria based on their team's interpretation of most important to least important. Students may have to make trade-offs based on these interpretations.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Original Student Tutorials Science - Grades K-8

Plant Parts:

Explore the parts that make up many of the plants around you in this interactive tutorial.

Student Resources

Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Original Student Tutorial

Plant Parts:

Explore the parts that make up many of the plants around you in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Image/Photograph

Basic Flower Structure:

Model of floral structure with labeled parts.

Type: Image/Photograph

Text Resource

Plant Parts:

This resource provides information about plant parts and their function with an interactive graphic that assists with identifying the parts of many plants we eat and a simulation about how seeds develop into fruit.

Type: Text Resource

Parent Resources

Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Image/Photograph

Basic Flower Structure:

Model of floral structure with labeled parts.

Type: Image/Photograph

Text Resource

Plant Parts:

This resource provides information about plant parts and their function with an interactive graphic that assists with identifying the parts of many plants we eat and a simulation about how seeds develop into fruit.

Type: Text Resource