Plants Around Us
Primary 2 · Science and Elementary Technology
Plants Around Us
Lesson 1 of 3
13 min
Let's begin
Uwase found a small bean plant at the edge of her mother's garden. She dug around it and lifted it out gently, with the soil still hanging on it.
Now the whole plant is lying on the mat in front of her. Every single part is there — even the parts that were hiding under the ground.
Today you will look at that plant with Uwase, from the bottom to the top. Five parts. Five jobs. Let's go.
Look at the bottom of Uwase's plant. Thin brown strings hang down. They are covered in soil. They feel wet. And they were hard to pull out of the ground.
Think about two of those clues:
So this part has two jobs. It holds the plant tight in the soil, and it drinks water from the soil.
That part is the root. The root drinks water and holds the plant in place.
Now you know why a strong wind can shake a tree all night and the tree still stands in the morning. Its roots are holding on, deep under your feet.
Above the soil, one green stalk stands up straight. All the leaves are joined to it. Uwase takes her hand away, and the stalk still stands by itself.
That stalk is the stem. It has two jobs too.
On a bean plant the stem is thin and green. On a big avocado tree the stem is thick and hard, and we call it a trunk. But a trunk is still a stem, doing the very same two jobs.
Uwase counts the flat green parts on her plant. There are six. They are wide. They are thin. And every one of them is turned up towards the sky.
Why do they all face the sky? Because they are catching sunlight.
Each flat green part is a leaf. A leaf makes the food for the plant. To do it, the leaf uses sunlight, water and air.
Now the shape makes sense. Wide and flat is the best shape for catching sunlight — like holding out an open hand instead of a closed fist. And that is why leaves grow up high in the air, and never under the ground.
A plant never walks to the market to buy food. Its own leaves make its food, quietly, all day long.
Uwase walks over to a big bean plant in the garden. It has small white flowers on it. She remembers exactly where they are.
Two weeks later she comes back. The white flowers are gone. And hanging in exactly those places are green bean pods.
The flower did not just fall off and disappear. The flower turned into the pod.
The flower makes the seeds. First the flower. Then, in the very same place, the seeds.
Open one bean pod with your thumb. Inside, the beans sit in a row, wrapped up safe and dry.
The pod grew out of the flower, and the pod holds the seeds. A part like that is called a fruit.
So a bean pod is a fruit! Fruits do not have to be sweet. Look for the seeds and you will find the fruit:
The fruit grows from the flower and keeps the seeds safe. And very often, we get to eat it. Thank you, plants.
| Part | What it does for the plant |
|---|---|
| Root | Drinks water and holds the plant in the soil |
| Stem | Stands up and carries water to the leaves |
| Leaf | Makes food, using sunlight |
| Flower | Makes the seeds |
| Fruit | Grows from the flower and keeps the seeds safe |
Look at your plate tonight. It is full of plant parts!
Next time you go to the market with your family, play this game quietly in your head: root, stem, leaf, flower or fruit?
Tip
Climb the plant with your finger, starting at the ground: root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit.
Then say the jobs out loud, like a song: root drinks, stem stands, leaf cooks, flower makes seeds, fruit keeps them safe.
Try each one on your own first. Then look at the answer right underneath it.
Uwase pulls a weed and it holds on tight. Which part is holding on, and what else does that part do?
Answer: the root. It holds the plant in the soil, and it also drinks water from the soil.
Mugisha cuts a tomato and finds many tiny seeds inside. Which part of the plant is a tomato?
Answer: the fruit. It grew from the flower, and it keeps the seeds safe inside.
Keza's bean plant is lying bent over on the ground. Which part was supposed to hold it up straight?
Answer: the stem. The stem holds the plant up, like your legs hold you up.
Why are leaves flat, wide, and up high in the air?
Answer: to catch sunlight. Leaves use sunlight to make the plant's food, so they need to be where the sun can reach them.
On a bean plant, which comes first: the white flower, or the bean pod?
Answer: the flower comes first. The pod grows in the same place where the flower was.
Tonight your family eats isombe. Which part of the plant are you eating?
Answer: the leaves. Isombe is made from cassava leaves.
Note
What you learned today:
Quick check
Match each part to its job.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
