The plant kingdom
Plants are multicellular organisms. They feed autotrophically: in light, with the pigment chlorophyll, they make organic matter (carbohydrates) from water and carbon dioxide and release oxygen – this is photosynthesis. They take minerals from the soil. Organic matter made in photosynthesis is broken down in respiration with oxygen, releasing energy and carbon dioxide. Scientists divide plants into spore plants and seed plants. Spore plants include mosses and ferns (and horsetails); they reproduce by spores. Seed plants include conifers (seeds ripen open on cones, e.g. pine) and flowering plants, which make flowers and fruits. Flowering plants are split into two classes: dicots (two seed leaves) and monocots (one seed leaf). The science of plants is botany. Plants are a source of food, medicine and building material, and some are planted for decoration.
Observation: in the school yard look at 4 plants (do not cut them – photograph or draw): a tree, a grass, a flowering plant, a moss (if any). Record in a table whether each has flower, leaf and stem. Safety: do not eat, taste or sniff unknown plants, do not touch stinging or thorny ones, wash hands afterwards, and do not pick protected plants.