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Primary Science · Year 3Chapter 2 · Parts of a flowering plant
Year 3 Science · Parts of a flowering plant · Lesson 2.2

Year 3 Science: Roots: holding on and drinking

Part of the Year 3 Science parts of a flowering plant chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

2.2

Roots: holding on and drinking

Year 3
Identify and describe the function of roots: they hold the plant in the soil and take in water and minerals from the soil
Story. After a windy night, Amira finds a small sunflower lying on its side in the school garden. Its roots are short, and they are not deep in the soil. Her teacher says, “The roots hold the plant in the ground, and they take in its water.”

The roots have two main jobs.

The water and minerals travel up the stem to the leaves and the flower. A plant with short roots may fall over, because its roots cannot hold on to the soil well.

water and mineralsmove up the stemsoilroots
Roots take in water and minerals from the soil, and the water moves up the stem.

Key ideas

  • Roots hold the plant in the soil.
  • Roots take in water and minerals from the soil.
  • Water and minerals travel up the stem to the leaves and flower.
  • Roots usually grow under the soil.
Worked example 2.2.1
Which job do the roots do? A: holding the plant in the soil B: making seeds

Method. Think about the job of the roots, and the job of seeds.

  1. Read A. Roots hold the plant in the soil, so this is a job that roots do.
    A: holding in soil
  2. Read B. Making seeds is the job of the flower, not the roots.
    B: flower
  3. Choose the job. The job that the roots do is holding the plant in the soil.
    A
  4. Write the answer.
    A

Check. Roots hold the plant in the soil and take in water. ✓

Worked example 2.2.2
The picture shows roots in the soil. Where do the roots take in water from?
water and mineralsmove up the stemsoilroots

Method. Look at the blue drops, and where they are.

  1. Find the blue drops. The blue drops of water are in the brown soil.
    drops in the soil
  2. Follow the roots. The roots reach into the soil and touch the water there.
    roots in the soil
  3. Name the place. So the roots take in water from the soil.
    the soil
  4. Write the answer.
    the soil

Check. The water is in the soil, and the roots take it in. ✓

Worked example 2.2.3
A sunflower has very short roots and falls over in the wind. Which job of the roots is it not doing well? Write the job.

Method. Think about what roots do when the wind blows.

  1. Read the story. The sunflower falls over, so it is not held in the ground.
    falls over
  2. Think about the roots. Short roots cannot hold the plant in the soil firmly.
    short roots
  3. Name the job. The job it is not doing well is holding the plant in the soil.
    holding in the soil
  4. Write the answer.
    holding the plant in the soil

Check. Short roots hold the plant less firmly. ✓

Watch out

Watch out: roots do not take in light from the sun. Leaves use light. Roots take in water and minerals from the soil.

Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). Put a few cress seeds on damp cotton wool in a clear plastic cup. Keep the cup on a windowsill, and keep the cotton wool damp. After a few days, look at the roots with a grown-up, and draw what you see. Wash your hands afterwards.

Exam tip

Grown-up tip. Ask: “What do the roots hold on to? What do they drink?” Let your child point to the roots in the cup, and say where they are in the soil.

Exercise 2B  Roots: holding on and drinking

1
FWhat is the first job of the roots? Write the job.
2
FWhat do the roots take in from the soil? Write two things.
3
FWhich part takes in water from the soil: the roots or the leaves? Write the part.
4
FFill in the gaps.
(a)The roots of a plant are in the ___.
(b)Water goes up the ___ from the roots.
5
FLook at the root picture. Which way does the water move from the roots: up or down? Write up or down.
water and mineralsmove up the stemsoilroots
6
PSA bean plant is pulled out of its pot, and its roots dry out. Write one reason why the plant may droop.
7
PSYusuf says that roots take in light from the sun. Is he right? Write yes or no.
8
FWhich of these does a root take in from the soil? Write A or B. A: minerals B: sunlight
9
RSunflower A has long roots in deep soil. Sunflower B has short roots in shallow soil. Which one is more likely to stay upright in strong wind? Write A or B.
10
PSWorking scientifically. Two cress seedlings are grown, and one has more water than the other. Write one thing that must stay the same to make the test fair.
11
RWrite one sentence that explains why a plant may fall over if its roots are damaged.

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