Year 3 Science: What plants need
Part of the Year 3 Science what plants need chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
What plants need
A plant is a living thing, and like all living things it needs certain things in order to live and grow. A plant gets these things from its surroundings. It needs five things:
- air, which leaves take in;
- light, which leaves use to make food;
- water, which roots take in from the soil;
- nutrients from the soil;
- room to grow, so that the roots and leaves have space to spread out.
Nutrients are substances in the soil that a plant needs to grow well. The roots take them in with the water.
A plant makes its own food in its leaves. Plants do not eat food like we do. They still need all five things, so that they can make food, grow and stay healthy.
Key ideas
- A plant needs air, light, water, nutrients from the soil and room to grow.
- Nutrients are substances in the soil that help a plant to grow well.
- A plant makes its own food in its leaves.
- A plant needs all five things to grow and stay healthy.
Method. Think about what a plant gets from its surroundings.
- Read the claim. Ali says a plant needs sweets.sweets
- Check the five needs. The five needs are air, light, water, nutrients from the soil and room to grow. Sweets are not one of them.not on the list
- Decide. So Ali is not right.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. A plant makes its own food in its leaves, so it does not need sweets. ✓
Watch out. Plants make their own food. Nutrients from the soil are not food.
Method. Count only the things a plant needs.
- Read the list. The list has six things in it.six things
- Take out the one that is not a need. A television is not a need of a plant, so take it out.a television is out
- Count what is left. Five things are left: the five needs of a plant.5 needs
- Write the answer. 5
Check. Air, light, water, nutrients and room to grow make five. ✓
Method. Check each need against the pot.
- Check the pot. The pot has room, light, air and water.room, light, air, water
- Find what is not there. The pot has no soil, so nutrients from the soil cannot be taken in.no soil
- Name the need. The need that is missing is the nutrients from the soil.nutrients from soil
- Write the answer. nutrients from soil
Check. The soil is where a plant takes in its nutrients. ✓
Watch out. Light and water are not missing here. The soil is the thing that is missing.
Watch out
Watch out: a plant does not need to eat food like an animal. It makes its own food in its leaves, using light. But it still needs nutrients from the soil to grow well.
Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). Look at a houseplant or a plant in a garden with a grown-up. Do not pick or pull the plant. Say out loud what you think it needs to live and grow, and check your ideas against the list of five needs. Wash your hands afterwards.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “What does this plant need? Where does it get it from?” Let your child name the five needs, and then point to where each one comes from on the plant.
Exercise 3A What plants need
Method. Think about what a plant takes in or uses around it.
- Think about the air and the light. A plant needs air and light.air, light
- Think about the soil and the space. A plant needs water and nutrients from the soil, and room to grow.water, nutrients, room
- Write the answer. air, light, water, nutrients from the soil and room to grow (any order)
Check. Five needs: air, light, water, nutrients and room to grow. ✓
Method. Check each choice against the five needs.
- Read the first choice. Air is one of the five needs of a plant.air is a need
- Read the second choice. A television is not a need of a plant.television is not
- Write the answer. air
Check. Air is needed; a television is not. ✓
Method. Think about the word for the substances a plant takes in from the soil.
- Read the description. These are substances in the soil that help a plant grow well.substances in soil
- Name them. These substances are called nutrients.nutrients
- Write the answer. nutrients
Check. Nutrients are taken in from the soil through the roots. ✓
Method. Think about where a plant makes its food.
- Read the sentence. A plant makes its own food in its leaves.food in leaves
- Write the answer. food
Check. The leaves make food. ✓
Method. Think about what the leaves use to make food.
- Read the sentence. Leaves use light from the sun to make food.light
- Write the answer. light
Check. Light is needed to make food. ✓
Method. Think about what the roots take in from the soil.
- Think about water. The roots take in water from the soil.water from soil
- Think about nutrients. The roots take in nutrients from the soil.nutrients from soil
- Write the answer. water and nutrients
Check. Air, light and room to grow do not come from the soil. ✓
Method. Find the sun in the picture.
- Find the sun. The sun is drawn in the top left corner.top left
- Read the label. The label next to the sun says light.light
- Write the answer. light
Check. The sun gives the plant light. ✓
Method. Think about the space the plant has.
- Read the story. The plant has soil, light and water, but very little space.very little space
- Name the need. The need for space is room to grow.room to grow
- Write the answer. room to grow
Check. Crowded plants have less room for their roots and leaves. ✓
Method. Add the pots on the windowsill and the pots in the cupboard.
- Read the two numbers. There are 3 pots on the windowsill and 4 in the cupboard.3 and 4
- Add them together. The total is the number of pots in both places.3 + 4 = 7
- Write the answer. 7 pots
Check. 4 + 3 = 7, so the answer is right. ✓
Method. Think about what the leaves need to make food.
- Think about the light. Leaves use light to make food.light needed
- Predict. With no light, the leaves cannot make food well, so they may look pale or the plant may grow weakly.pale or weak
- Write the answer. Accept any prediction that says the leaves will look pale or the plant will grow weakly, because it has no light.
Check. A prediction can be tested by keeping plants in the light and in the dark. ✓
Method. Think about what leaves take in.
- Think about the colour. Being green does not mean a plant does not need air.green is not the reason
- Give the reason. Leaves take in carbon dioxide from the air to make food, so air is needed.carbon dioxide from air
- Write the answer. No. Accept any reason that says leaves take in a gas from the air to make food.
Check. Air is one of the five things a plant needs. ✓
Method. Think about the five needs and which one is missing.
- Check the needs. The pot has air, light, water and room.four needs
- Find the missing need. Without soil, the plant cannot take in nutrients from the soil.no nutrients
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says the plant has no soil, so it cannot take in nutrients from the soil.
Check. Nutrients are needed for healthy growth, and they come from the soil. ✓