Year 3 Science: The life cycle of a flowering plant
Part of the Year 3 Science the life cycle of a flowering plant chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
The life cycle of a flowering plant
Plants, like all living things, have a life cycle. A life cycle is the set of stages that a living thing goes through, from the start of its life until it makes new living things like itself.
A flowering plant starts as a seed. The seed begins to grow, which is called germination. The young plant grows into a seedling, then a young plant, and then a flowering plant. The flowering plant makes flowers. The flowers are pollinated, and seeds form inside a fruit. Then the seeds are dispersed, which means they are spread away from the parent plant. A dispersed seed can start the cycle again.
So the life cycle goes round in a circle. The seeds that leave the plant become new plants.
Key ideas
- A life cycle is the set of stages that a living thing goes through.
- A flowering plant starts as a seed, which germinates and grows into a seedling, then a young plant and a flowering plant.
- Pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal happen after the plant has flowers.
- Seed dispersal spreads seeds away from the parent plant, and a dispersed seed can start the cycle again.
Method. Think about the order of the stages.
- Find germination. Germination is the stage in which the seed starts to grow.germination
- Find the next stage. The next stage after germination is the seedling.seedling comes next
- Write the answer. seedling
Check. The seedling grows from the germinated seed. ✓
Method. Start with the stage that comes first in the cycle.
- Start with the seed. A seed is the first stage of the cycle.seed first
- Next, germination. The seed germinates before it becomes a seedling.germination second
- Last, the seedling. The seedling comes after germination.seedling third
- Write the answer. seed, germination, seedling
Check. The order is seed, germination, seedling. ✓
Method. Think about what seeds do once they have been dispersed.
- Find seed dispersal. Seed dispersal spreads the seeds away from the parent plant.seed dispersal
- Follow the arrow. After seed dispersal, the cycle goes back to the seed.back to seed
- Write the answer. seed
Check. The cycle starts again with a seed. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: the life cycle does not end at the flower. The flower makes seeds, the seeds spread out, and each one can start the cycle again.
Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). With a grown-up, plant a bean seed in a pot of soil, or put one on damp cotton wool in a clear cup. Keep it in a warm place. Draw the seed on the first day, and then draw it again each week. Do not eat the seeds. Wash your hands afterwards.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “What stage is the plant at now? What stage do you think comes next?” Let your child point to each stage on the circle, and say it in order.
Exercise 4A The life cycle of a flowering plant
Method. Look at the start of the cycle.
- Find the first stage. The life cycle starts with a seed.seed first
- Write the answer. seed
Check. Every flowering plant starts as a seed. ✓
Method. Think about how a seedling grows.
- Find the seedling. A seedling is a young plant that has grown from a seed.seedling
- Find the next stage. As it grows, the seedling becomes a young plant.young plant
- Write the answer. young plant
Check. The seedling becomes a young plant. ✓
Method. Think about the shape of the cycle on the board.
- Read the sentence. The cycle goes round and round, so it is a circle.circle
- Write the answer. circle
Check. The cycle starts again with a seed. ✓
Method. Think about the stage that spreads seeds.
- Read the sentence. Seed dispersal spreads seeds away from the parent plant.dispersal
- Write the answer. dispersal
Check. Seed dispersal is spreading seeds. ✓
Method. Find pollination on the ring, and follow the arrow.
- Find pollination. Pollination is one of the boxes on the ring.pollination
- Follow the arrow. The next box after pollination is seed formation.seed formation
- Write the answer. seed formation
Check. After pollination, seeds start to form. ✓
young plant, germination, seedling
Method. Start with the stage that comes first, and go in the order of the cycle.
- Start with germination. Germination is the first of these stages.germination first
- Next, the seedling. The seedling comes after germination.seedling second
- Last, the young plant. The young plant comes after the seedling.young plant third
- Write the answer. germination, seedling, young plant
Check. Germination, then seedling, then young plant. ✓
Method. Think about what happens to the seeds that a flower makes.
- Think about the flower. The flower makes seeds, but the cycle does not stop there.not the end
- Think about the seeds. Seeds are dispersed, and a seed starts the cycle again.seed starts again
- Write the answer. No. Accept any answer that says a seed starts the cycle again.
Check. The cycle goes round, so it does not end at the flower. ✓
Method. Count the boxes around the circle, one at a time.
- Count the boxes. Each box is one stage, and there are eight of them.8 boxes
- Write the answer. 8
Check. The eight stages are seed, germination, seedling, young plant, flowering plant, pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal. ✓
Method. Think about what happens when a seed starts to grow.
- Think about the seed. When a seed starts to grow, it is called germination.germination
- Name the stage. So Mo is watching germination.germination
- Write the answer. germination
Check. Germination is the start of growth from a seed. ✓
Method. Think about where the cycle goes after the seeds are dispersed.
- Think about the seeds. The seeds leave the plant and can grow into new plants.new plants
- Give the reason. So the cycle goes round, and starts again with a seed.starts again
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says the seeds spread from the plant and grow into new plants, so the cycle starts again.
Check. A circle has no end, just as the cycle starts again. ✓
Method. Think about what crowded plants have to share.
- Think about the seeds. Seeds that fall close together grow close to the parent plant.close together
- Give the reason. They have to share the light, water and nutrients, so each one gets less.share
- Write the answer. Accept any answer that says seeds near the parent must share light, water and nutrients with it and with each other.
Check. Dispersal gives each new plant room to grow. ✓