Year 5 Science: What reproduction means
Part of the Year 5 Science reproduction in plants and animals chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
What reproduction means
Reproduction is the life process by which living things make new living things of their own kind. It is one of the seven life processes, and it keeps a type of plant or animal going from one generation to the next.
Some plants reproduce with seeds, which are made in flowers. Other plants can make new plants without seeds, by sending out runners, plantlets or tubers.
| Plant | The part that grows into a new plant |
|---|---|
| strawberry | a runner, which takes root and grows a new plant |
| spider plant | a small plantlet on the end of a long stem |
| potato | a tuber, which is planted to grow a new plant |
Key ideas
- Reproduction is how living things make new living things of their own kind.
- Some plants reproduce with seeds, which are made in flowers.
- Some plants can make new plants without seeds, from runners, plantlets or tubers.
- The new plant is a copy of its parent.
Method. Read the table in section 3.1.
- Find the runner. The table says that a strawberry sends out a runner, which takes root.runner
- Name the plant. The plant that sends out runners is the strawberry.strawberry
- Write the answer. strawberry
Check. The runner takes root and grows a new plant. ✓
Method. Read the row for the spider plant.
- Read the row. The spider plant makes a small plantlet on the end of a long stem.plantlet
- Decide. It makes new plants without seeds, so the answer is no.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Plantlets grow into new plants without seeds. ✓
Method. Read the row for the potato.
- Read the row. The potato row says a tuber is planted to grow a new plant.tuber
- Name the part. The part that is planted is the tuber.tuber
- Write the answer. tuber
Check. A tuber is a swollen underground stem store. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a runner, a plantlet and a tuber can make a new plant without any seeds. Do not say that all plants need seeds to reproduce.
Try it (with your teacher or a grown-up). Look at a strawberry plant in a garden or a pot, with a grown-up. If it has runners, follow one to the end and see if a small new plant is growing there. Draw the parent plant and the new plant, and label each one. Wash your hands afterwards.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “Where does the new plant come from? Is it the same kind of plant as the parent?” Let your child say the word reproduction.
Exercise 3A What reproduction means
Method. Read the definition in section 3.1.
- Read the definition. Reproduction is the life process by which living things make new living things of their own kind.own kind
- Name it. So the word is reproduction.reproduction
- Write the answer. reproduction
Check. Reproduction keeps a type of living thing going. ✓
Method. Read the table in section 3.1.
- Read the table. The strawberry sends out runners.runners
- Name the plant. So the answer is strawberry.strawberry
- Write the answer. strawberry
Check. A runner takes root at its end. ✓
Method. Read the table in section 3.1.
- Read the table. A potato grows a new plant from a tuber.tuber
- Name the part. So the answer is tuber.tuber
- Write the answer. tuber
Check. The tuber is planted in the soil. ✓
Method. Think about what the new plant is like.
- Think about the new plant. A new plant from a runner has the same features as its parent.same features
- Fill the gap. So the new plant is a copy of its parent.copy
- Write the answer. copy
Check. The new plant is genetically the same as the parent. ✓
Method. Read the row for the spider plant.
- Read the row. The spider plant makes a small plantlet on the end of a long stem.plantlet
- Decide. So a spider plant does not need seeds.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Plantlets grow into new plants. ✓
Method. Think about the three ways in the table.
- Think about the table. Runners, plantlets and tubers all make new plants without seeds.without seeds
- Decide. So the statement is false.false
- Write the answer. false
Check. Some plants reproduce without seeds. ✓
Method. Count the rows in the table.
- Count the rows. The table has three plants: strawberry, spider plant and potato.three rows
- Write the number. So there are three ways in the table.3
- Write the answer. 3
Check. Each row is one way of making new plants without seeds. ✓
Method. Think about how runners work.
- Think about the runner. A runner takes root and grows a new plant, without seeds.without seeds
- Decide. So Priya is right, and the answer is yes.yes
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Runners are a way of reproducing without seeds. ✓
Method. Read the labels in the picture.
- Read the labels. The picture labels the parent plant and the new plant.parent and new
- Choose the new plant. The new plant is at the end of the runner.end of the runner
- Write the answer. the plant at the end of the runner
Check. The runner joins the two plants. ✓
Method. Think about where the new plant comes from.
- Think about the source. The new plant grows from a part of the parent plant.grows from the parent
- Write the reason. So it has the same features as the parent.same features
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says the new plant is made from part of the parent, so it has the same features.
Check. Reproduction without seeds makes a copy of the parent. ✓