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Backyard Explorer 3 to 5 / Week 05 / Explorer Day
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Week 05 · Plants: Built From Air and Water

Explorer Day

Explorer Day: Compare Two Plants
// Where the stuff of a plant really comes from
⏱ about 15 min

Explorer Day: Compare Two Plants

Rocket and Raven kneel between a sunny grass patch and a shady one.

"Same yard, same rain," says Rocket. "But look how different they are."

Raven measures a grass blade from each patch with her ruler. She writes both numbers.

Nova hovers between them. "What is different about these two spots?" she asks.

Rocket looks up. "The sun," he says. "One patch gets a lot more light."

  1. Plants need light, water and air.
  2. Roots hold the plant and take in water. Stems carry water up. Leaves make food.
  3. Plants build themselves mostly from water and carbon dioxide, not from soil.
  4. Light gives the energy for photosynthesis.
  5. A good argument has a claim, evidence and reasoning.
◇ EXPLORER DAY: COMPARE TWO PLANTS
With your grown-up, find two plants of the same kind in different spots. Grass works well.
Pick one in a sunny spot and one in a shady spot.
Measure the height of each with a ruler. Write both numbers in your notebook.
Look at the leaf color. Is one darker or paler? Write it down.
Count the leaves on a small section of each, if you can.
Fill in the table below for both plants.
Talk about it: which spot gets more light? Which plant is doing better? Why might that be?
Safety first
Measure with a ruler. Do not pull up or pick the plants.
Some plants make skin itch. If you do not know a plant, do not touch it.
Stay with your grown-up and wash your hands when you come in.
For a grown-up
Help hold the ruler at the soil line.
Ask: what do both plants get the same? What is different?
No outdoor space? Compare a plant near a window with one far from it.
Sunny plantShady plant
Height
Leaf color
Leaf count
Other notes
COMPARE CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Both plants get the same rain. What is most likely different?
Where does the material for new leaves mostly come from?
Which of the three things plants need gives the energy for photosynthesis?
WHY THIS EXERCISELight gives the energy. Water and carbon dioxide give the material.
Draw your two plants side by side. Label which one was in the sun.

Great comparing, explorer! Next week we read the signs animals leave behind.

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