Title: Vascular tissues

Author: Zyta Sendecka

Target group

5th grade student of elementary school.

Core curriculum

5. Variety and unity of plants:

1) plant tissues - the student observes and recognizes (under a microscope, in the diagram, in the picture or on the basis of the description) plant tissues and indicates their adaptive features to perform specific functions (creative, covering, parenchyma, strengthening, conductive tissue);

Lesson objectives

Students describe the tissue structure of dicotyledonous plant stems.

Criteria for success

• recognize tissues on the cross section of the stem;

• discuss the construction of wood and bark and present their functions.

Key competences

• communication in the mother tongue;

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• mathematical competence and basis competences in science and technology; 

• learning to learn;

Methods/forms of work

Direct observation, workshop method, talk, traffic lights method.

Individual activity and activity in groups.

Teaching aids

• abstract;

• interactive whiteboard or traditional blackboard;

• tablets/computers;

• plastic bottles with a capacity of 0.5 liters;

• box cutters;

• adhesive tape;

• cards;

• equipment and utensils for microscopy;

• microscopic preparations: cross‑section of the stem of a dicotyledonous plant.

Lesson phases

Introduction

1. The teacher gives the subject and the purpose of the lesson in a language that the student understands and displays the criteria for success.

2. The lecturer asks the pupils what function the plant stem has. Students answers are written on the board.

Realization

1. Students look under the microscope at a cross‑section of the stem of a dicotyledonous plant and draw a diagram of tissue arrangement. Then analyze the interactive illustration „Cross section of a stem” and recognize the skin, parenchyma and vascular beam in the microscope image, and wood and phloem in it.

2. Students determine the position of wood and phloem to the center of the stem. They indicate the tissue that is characterized by larger cells.

3. The teacher asks pupils to look carefully at the pictures in „Gallery 1”, showing patterns of wood and phloem construction and their microscopic images. Students describe the shape of wood cells and swallows in the cross‑section and longitudinal section.

4. The teacher divides the class into groups. Students perform with plastic bottles cell models of wood and phloem located one above the other.

5. The teacher recommends the students to read the information on the role of wood and phloem, included in the abstract. The students discuss the relationship between the structure of wood and phloem cells and the functions they perform.

6. Students independently perform an interactive exercise.

Summary

The lecturer asks students the following questions:

• What is the function of wood?

• Why are the wood cells lengthened?

• Why do they have thick cell walls?

• Why do not they have transverse walls?

• What is the function of the phloem?

• What is the function of the phloem different from the role of wood?

Homework

Carry out tasks number 1.1.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Vascular tissue

The taller the plant, the harder it is to supply the cells located on top with the necessary amount of water and nutrients.They deal with this using vascular tissues, which form long vascular bundles running along the plant. Typical vascular tissues occur in vascular plants, i.e. ferns and seed plants.

Wood (xylem) it is built of dead, woody and hollow cells arranged one above the other. Their transverse cell walls have disappeared, so they resemble long tubes called vessels. They are leading the water along with minerals from the roots through the stem to the leaves, flowers and fruits.

Phloem absorbs nutrients throughout the plant produced in the leaves during photosynthesis. It is made of elongated, living cells, whose transverse walls have many holes and resemble sieves. For them, the cells combine with each other to form cytoplasmic bands. The individual tubes sieve (sieve tube elements) are arranged over each other to form strings conductive, through which nutrients are transferred from cell to cell.

• The body of plants is filled with tissues, i.e. assemblies of cells with a similar structure specialized to perform specific functions.

• Vascular tissue is responsible for transporting water and nutrients to all parts of the plant.