Plants Grow from Air & Water
CONCEPTUALSupport an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water, not from the soil
Mastery Evidence
- Explain that plants take in carbon dioxide from air and water from soil to make food (photosynthesis)
- Argue that most of a plant's mass comes from air (CO₂) and water, not soil minerals
- Describe a simple investigation showing soil mass barely changes while a plant grows significantly
Assessment Prompt
“If [child] knows plants need water and sunlight, can they also explain that most of a plant's 'building material' actually comes from air and water rather than dirt?”
Curriculum Standards1 alignment
5-LS1-1Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) K-5codes onlyPrerequisites2
- Water Transport in PlantssoftAges 7—8
- What Plants Need to ThrivehardAges 7—8
Show full prerequisite tree
- Water Transport in Plants soft
Water transport investigation supports understanding water as a plant growth material
- How Plant Parts Work hard
Must know stem function before investigating water transport through stems
- What Plants Need to Thrive hard
Must know plant growth requirements before arguing that most material comes from air and water
- What Plants Need to Grow hard
Must know basic plant needs before exploring how needs vary between plants
- What Living Things Need hard
Must know basic survival needs before investigating specific plant growth conditions
- Living Things Vocabulary soft
Describing what plants and animals need to survive uses life processes vocabulary: nutrition, growth, sensitivity
Unlocks1
- Energy from Food & the SunhardAges 10—11