1. GETTING TO KNOW PLANTS Plants are usually grouped into herbs, shrubs, trees, and climbers based on their height, stems and branches 1.Herbs : These are plants that have green and frail stems.  Usually, these are small plants with not many branches.  Some common examples of herbs are Basil, Coriander, Mint, Oregano, Thyme, Parsley, Rosemary etc. 2. Shrubs : These are plants with hard but not exactly thick stems.

2.  Their branches generally originate from the base of their stems.  These are much taller than herbs but usually shorter than trees.  Some common examples of shrubs are Aloe Vera, Rose plant, Jasmine plant, Blackberry plant etc. 3. Trees : These are plants which are very tall and have a thick and hard stem.  The branches originate from the upper part of the tree and are very high above the ground.  Some common examples of trees are neem, Peepal, coconut tree, mango tree etc.

3. 4. Climbers : They have weak stems and cannot stand erect.  They take support of other trees and climb on them.  Example: pea, grape, vine, etc. 5. Creepers : Plants which creep on the ground and spread out.  Example: pumpkin and watermelon

5. Shaalu was a class VI student and she understood about different types of plants but she was very curious to know about stem functions. shall we help her to understand the function and responsibility of stem : Come on guys, let’s have a round up: 1.The Stem is the part of a plant which is responsible for supplying water to all parts of the plant. 2. It is the stem which bears branches, flowers, leaves, fruits and buds. 3.The root sucks the water and minerals from the soil and it is the stem’s function to push this water upward to other parts of the plant

6. ACTIVITY : Try at home Materials required: Container, colored water ( blue or red ), stem of any plant Procedure: 1. Soak the stem of a plant in a container containing colored water 2. Leave the set up over night 3. Observe the plant on the very next day Observation: It is observed that the stem and leaves of the plant start to turn the color of the water, which is proof that the stem carries the water to the different parts of the plant.

7. This experiment helps to know how stems are responsible for carrying water to different plant parts

8. PARTS OF A LEAF :  Lamina: The broad, green part of a leaf.  Venation : The pattern of veins and veinlets on the leaves is called venation.  Veins : Thread like structures in the leaves forming a network.  Midrib: It is the thick vein in the middle of the leaf.  Node: Places where leaves and branches are joined to stem are called nodes.  Internodes: The part of stem between two nodes is called internode.

11. Reticulate and parallel venation :  Reticulate: If the venation is in net like appearance on both sides of midrib, it is called reticulate. For example, Peepal. This venation is always connected with tap root  Parallel: In the leaves of grasses, the veins and veinlets are parallel to one another. Such a venation is called parallel. Example : Grass. This venation is always connected with Fibrous root This PhotoThis Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BYCC BY

12. Function of Root: 1. Roots are mostly the underground part of the plant. 2. They absorb water and mineral from the soil. 3. They hold the soil firmly to keep the plant upright. 4. Some roots store food and become plump.

13. Types of roots:Fibrous and Tap root Fibrous roots: In the plants like grass, the branches of the root come out from the base of the stem. Such roots are known as fibrous roots. Taproots: In some plants, the branches of the root arise from a thick structure under the ground which is called the main or primary root. Such roots are called taproots.

14. FLOWER : PARTS OF A FLOWER: Sepals: It is the outermost whorl of the flower. Often they are small, green leaf like structures. They protect the inner parts of a flower while it is still a bud.

15. Petals: 1. Inside the sepals there is the whorl of petals. 2. Different flowers have petals of different colours. 3. Some flowers have sweet smelling petals. 4. With its colour and fragrance, the petals attract not only the human beings but also the insects and the birds.

16. Stamens: These are 4-6 in number and are the male reproductive part of a flower. Each stamen is made up of two parts— filament and anther. Anther contains pollen grains. Pistil: It is the innermost part of a flower and it is the female reproductive part of a flower. Ovary can be divided into three parts: (a) Stigma, (b) Style (c) Ovary. Ovary may further be divided into locules. Locules contain ovules.

17. TRY IT YOURSELF: State True or False: (a) If a plant has fibrous root, then leaves will show parallel venation. (b) Stem transport the food from leaves to the other parts of the plants. (c) Leaves absorb Oxygen in the process of photosynthesis. (d) Herbs are plants with strong stems. (e) The part of a leaf which it is attached to the stem is called lamina. (f) Lemon plant is a Shrub plant.

18. Dear student, Using the picture given, try to frame a conversation with the stem of a plant. As a clue, continue the conversation 1.Hey stem, is there any magic in your body _____________ 2. I heard that you push ________to different parts of a plant 3. ____________ 4. _____________

19. Transpiration: Transpiration is the process through which plants release the excess amount of water in the air. When the water travels via the stem to the leaves, some of it gets used up to prepare food, while the excess water is converted to water vapor due to the presence of the sun

20. PHOTOSYNTHESIS: Photosynthesis is defined as the process that helps leaves prepare food for the plant with the help of carbon dioxide and water.  Photosynthesis occurs in the presence of sun and is aided by the presence of a green pigment in leaves called chlorophyll  Plants also release oxygen in the process  The food prepared is stored in various parts of the plant

21.  In absence of photosynthesis, the plant is unable to utilise the water and minerals to prepare food for its nourishment and gradually dies.  Important Definitions  Stomata: These are the small microscopic pores present on the leaf through which exchange of gases and transpiration takes place.  Annuals: These are plants like wheat and maize that complete their life cycle in one season and then die. They are usually herbs.  Biennials: These are plants like carrots and radishes that complete their life cycle in two seasons.  Perennials: These are plants guava and palm that continue their life cycle for more than two seasons, i.e. they manage to re-grow every spring.

22. Leaf Venation Stem- conduction Tap root & fibrous root YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/P0q7C bNlxBc https://youtu.be/P0q7C bNlxBc Transpiration Leaf - photosynth esis This lesson gives you an idea about different parts of a plant and their functions Petals, sepals, stamen, pistil

23. 1. What do you think about climbers & creepers and How will you differentiate them ? 2. Try to recollect the male and female reproductive parts of a flower 3. Can you guess the name of the process in which the leaves are gives out excess water? 4. Try to frame a story using the answers of question numbers 1, 2 & 3. To frame a story you can use an online tool called www.inklewriter.comwww.inklewriter.com