Unit 1 : Plants

1.1 Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the way that the plants make food. Plants need carbon dioxide and water

to make glucose and oxygen.

Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction. The word equation for it is:

(sunlight)

Carbon dioxide + water ---------→ food (glucose) + oxygen

What happens during photosynthesis?

During photosynthesis, the plant’s leaves absorb the energy of light. The energy of light is

stored in the glucose that is made. The glucose is a store of chemical potential energy. Plants

use the food that they make in photosynthesis to make new cells or tissues.

Where does photosynthesis happen?

Photosynthesis happens inside the chloroplasts in a palisade cell.

What is glucose?

Glucose is a sugar. Sugars belong to a group of carbohydrates. Plants usually make much more

glucose than they need to use it immediately. They store some of it to use later. Plants do

not store glucose because they are soluble in water, which makes it difficult to store inside a

cell.

Instead the plant changes some of the glucose into a different kind of carbohydrate –

starch.

1.2 Leaves

Most leaves are green because they contain a green pigment called chlorophyll.

Chlorophyll is essential for photosynthesis because it captures energy from the light to

make food (photosynthesis).

Leaves have tiny holes in their lower surfaces, called stomata, which allow carbon dioxide to

get into the leaf of air.

To investigate photosynthesis, the simplest way is to check if it is giving off (releasing)

oxygen gas. This is the easiest to do if the leaf is underwater because the oxygen gas makes

bubbles. The more oxygen is given off per minute, the faster the rate of photosynthesis.

1.4 Roots

The function of the roots is:

• Roots absorb water and mineral from the soil. These are then transported to all the

other parts of the plant.

• Roots anchor the plant firmly in the ground, so it is not pulled out when the wind blows

strongly, or when an animal pulls on the leaves.

• Some plants store food in their roots.

Root hair cells provide a really big surface through which water and minerals can be

absorbed.
1.5 Transporting water and minerals

From the roots, the minerals and water are transported to the other parts of the plants

through xylem vessels. Plants have two transporting systems which are xylem and phloem.

Xylem vessels are long, hollow tubes that carry water and minerals from the roots of the

plant to its leaves. Xylem vessels are very tiny, very strong and hard walls, Xylem vessels

carry water and nutrients from the soil all the way up to the other parts of the plants.

Phloem vessels are plants transport system that moves downward from the leaves to the

roots. It carries food that made in the leaves during photosynthesis to all parts of the

plants.
End of Task Unit

1. Define photosynthesis.

2. Write down the equation of photosynthesis.

3. What does a plant need to do photosynthesis?

4. What does a plant make during photosynthesis?

5. Write down one substance that makes the leaves green in colour.

6. Write down three functions of roots.

7. Photosynthesis happens in _____________________ inside the

__________________________.

8. Name two transport plants systems.

9. Explain how the plant does is able to take in water and minerals from the soil.

10. Look at the image below and answer the following questions.
 a. Photosynthesis happens in number _______________.

b. The exchange of gases happens in number _________________.

c. Parts of the leaves that protect the cell inside the leaf are shown by number

_________ and ______________.

11. Complete the table below.

No Leaf structure Function

1 Spongy layer

2 Stoma

3 Waxy layer

4 Upper epidermis

5 Lower epidermis

6 Palisade layer

7 Vein

12. Identify the xylems in each part of the plant’s structure below.
 Picture A

Picture A shows the position of xylem in a

____________. The xylem is shown by

number _____________.

Picture B

Picture B shows the position of xylem in a

____________. The xylem is shown by

number _____________.

Picture C

Picture C shows the position of xylem in a

____________. The xylem is shown by

number _____________.

13. Which one of these is a root hair cell?

2.1 Nutrients

Nutrients are needed for our body to stay healthy.

Nutrients are substances in food that the body uses:

• To provide energy

• To provide materials for making the chemicals that are needed to make cells and other

parts of the body.

There are many types of nutrients that our body needs such as protein, carbohydrates,

fat, vitamins and minerals, fibre and water.

Nutrients Functions

Protein To make new cells, enzymes and antibodies.

(Example: fish, meat, eggs, nuts)

Carbohydrate To provide energy

(Example: bread, pasta and rice)

Fat - To provide energy

- To provide insulation for the body.

- To make new cell membrane

(Example: Dairy foods)

Vitamins and minerals To keep us healthy

(Example: Fruits and vegetables)

Fibre To keep food moving easily through digestive system.

(Example: Fruits and vegetables)

Water To keep our body stays hydrated

2.2 A balanced diet

A balanced diet is a diet that provides all the different kinds of nutrients and the right

amount of energy.
If a person does not eat enough of a particular nutrient, their body may not be able to work

properly, and they may have nutritional diseases.

Nutrient Function in the body Deficiency disease

Vitamin C Helps to make strong skin Scurvy- the skin becomes weak, so

sores to develop

Vitamin D Needed to make bones and teeth Rickets- the bones are weak, so the

legs may become bent.

Iron Needed to make haemoglobin, Anaemia – the blood cannot carry

which carries oxygen in the enough oxygen, and the person feels

blood. very tired.

Calcium Needed to make bones and teeth The bones and teeth become weak

scurvy rickets

2.3 Digestion and absorption

Your mouth us the entrance to a long tube called the alimentary canal. The other end of the

tube is called the anus.

Nutrients cannot be used by body cells until they have been absorbed through the walls of

the alimentary canal. Only small molecules can pass through the wall of the alimentary canal.
Digestion is the breakdown of large molecules of nutrients to small molecules, so they can be

absorbed.

2.4 The human digestive system

The digestive system is made up of the alimentary canal, plus the salivary glands, liver and

pancreas.
Functions of organs in the digestive system

Important notes:

- The alimentary canal is a long tube that runs from the mouth to the anus.

- Inside the alimentary canal, nutrients are first digested and then absorbed.

- Digestion happens inside the mouth, stomach and small intestine.

- Absorption happens inside the small intestine and large intestine.

There are four different kinds of teeth-incisors, canines, premolar and molars.
The structure of a tooth

Caring for your teeth

The enamel on your teeth is very strong. However, it can be dissolved by acids. If this

happens, you may get a hole in your tooth. This can be painful when the hole reaches the pulp

cavity, where the nerve endings.

To avoid getting holes in your teeth:

- Don’t drink fizzy drinks, or eat sugary food, all day long.

- Clean your tooth thoroughly after breakfast and before you go to bed.

- Use a toothpaste containing fluoride. Fluoride helps to strengthen the enamel on your

teeth.

2.6 Enzymes

Enzymes are chemical substance that break down large nutrient into small molecules.
When one substance is changed into a different substance, a chemical reaction has taken

place.

Catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction but is not changed itself.

End Task

1. Name three foods where we can find protein.

2. Name three foods that contain carbohydrates.

3. What is the function of fibre to our body?

4. Which three nutrients provide the body with energy?

5. Define a balanced diet.

6. What happen to a person that does not eat enough particular nutrient?

7. What happens to a person that lacks iron?

8. What happens to a person that lacks vitamin D?

9. What happens to a person that lacks vitamin C?

10. What happens to a person that lacks calcium?

11. Digestion happens in ____________, _____________ and ______________.

12. Absorption happens inside the __________________________ and

___________________________.

13. Define enzymes and catalysts.

14. Explain what happens to the enamel of your teeth if it gets acids for too long.

15. Write down three ways on how to take care of your teeth.
16. Fill in the table.

Parts of digestive system Functions

Mouth

Large intestine

Oesophagus

Liver

Stomach

Pancreas

Small intestine

17. Match the teeth with their functions.

incisors A. It is used for crushing and

grinding food.

canines B. It is used for biting off small

pieces of food. It is bigger than

the other teeth.

premolars C. It is used for crushing and

grinding food that we chew.

molars D. It is used for cutting and tear

pieces of food.

18. ____________________ is a very hard covering, containing calcium.

19. Identify types of teeth below.