Meaning and Characteristics of Plants – Basic 3 Basic Science Lesson Note (Third Term)

What are Plants?

Plants are living things that grow in soil, water, or air. They make their own food using sunlight and cannot move from place to place.

Classes of Plants

Plants can be grouped into different types:

By Size:

• Trees – very tall plants with thick trunks (mango, oak)

• Shrubs – medium-sized plants with many branches (rose bush)

• Herbs – small, soft plants (grass, mint)

By Where They Grow:

• Land plants – grow on soil (most plants we see)
• Water plants – grow in water (water lily, algae)
• Air plants – grow on other plants (some orchids)

By How Long They Live:

• Annual – live for one year (maize, beans)
• Biennial – live for two years (carrots, onions)
• Perennial – live for many years (trees, rose bushes)

Characteristics of Plants

All plants have these features:

• Green color – from chlorophyll that makes food
• Cannot move – they stay in one place
• Need sunlight – to make their own food
• Have roots – to get water and nutrients from soil
• Have leaves – to catch sunlight and make food
• Grow toward light – branches and leaves face the sun
• Reproduce – make new plants through seeds or other ways

Exercise 1:

1. Name 2 characteristics of plants: _______, _______
2. Circle the trees: Grass / Mango / Rose bush / Oak tree
3. Where do land plants grow? _______