Resources: Books/internet for research.
Handout: An investigation sheet for the students to complete.
Revise habitats and ecosystems, reminding the students that plants are producers (they make their own food).
Ask the students: what would a world without plants be like? (The image shows the surface of Venus - where no plants are known to grow - and the Earth.) Students discuss their ideas with their talk partners.
Begin the presentation by reminding the students that plant life forms have been on the Earth for around 700 billion years; they pre-date animal life forms. Then, use the rest of the presentation to explain why plant life is vital for all organisms on planet Earth. Discuss habitats, materials, fabrics, medicines, chemicals, research and air quality. Answer questions and take part in activities during the presentation and then ask the students to complete the research activities on the worksheet.
Career Film: Dr Lauriane Chalmin-Pui works as a Wellbeing Research Fellow with the RHS.
Expert Film: This is Dr Lauriane Chalmin, who works as a Wellbeing Research Fellow at the RHS. Lauriane talks about why plants are important.
Research why plants are important. Using information from the presentation, the handout and their own research, ask the students to explain why plants are important. They should highlight the significance of plants in:
Support: Use the internet to find pictures and uses of a particular plant. Examples could include bamboo, oak trees, palm trees, fox gloves or tulips.
Challenge: Ask the students to describe how their life would be different without plants.
Discuss the use of plants in the manufacture of clothing. What else are clothes made from? What do the students think are the most sustainable options? They can also review the keywords and add them to their glossary using the unit keywords sheet provided.
Plants are essential to all life on earth as they form the base of many food chains. Due to a plant’s ability to use sunlight to generate energy, it is invaluable in any ecosystem or food chain.
Many materials come from plants. Woods and timbers are examples of some hard materials made from plants. Some fabrics are made from plant products. Cotton is harvested from cotton plants, then twisted and spun into yarn before being woven into cloth.
They are also used as sources of chemicals. Some chemicals are derived from fruits, such as caffeine from coffee cherries. Others come from the flowers; the flowers of the indigo plant are used to make the dye for blue denim jeans.
Some medicines have been derived from plants. Aspirin was made from the bark of a willow tree. Poppies have been a source of many strong painkillers, including codeine and morphine. The rainforest is abundant in plant species that are currently used for medical research.
During photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide and put oxygen into the atmosphere. This helps maintain the oxygen level in the atmosphere. Plants can be used to stabilise areas where the air quality has declined.