Lesson #2: Root Vegetables and Edible Stems
This week, students will deepen their knowledge of plants to include plant parts and functions. Connect this lesson to Lesson 1 by reminding students of the plant products discussed last week and providing them an opportunity to share something special they learned. Does anyone have a favorite food, toy, game, or book that is derived from plant parts? The wide variety of plant products we have are derived plants’ roots, leaves, stems, and flowers. After learning these various parts of plants and reviewing their associated functions, students will brainstorm a list of edible roots and have the opportunity to try seasonal roasted root vegetables.
Main Idea:
Roots have a variety of tastes and textures.
Objectives:
SWBAT explore differences in types of roots and peel root vegetables.
TEKS:
10 (A) explore how structures and functions of plants and animals allow them to survive in a particular environment;
Materials:
- Chalkboard w/ chalk or chart paper w/ markers
- Plant parts foldable – pre-cut along lines between sections, folded in the middle, 1 per student
- Pencils
- Variety of locally grown root vegetables
- Peelers
- Cutting boards
- Paper plates
- Forks
- Recipe: olive oil, salt, root vegetables
Prep:
Print 1 Xtra Resource: Parts of a Sunflower sheet per student.
Timeline (1 hour):
5 min Introduction
10 min Parts of a Plant
10 min Plant Parts Cut-up
10 min Root Exploration
10 min Make It – Peeling Root Vegetables
10 min Taste It – Roasted Root Vegetables
5 min Clean-up
Procedure:
- Allow students to ask any questions that might have come up over the last week, or ask them if they shared their experiences with their family. Explain the outline of the next few weeks: we will learn about different parts of a plant, talk about how to prepare them, and sample different plant parts.
- Parts of a Plant. Draw a plant on the board and label the parts of a plant. Go over the functions of each plant part:
- Roots – absorb water, anchor plant, absorb nutrients
- Leaves – create food through photosynthesis
- Stems – keep plant upright, can store food, allow nutrients, food, and water to move throughout plant
- Flowers – reproductive organ of plant, creates fruits and seeds
- Plant Parts Cut–up. Distribute the Xtra Resource: Parts of a Sunflower. Have students cut out the words. As you go over the functions of the plant parts and write them on the board, the students will glue their own label versions on their sheet. Starting with the flower, then continue down through leaves, stem, and roots. Use the functions listed below as a guide.
- Roots – absorb water, anchor plant, absorb nutrients
- Leaves – create food through photosynthesis
- Stems – keep plant upright, can store food, allow nutrients, food, and water to move throughout plant
- Flowers – reproductive organ of plant, creates fruits and seeds
- Seeds – baby plant
- Root Exploration. Have students brainstorm a list of edible roots. Write these on the chart paper. Then show the students the roots that you have brought in for examining. Help the students identify the roots and add any new ones to the list that you brainstormed.
- Make It. Ask the students what challenges they might have in preparing root vegetables and address those challenges. For example, root vegetables must be washed thoroughly to be cleaned as they have dents or pockets that store dirt. Root vegetables are often very hard, making them challenging to cut and they take longer to cook. Demonstrate how to peel a root vegetable. Have students wash their hands. Distribute a variety of root vegetables and have students experiment by peeling different ones, exploring the outer parts of the roots, including root hairs and “eyes”. Demonstrate how to cut a root vegetable in half, and put the flat side on the cutting board. You can then cut slices or pieces. CUTTING IS DEMONSTRATION ONLY.
- Taste It. Have students sample a variety of locally roasted root vegetables. Examples: carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, beets, winter squash, pumpkin. To roast vegetables, cut into 1” pieces, toss with olive oil and salt, and roast at 400 degrees for 30+ min, until soft. Serve a small portion to each student.
- Clean-Up – Students will return the classroom to its previous state, including washing cutting boards and knives, and wiping down tables and floors as necessary.
Supplementary Materials: