D. The Lateral Roots - The lateral roots are types of roots that branch off the sides of the taproot. The lateral roots are usually smaller than the taproot. The lateral roots grow horizontally and downward. The lateral roots increase the surface area of the root, allowing the root to absorb more water and minerals. The dandelion is an example of a plant with lateral roots. E. The Adventitious Roots - The adventitious roots develop from the stem, leaf, or other plant parts. Adventitious roots serve special functions for the plant. The roots on the stems of English ivy are adventitious roots and help to support the stem. F. The Specialized Roots - The specialized roots absorb water and minerals for the plant and also serve a special function. Some specialized roots store food and water for the plant. The carrot root is an example of a specialized root that stores food. 5. Encourage each child to repeat the function of the types of roots. 6. Have the children observe or collect specimens from nature that depict these morphological features. 7. Allow the children to draw or in other ways render what they observe. 8. Lay out the pictures of the types of roots from left to right. (#13 - #18) 9. Distribute the labels for the children to match to the pictures. 10. When the children know the definitions of the types of roots, distribute the definitions for the children to read and to match to the pictures. 11. Display the wall chart. 12. Place The Types of Roots classified nomenclature material on the shelf. 13. Place The Types of Roots booklet on the shelf. Montessori Research and Development
14. Follow up activities for the child: A. Match the picture and the label (simple nomenclature). B. Match picture, label, and definition (classified nomenclature). C. Make a booklet of The Types of Roots. D. Make a chart of The Types of Roots. Montessori Research and Development
Montessori Research and Development
Additional Activities in the Study of the Root 1. Take cuttings of available house plants. Plant them in water, perlite, or vermiculite. Watch for growth of adventitious roots. Put unrooted cuttings directly into sterilized soil and compare the growth. 2. Use small boiling onions. Suspend only the bottom part into a small-mouthed bottle of water, or plant in vermiculite or perlite. Observe for root growth. 3. Fall through spring project: Plant softwood cuttings of one or two species on sand, perlite, or vermiculite. Watch for spring growth. Plant as many different parts of plants as available, to see that roots may develop from various regions of the plants. An example: Africian violet leaves, Bryophyllum plantlets, potato tubers, bulbs, houseplant stems (Wandering Jew and Creeping Charlie are both easy). 4. Set up a microscope with a cross-section of onion (Allium) root. Allow children to look at a real root magnified. 5. Have a demonstration set up of taproots and fibrous roots with a hand lens. 6. Have a demonstration of cross-section of carrot to show tissue areas with hand lens. 7. Plant several rooted cuttings in perlite or sterilized soil. Vary the conditions and allow children to watch differences in top growth depending upon conditions of the roots. A. Too much water, too little water. B. Appropriate water without fertilizer. C. Other possible combinations. 8. Observe conducting tissue at work. Cut off the top of a carrot. Bore a small hole, then insert a capillary tube, and a support tube. Cover the entire top of the carrot so tissue fluid can rise only in the tube. Immerse and suspend the carrot in water. Observe the water level rise in the tube. Montessori Research and Development
The carrot can also have a larger hole bored in it and some sugar placed in the hole. Suspend the carrot in water and observe as the sugar gets wet from rising tissue fluids. Storage Roots Tuberous roots are fleshy and large, and hold large amounts of food reserves. Tuberous roots are modified fibrous roots. Dahlias and sweet potatoes have tuberous roots. Carrots and turnips are not tuberous roots. Carrots and turnips are biennials that have food-storing taproots. Pascoe, Elaine and Dwight Kuhn, Seeds and Seedlings, Blackbirch Press, 1997, "Food Factories", page 11. Montessori Research and Development
THE SHAPES OF TAPROOTS Material An example of each of the following taproots: conical (carrot), napiform (beet), fusiform (celery root), and tuberous (dahlia), collected by the teacher and/or children. Botany cards #19 - #23. Note to the teacher: This optional lesson builds observational skills, and hierarchical classification skills. Group Presentation: Levels I - III 1. Share the taproots with the children. 2. Refer to The Types of Roots' wall chart pointing out the taproots. 3. Ask the children if they can name or describe the taproots: conical-shaped, napiform-shaped, fusiform-shaped, and tuberous-shaped. 4. Name each taproot on the basis of its shape. 5. Discuss the function of the taproot: A. The Shapes of Taproots - The shapes of taproots are produced when large quantities of food produced in the shoot system are stored in the root. The plant uses the stored food in the taproot when the plant develops flowers and produces fruit. Taproots that store food have different shapes. B. The Conical-Shaped Roots - The conical-shaped roots are taproots. The conical-shaped roots are wide at the top and thinner toward the bottom. The carrot root is an example of the conical-shaped root. C. The Napiform-Shaped Roots - The napiform-shaped roots are taproots. The napiform-shaped roots are large and round at the top. The napiform-shaped roots narrow quickly below the large, round top. Montessori Research and Development
Radish, turnip, and beet roots are examples of the napiform-shaped root. The napiform-shaped root also is named rapiformis. D. The Fusiform-Shaped Roots - The fusiform-shaped roots are taproots. The fusiform-shaped roots are tapered equally at each end. The fusiform-shaped roots are widest in the middle. The celery root is an example of the fusiform-shaped root. The fusiform-shaped root also is named spindle-shaped. E. The Tuberous-Shaped Roots - The tuberous-shaped roots are taproots. The tuberous-shaped roots are elliptically shaped with a bumpy surface. The dahlia root is an example of the tuberous-shaped root. Latin: tuber - to swell. 6. Encourage each child to repeat the function of the taproot. 7. Have the children observe or collect specimens from nature that depict these morphological features. 8. Allow the children to draw or in other ways render what they observe. 9. Lay out the pictures of the taproots from left to right. (#19 - #23) 10. Distribute the labels for the children to match to the pictures. 11. When the children know the definitions of the taproots, distribute the definitions for the children to read and to match to the pictures. 12. Display the wall chart. 13. Place The Shapes of Taproots classified nomenclature material on the shelf. 14. Place The Shapes of Taproots booklet on the shelf. 15. Follow-up activities for the child: A. Match the picture and the label (simple nomenclature). B. Match picture label and definition (classified nomenclature). C. Make a booklet of The Shapes of Taproots. D. Make a chart of The Shapes of Taproots. Montessori Research and Development
Montessori Research and Development
Additional Activities in the Study of Taproots 1. During the study of roots, bring in grocery store varieties of edible roots. Discuss each root as a storage area for the plant s food, and thus as a source of food for humans; for example: radish, carrot, turnip, beet, rutabaga. A. Compare each one to the wall chart and determine the shape. B. Discuss similarities among various root foods. C. Taste each root and discuss tastes: differences and similarities, textures, or any other factor. D. Discuss how the food is generally eaten. E. Pin a map pin on a world map to indicate where it originated. 2. A set of picture cards for food plants discussed in class to match to the type of swollen root. Use seed catalog pictures. 3. Grow the top of a carrot. Leave one inch of storage tissue on one carrot; on another carrot leave scarcely any. Observe differences in growth. Discuss why the food (size of root) made a difference. 4. Make dyes from carrots or beets. Montessori Research and Development
THE STEMS Materials A full stem (Ficus, Schefflera) collected by the teacher and/or the children. Botany cards #24 - #34. Group Presentation: Levels I - III 1. Share the stem with the children. 2. Refer to 'The Plant' wall chart and point out the stem. 3. Ask the children if they can name or describe the parts of the stem: nodes, internodes, leaf axils, axillary stem buds, terminal stem bud, leaf scars, vascular bundle scars, lenticels, shoot tip, and terminal bud scale scars. 4. Name the parts of the stem. 5a. Discuss the functions of the parts of the stem: A. The Stems - The stems are a part of the shoot system of the plant. The stems transport water and minerals from the root system to all parts of the shoot system. The stems also transport the food produced in the shoot system to the root system for use and for storage. The parts of the stem are nodes, internodes, leaf axils, axillary stem buds, terminal stem bud, leaf scars, vascular bundle scars, lenticels, shoot tip, and terminal bud scale scars. B. The Nodes - The nodes are the parts of the stem where the leaves are attached to the stem. The vascular bundles continue from the stem through the node and into the main veins of the leaf. Latin: nodus - a knot. Montessori Research and Development