Introducing Plant Parts We Eat and Sorting Plant Parts

Procedures

1. Explain to students that while all plants have all of the plant parts, there are certain plant parts on each plant that we like to eat best (Review the last lines of each verse in the Roots, Stems, Leaves song that describes the plant part that they eat).
2. Read The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons to see examples of plants that have the best tasting leaves, roots, stems, and fruits.
   Teacher Note: This book also describes the plant parts of tuber and bulb that may be difficult for students to differentiate from roots. These pages can be skipped or explained at the teacher’s discretion.
3. Show students the page of Good Enough to Eat by Lizzy Rockwell that describes vitamins and shows sketches of different fruits and vegetables for each vitamin. Explain to students that we like to eat a variety of plants because we get a variety of vitamins and nutrients from them. A fun way to pick a variety of plants to eat are by eating lots of different colored plants and lots of different plant parts.
4. Distribute Plant Part cards to students to sort by the plant part that we eat. This can be done as a relay race with the class divided into two teams racing to see who can sort the cards the fastest and most accurately. When reviewing their sorting at the end, students should use their knowledge of the purpose of the plant parts to support their claims (review of Plant Doctor activities).