Individual+Student+Papers

What have we learned about our individual topics? Here is a sample.
Nonvascular Plants By Hope  I learned that nonvascular plants don’t have tubes because that was my topic. To research my topic I read books. The main book I used was my Harcourt Science book. I also used the Don’t Touch That! book by Jeff Day, M.D. I used my research to learn that nonvascular plants can’t just throw the food up the tube. They have to pass the food from cell to cell. Most nonvascular plants don’t last very long or grow very tall because they can’t get the food to the flower fast enough. Nonvascular plants live in damp places because they need to soak up the water. Mosses are often the first plants to grow on bare rock. They help break the rocks down into dirt. I would like to know more about how nonvascular plants pass the food from cell to cell. Also, I would like to know how leaves get their symmetry. I would like to know how fibrous roots are all the same size.

Nonvascular Plants By Nathan  I learned about spores in this project, but my topic was nonvascular plants. I used computers and books. Some of those things were mcwdn.org/Plant/PlantsMain.html, mbgnet.net/bioplants, and my Harcourt Science book. What I learned about this topic is that nonvascular plants don’t have tubes. The food and water of nonvascular plants must soak into the plant and pass slowly from cell to cell. For this reason, nonvascular plants live in damp places and don’t grow to be large or tall and also don’t have leaves, stems or roots. One of the examples of a nonvascular plant is moss. I think my topic was interesting because I like plants and I’ve always wanted to learn about them. I also go to science camp that teaches me more about plants. This project was also interesting because I got to learn a lot about plants.

Spores By Autum  My topic is about spores. One thing I learned when I researched was that spores are little tiny things called cells. To research this topic, I went on the Internet and looked in books. Some of the resources were unbanext.Illinois.edu/gpe/gpe.html and mbgnet.net/bioplants. I also looked in my Harcourt science book. While I was using my resources, I learned spores are in things like ferns, fungi, and mosses. If you blow on a dandelion, little spores will fly off and when they land and find a good place, they will germinate. A lot of plants have flowers. Plants with spores do not flower. Spores are so tiny that they can only be seen by microscope; in fact, they’re so tiny they look like dust. Spores can be carried to germinate by wind, water, and animals. Spores grow in capsules or small cases. My project is very exciting and interesting, and it made me want to learn more about spores. I want to learn everything there is to know about spores. I know this topic is very hard to find things about, but it can be done. I’m glad I got chosen for this topic.

Vascular Plants By Molly In this project I learned that vascular plants have tubes. I learned about this because vascular plants was my topic. To research this topic, I used the Internet. Some resources were: www.harcourtschool.com/vascularplants mcwdn.org/Plants/PlantsMain.html Using my resources, I learned that vascular plants have two networks of tubes. One carries water and the other carries food made in the leaves to the rest of the plant. These are the steps for vascular plants to grow. Water and nutrients from the soil enter the plant through the roots. Water tubes carry the water to the stem. Tubes in the stem carry the water to the leaves. Some water evaporates. Food tubes carry food made in the leaves to the stem and roots. I would like to learn more about vascular plants because at first I didn’t know a lot about them. I know some facts now. But I still know there are a lot of facts I don’t know, so I want to learn more.

Leaves, Roots, Stems, and Flowers By Colton I learned about how plants grow. I used a book and the Internet. The book was called Stems by Vijaya Khisty Bodach. The website was urbanext.Illinois.edu/gpe/gpe.html. There are three kids of roots. They are taproots, fibrous roots, and vascular roots. Most roots are underground and hold the plants in the soil. They can also store sugar and carbohydrates that the plant uses. Stems support plants and give them shape. They also contain tubes that move water and minerals. They also take food from the leaves to the rest of the plant. All leaves work to help plants live. Needle-shaped leaves help prevent water loss. The function of the flower is to reproduce.

Seeds By Chase

I learned about seeds in this project. I learned how seeds live and grow. I used the Internet and looked it up in books. Some of these resources Wildflowers, Blossoms and Blooms by Diane L. Burns and mbgnet.net/bioplants/. Using the resources, I learned how seeds grow and live. There are many different types of seeds. Every seed becomes something different. Birds help plant seeds by eating them and dropping them while flying. After a seed has had good soil, carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight, it germinates or sprouts. The cycle begins with a seed. Then it grows roots, a stem, leaves, and then a flower. When a dandelion gets in big winds, all the seeds fly off. If the dandelion seed lands in a right spot with good soil, water, nutrients, and sunlight, it will grow in the spring. If the dandelion seed doesn’t get all that, it will not grow. Some seeds are edible like sunflower seeds. You’re only supposed to eat the middle of the seed. Sunflowers grow toward the sun and have many seeds. Seeds travel many different ways. Dandelion seeds travel by wind. Sunflower seeds drop off the plant when it dies.

Seeds By Ellen I learned about plant life cycles. Although I learned about a plant’s life cycles, my topic was seeds. I went online. Some of the resources were mcwdn.org/Plants/Plants/Main.html and urbanext.Illinois.edu/gpe/gpe.html. Seeds have an outer shell that protects the seed. Seeds have different shapes and sizes. Seeds give us food. Some seeds are spread by bird feet. Seeds also form in flowers of flowering plants. Most seeds don’t get what they need so they don’t grow. Seeds need warmth and water. Birds carry seeds in their beaks and on their feathers. Seeds also make plants. Pollen helps flowers form seeds. Seeds need water, air, and sunlight. When seeds grow, they have taproots.

Leaves, Stems, Roots, and Flowers By Lakyn I learned that leaves start photosynthesis. Most plants have flowers, leaves, stems, and roots. I learned all this. I used books and the computer. I used Visiting the Giant Trees by Phyllis Armelie Sibbing. I also used the websites: urbanext.Illinois.edu/gpe/gpe.html mbgnet.net/bioplants I learned flowers can reproduce one of its kind. If sunflower seeds fall, they grow more sunflowers. Roots hold the plant in place. The roots take the water to the plant. There are two kids of roots, taproots and fibrous roots. The stem makes the plant look attentive. The stem is important to the plant so it can get sunlight. I think plants are great to people. We can grow them to eat. Plants are the reason we are here.

Spores By Cameryn  What I learned about this project is what spores are because before I had this topic, I didn’t know what spores were. My topic was spores. To research this topic, I used the Internet. The only resource was urbanext.Illinois.edu/gpe/gpe.html. Using my resource, I learned that spores are unique little structures and are only found on plants like ferns, mosses, and mushrooms. Spores move around in the wind and when they land they germinate and grow into more ferns, mosses, or mushrooms. Mosses, however, regenerate by spores. I thought this project was fun, hard, and interesting. I thought this project was hard because there was one website and no books that knew about spores. I thought it was interesting because I learned about something I never heard of before. I would like to learn more about spores because doing all this research was interesting, so if I learn more about spores, it would be more interesting.

Flowers, Roots, Stems, and Leaves By Tori  My topic was flowers, roots, stems, and leaves. I researched my topic by using the Internet and books. I used Leaves by Vijaya Khisty Bodach and urbanext.Illinois.edu/gpe.gpe.html. I learned a lot about stems, like they act like a plant’s plumbing system. They move water and nutrients from the roots and food from the leaves to other plant parts. I learned about leaves. Most plant food is made in the leaves. Leaves capture sunlight. The plants make food through photosynthesis. I learned about flowers, too. After pollination of flowers, the bees take it back to their hive. Flowers contain pollen and eggs called ovules. I learned a lot about roots. Roots have tiny hairs that stick out of the roots. Roots hold the plant in the ground. I want to learn more about flowers, roots, stems, and leaves. I want to learn about plumbing and photosynthesis.

Nonvascular Plants By Haley  In my project I learned about nonvascular plants, my topic. To research this topic I used books and computers. Some of those resources were Don’t Touch That! by Jeff Day, M.D. and urbanext.Illinois.edu/gpe/gpe.html and mbgnet.net/bioplants/. Using my resources I learned so much about nonvascular plants. Here’s something I bet you didn’t know! Nonvascular plants have tiny cells that carry food to the plant. Also, unlike vascular plants, nonvascular plants don’t have tubes. My project made me want to research more about nonvascular plants because they are fun to learn about. I also want to learn more about how they work. I think that nonvascular plants connect with me somehow. I think it’s because I love the outdoors so much.