5-LS1 Plants get materials for growth from air and water
Aligned to 5-LS1 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
It is surprising, but plants build most of their bodies from air and water, not from the soil. Using sunlight, a plant takes in carbon dioxide from the air and water from the ground and turns them into the material it grows from.
Worked example
A giant oak tree grows from a tiny acorn in the same pot of soil, yet the soil barely goes down at all. The tree's wood and leaves come mostly from carbon dioxide in the air plus water, combined using sunlight.
Practice questions
- Where does a plant get most of the material to grow, the soil or the air and water?
- What gas does a plant take in from the air to grow?
- Explain why the soil level barely drops even as a big tree grows.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
5-LS1 Las plantas obtienen materiales para crecer del aire y del agua
Aunque parezca sorprendente, las plantas construyen la mayor parte de su cuerpo a partir del aire y del agua, no del suelo. Usando la luz solar, una planta absorbe dióxido de carbono del aire y agua del suelo, y los convierte en el material con el que crece.
Ejemplo: Un enorme roble crece a partir de una pequeña bellota en la misma maceta, pero la tierra apenas disminuye. La madera y las hojas del árbol provienen principalmente del dióxido de carbono del aire y del agua, combinados mediante la luz solar.
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