14 -16 (KS4)

Thigmotropism is an adaptive growth response shown by plants to mechanical stimuli, such as being touched. This resource gives some ideas of ways that structural responses can be explored, providing opportunities for individual student investigations.

Distance learning resources

Here you will find a selection of resources that have been carefully selected with your students in mind. The resources contain a mixture of videos, animations, practicals and some which are intended for learning outside where possible. Grouped by the anticipated age of the students, we have tried to be mindful of availability of equipment in order to undertake these activities. Over the coming weeks we will be adding to this bank of resources so watch this space.

Plant pathogens: control (poster and presentation)

The poster ‘Plant Pathogens: Control’ illustrates the many ways that we control plant pathogens, from polyculture farming to controlling the import of plants. The poster is accompanied by a presentation, which can be used as a step-by-step walk-through of the ideas in the poster.

The Battle for Fortress Plants (poster and presentation)

The poster ‘The Never-Ending Battle for Fortress Plant’ illustrates ideas about plant defences against pathogens. It depicts the plant as a fortress which is defended against invading pathogens. The accompanying resources explore this idea.

Plant disease detectives

In this activity, designed for the new GCSE biology specifications, students act as detectives, piecing together information from the sources provided to identify common plant diseases, and how to stop the spread.

Plant disease practicals - identifying the cause of brown rot

In this practical activity, suitable for the new GCSE specifications, students explore how the technique of re-infection (using infected material to infect healthy plant tissue) can help to identify the cause of a plant disease.

Plant disease practicals - powdery mildew

In this practical activity, designed for the new GCSE specifications, students collect samples of leaves showing samples of infection with powdery mildew, and send them to the powdery mildew survey for analysis.

Plant disease practicals - Investigating violet bramble rust

In this practical activity, designed for the new GCSE specifications, students use magnification to examine leaves showing symptoms of a common plant disease, and produce labelled drawings of the fungal spores.

Biology animations - transport of water and sugar, respiration and photosynthesis and cell growth in plants

Animations on key topics in plant biology, including photosynthesis, xylem and phloem, and cell growth and division.

PlantPowerED 2014 - Science & Design Competition

The SAPS Summer Challenge 2014 asked students aged 14-19 to think about some of the challenges in everyday life – everything from flooded towns to charging up a smartphone in a desert - and to create an idea for an invention that could tackle them. The 'ideas and inspiration' section introduces some of the unexpected ways plants are being used by scientists and engineers today.

How healthy are your trees?

This activity is designed to get students thinking about plants as living organisms that have to survive, breed and defend themselves against disease. Students begin by cataloguing the health of trees in the area, and can then follow this with a statistical investigation.

CSI Trees - investigating plant pathogens

A sickly tree might not look like much of a crime scene, but the influx of pathogens on plants is causing increasing concern in the UK. In this resource, students take on the role of plant pathologists, asking questions to determine the cause of a tree's death.

Tackling tropisms: gravitropism and phototropism

This set of demonstrations into the effects of tropisms on seedlings is both simple and extendable. Seeds sown on damp cotton wool in (plastic) Petri dishes are grown either flat, or stuck vertically to a wall. Students enjoy the dramatic effect of sticking Petri dishes to the wall, and you will have well-grown seedlings within a week, showing the different effects of gravitropism and phototropism.

Tropisms - how do plants grow in space?

This short activity uses recently published research into plant behaviour, conducted on the International Space Station, to get your students thinking more about tropisms.

Photosynthesis: what are chloroplasts?

In this resource, part of the 'Photosynthesis - A Survival Guide' scheme for 11-14 pupils, students investigate chloroplasts and starch production. Students observe chloroplasts directly under the microscope using a plant such as Elodea pondweed. Following this they take a thin section of potato tissue and stain it to show starch grains. Students then use their knowledge to hypothesise how variegated leaves might affect a plant’s growth.

Investigating leaf adaptations - why do nettles sting?

In this activity, students investigate a selection of plant leaves to discover how they are adapted to deter herbivores, looking specifically at stinging nettles and docks.

Using tissue culture and 'cloning' for rare plant conservation: Introducing STEM Careers

In this resource, students carry out a 'cauliflower cloning' tissue culture practical to investigate totipotency in plants. The practical is placed in the context of a STEM careers case study, to give students a broader understanding of the underlying science.

Investigating the biodiversity of different habitats: Introducing STEM Careers

In this resource, students investigate the biodiversity of different habitats, looking at the relative abundance of different plant species. Their investigation is put in a STEM Careers context, through a short video case study of Amy Eycott, landscape ecologist for the Forestry Commission.

Extracting oil from plants

GCSE science students need to understand that plant oils can be extracted by both crushing and pressing plant material and by the more complex process of steam distillation. This resource describes a simple technique that can be run as a demonstration or as a class practical to extract a plant oil. There are also a couple of quick demonstrations based on plant oils and instructions for a student activity.

Phytoremediation and phytomining: a practical activity

Phytoremediation is the use of green plants to decontaminate soils in situ. Soils can become contaminated from activities such as mining & manufacturing. This practical activity investigates the use of hyperaccumulating plants to clean up copper contaminated soils. In turn, the copper can be extracted from the plants, known as phytomining.

Articles tagged as "14 -16 (KS4)"