How Plants Reproduce

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Plants, like animals, reproduce. That means they make new plants.

Doing this ensures that plant species do not become extinct. Extinction is used to describe something that no longer exists, like dinosaurs.

Most plants begin their life cycle from a seed. This process is called germination.

Seeds have many shapes and sizes. For example, some seeds are small and oval in shape, like a pear seed, while others are round and smooth like the seed from an avocado.

You should also know that not all plants produce seeds. Some plants produce spores, which in turn create new plants.

Spores need moist, shady areas to grow and produce new plants. Sometimes, you can see a plant's spores beneath its leaves.

Take a look at the image below:

• How are spores different from seeds?

If you examine the inside of a seed under a microscope, you will find an embryo and an endosperm.

The embryo is a tiny plant inside the seed. The endosperm is small leaves that provide food for the embryo.

Both the embryo and the endosperm are protected by the seed coat, the outer layer of a seed.

Look closely at the following image:

• Can you identify the seed coat, the embryo, and the endosperm?

In order to grow, or germinate, seeds must have the right temperature, moisture, and oxygen. Once these conditions are all in place, the tiny plant inside the seed (the embryo) will begin to grow larger and larger.

As the new plant grows, it pushes through the outer layer (the seed coat), and eventually the new plant makes its way out of the soil.

Look at the image below and describe what is happening in the picture with each of the eight plants shown:

Now, watch How Does A Seed Become a Plant?, from SciShow Kids, to learn what seeds need to grow. As you watch the video, listen carefully to learn how seeds know when it's time to start growing. Also, look out for the following terms:

• germination
• seed coat
• dormant
• embryo

Now you know that seeds need energy to grow into new plants. People, like plants, also need energy to grow and live.

• Can you think about any other similarities between what seeds need to grow and what you need to grow?

Take a few minutes to read and think about the following questions:

• Why is germination important?
• What would happen to the earth's environment if seeds did not germinate, or if they remained dormant?
• Do you think people could live on the earth without seeds or plants?

When you are ready, continue to Got It? to test your understanding of how seeds germinate by answering a few questions.