This worksheet cannot be completed without selecting a specific plant from your neighborhood and conducting research on it. The answers depend entirely on the individual plant you choose.
Here is how to complete each section:
1.
What is the name of this plant?
* Identify the plant you chose. Use a field guide, a plant identification app, or ask a local expert (like at a nursery or library) to find its common and/or scientific name.
2.
What type of plant is it? (circle one)
* Observe the plant's physical structure.
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Tree: A large, woody perennial plant with a single main stem (trunk).
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Shrub/Bush: A woody perennial plant with multiple stems arising near the ground.
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Moss: A small, non-vascular plant that grows low to the ground in damp areas.
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Vine: A plant with a long, flexible stem that climbs or trails along surfaces.
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Herbaceous Plant: A plant with soft, green stems that die back to the ground at the end of the growing season.
3.
Is this plant deciduous or coniferous?
* This question primarily applies to trees and shrubs.
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Deciduous: Plants that lose all their leaves annually (usually in autumn). Most broadleaf trees are deciduous.
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Coniferous: Plants (typically trees or shrubs) that usually have needle-like leaves and produce cones. Most conifers are evergreen, meaning they keep their leaves year-round, though some (like larch) are deciduous.
4.
Is this plant an annual, a biennial, or a perennial?
* Research the plant's life cycle.
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Annual: Completes its entire life cycle (germination, growth, flowering, seed production, death) within one growing season.
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Biennial: Takes two years to complete its life cycle. It grows vegetatively (leaves, stems, roots) in the first year and flowers, sets seed, and dies in the second year.
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Perennial: Lives for more than two years. It may flower and set seed multiple times over its lifespan. Trees, shrubs, and many herbaceous garden plants are perennials.
5.
Draw your plant. Label its parts.
* Sketch the plant you observed.
* Label key parts such as: roots, stem/trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, fruit/seed pods, thorns, etc., depending on what is visible and relevant to your chosen plant.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of 3rd grade plant worksheet.
