STATION 1

Observe the slice of apple, celery, and pear.

The soft fleshy tissue of each fruit are mostly parachyma cells. Parachyma cells are the most common type of cell in a plant. They are thin-walled, store water in vacuoles, and most have chloroplasts for photosynthesis.

The stringy fibers in the celery are collenchyma cells. Collenchyma cells are long, with unevenly thick cell walls that provide support for the plant.

The gritty particles in the pear of clusters of sclerenchyma. Sclerenchyma cells are very thick-walled and provide support for the plant.

Write in your journal the ANSWERS only:

  1. What is the function of parachyma cells?
  2. What is the function of collenchyma cells?
  3. What is the function of sclerenchyma cells?

STATION 2

Look into the microscope at a slide of wood shavings from the pencil sharpener.

Write in your journal:

  1. What do you see? What do the cells look like? Draw them.
  2. What type of cells are these? HINT: Dead ______cells.

STATION 3

Imagine that you are to build a plant like you would a house using wood, brick, mortar, insulation, etc.

In your journal:
Describe what materials you would use to build each tissue type (dermal, vascular, and ground).

STATION 4

Observe under the microscope the stringy part and the soft, green part of celery.

In your journal:

  1. Write a description of the stringy cells under the microscope. Draw a picture.
  2. Write a description of the soft, green cells under the microscope. Draw a picture.
  3. What type of cells (parenchyma, collenchyma, or scherenchyma) are the stringy part? and the soft, green part?

STATION 5

Examine the taproots and fibrous roots that are in front of you.

Write the ANSWERS only in your journal:

  1. Which type of roots do you think contains more root hairs?
  2. Which type of root holds more soil and thus anchors the plant to the ground better?
  3. Which type of root is stronger and deeper in the soil and thus offers more support for the plant?

STATION 6

This is the tip of a root from an onion root hair. Meristems produce new cells through the process of cell division.

Write the ANSWERS in your journal:

  1. What type of tissue (dermal, vascular, ground, or meristematic) produces new growth?
  2. How does this tissue type increase the size of the plant?

STATION 9 (Open text book to page 611)

Problem-Solving Lab 23-1. Read the lab! Answer questions 1-3 in your journal.

STATION 8

Plants make a new ring every year. The thickness of each ring can tell us how good the weather was that year. For example, in rainy, sunny years, plants will grow more than in dry, cold years.

In your journal:

  1. Draw a picture of the woody stem cross section
  2. Label the bark, phloem, and xylem (you may use pg. 616)
  3. Count the number of tree rings. How old is this tree?
  4. Assume this tree was planted in 1980.
  5. In what years was the weather better for tree growth?
  6. In what years was the weather bad for tree growth?
  7. In what year was the tree cut down?

STATION 7

View a slide of a leaf cross section (a leaf that has been cut in half).

In your journal:

  1. Draw and label fig. 23.18 on pg. 618.
  2. Draw a picture of what you see in the microscope.
  3. Label your picture using fig. 23.18 on pg. 681.

STATION 10

Problem-Solving Lab 23.2 on pg. 619.

Read the lab and answer all questions in your journal!