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Na m e : ___ Date: _
Directions: First, read about how plants breathe, drink, and eat. Next, label the diagram with
the words in bold. Finally, answer the questions below.Reading Comprehension • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2002 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618•Phone (888)SDL-BACK•www.sdlback.com
The rootsof a plant serve several purposes.
One is to anchor the plant into the soil. They
also serve as probes for moisture and
minerals. A third function is to absorb water
and minerals and send it up to the plant.
There are two main kinds of roots–the
primary rootand the secondary roots, which
include hair roots.
Within the plant, fats and proteins are made
by chemical changes in the sugars and
starches. The stem, or trunk in the case of
trees, is like a highway carrying supplies to
the plant. It is through the leavesthat carbon
dioxide is absorbed and oxygen given off. It is
also the job of the leaves to collect sunlight,
which is needed to make food. Leaves are
often flat so as to expose more surface area
and seem to arrange themselves in ways that
allow them to collect the light. Tendrils are
wispy offshoots of the stem that reach up or
out and may act as coils to attach the plant to
something.
Finally, the blossomof a flowering plant is
actually a seed factory. It uses the food the
plant has produced to form seeds.- How does a plant breathe? __
- How does a plant drink? ____
- How does a plant eat? __