Access Prior Knowledge

1. Access Prior Knowledge 1. What happens during pollination? 2. Why is photosynthesis important to plants? 3. Describe what happens to particles when 
thermal energy (temperature) is increased and 
decreased. Read Inquire Explain Read Inquire Explain Review previous outlines and write a 
question to ask a classmate. Brain Pop

2. DNA and Growth Different plants have different 
needs, but a plant’s DNA controls 
when and how it grows. DNA and the environment both 
affect how fast a plant grows.

3. Tropisms Tropisms are ways that plants change 
the direction they grow due to the 
environment. Growth hormone is a chemical that 
affects plant growth by making cells grow 
larger. Water can also change the size of plants 
when they store it in the vacuoles. Types of Tropisms Gravitropism is a plant’s growth due to 
gravity, roots growing down but stems 
grow against gravity. Phototropism is how a plant reacts to 
light, plants bending toward light. Thigmotropism is a plant’s growth due to 
touching an object, vines stems grow 
around a post or fence.

4. Different Tropisms Thigmotropism Phototropism Gravitropism

5. TextQuest 1. What are the influences that determine rate of plant 
growth in different types of plants ? 2. Explain how plants and plant parts grow toward light 
or grow upward? 3. If the Sun shines on a plant mainly from the south, in 
what direction will the plant grow? Why? Read Inquire Explain