Students examine mosses and ferns and recognize that these simple plants reproduce with spores rather than seeds. Students then examine the vascular tissue of a celery plant. They learn that most plants reproduce with seeds, and then compare the seeds of gymnosperms and angiosperms. Finally, students examine the pattern of venation in the leaves of monocots and dicots.

Student Resources

• 3.1 Vocabulary
• 3.2 Plant Classification
• 3.3 Observing Mosses and Ferns
• 3.4 Water Movement in a Celery Stem
• 3.5 Looking at Leaves
• 3.6 Section 3 Assessment

Learn by Reading

For additional content-area reading, check out the Houghton Mifflin Science eBook: Grade 5, Unit A, page 27.