Year 11 - Science
The effect of light on the growth of seedlings: practical
Plant growth and development
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit covers the role of plant hormones like auxins, gibberellins, and ethene in growth and development, including phototropism and gravitropism. It explores their commercial uses and focuses on experiments, data analysis, and presenting scientific explanations.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to measure, record and explain the growth response of seedlings to different light intensities.
Key Notes
- Investigating the response of newly germinated seedlings to bright directional light (e.g. mustard seedlings)
- Accurately measuring the length of growth
- Producing accurate, labelled scientific drawings to depict the growth response
- Interpreting and describing the results
- Explaining the growth response of seedlings to light using ideas about auxins and phototropism
Vocabulary To Learn
- quantitative data: Data that is collected through taking measurements.
- qualitative data: Data that is collected through making observations.
- auxins: Plant hormones that affect the growth of plants.
- phototropism: Growth response stimulated by light.
- conclusion: A summary of the results of an investigation with data and scientific explanations
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may think auxins move down the side of the stem that is nearest to the light and cause it to bend. Pupils may also think that sketched drawings are more accurate than scientific line drawings.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Investigating the response of newly germinated seedlings to bright directional light (e.g. mustard seedlings). Accurately measuring the length of growth.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'quantitative data'
Data that is collected through taking measurements. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils may think auxins move down the side of the stem that is nearest to the light and cause it to bend. Pupils may also think that sketched drawings are more accurate than scientific line drawings. Correction: Auxins move down the shaded side causing cell elongation, which causes the seedling to grow towards the light. Line diagrams are representations that are clear and labelled; making them easy to read.
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