From Seed to Seed:
Plant Science for K-8 Educators

B. Plant Relationships

The National Science Education Standards emphasize that students in grades 5-8 should progress from studying life science from the point of view of individual organisms to recognizing patterns and relationships in ecosystems. We, therefore, strongly encourage teachers of these grades to incorporate the topics included in this section in their units on plants. It is important that students no longer view plants in isolation and that they begin to understand the degrees of interconnection within natural ecosystems. In this part of the course, we provide you with many opportunities to encourage your students to look at the big picture.