Task

How would you define the term “growth”?

Write a sentence containing the word growth

Growth

Describe growth (D) and interpret growth data in terms of percentile charts (C)

Explain how factors contribute to the growth and development of a plant and

animal (B/A)

Literacy Target – Correct use of key words and connectives to describe growth in

plants and animals

Human Growth: Gestation

• The zygote divides and becomes a cluster of cells.

• As the cells continue to divide they become specialised e.g nerve/muscle cell.

• Zygote becomes an embryo from 8 weeks.• Growth from fertilisation takes about 38 weeks.• Its mass increases about 3000 times in the final 30 weeks.

Human growth: Adults

• Average range is 1.4 to 2.0 m.• But you can get extremes• Tallest Man (Guiness world record) was

Robert Pershing Wadlow measuring 2.72 m (8 ft 11 in).

• Height is a Continuous Variable, you will get gradual variation in a population.

Animal Growth

• Animals grow by cell division and increase in cell size, but stop growing when they become adults.

• In an embryo, stem cells are able to differentiate into any type of specialised cell as the animal grows. A few stem cells are found in adults but they can only form a limited range of cells.

Plant Growth

• Plants grow by cell division and elongation. This happens in special areas called meristems at the tips of shoots and roots. The cells then differentiate into specialised cells such as leaf cells and root hair cells. Plants continue to grow throughout their lives.

Would you make any changes to your original growth definition?

Growth can be measured by an increase in size, length or mass.

Health professionals use growth charts called percentile charts to check the

growth of babies and children.

Task

Complete the worksheet on growth and show that you can interpret

data.

You have 15 minutes

Think these are easy? Complete the extra challenge tasks

Progress Check!Describe growth (D) and interpret growth data in

terms of percentile charts (C)

Self assess your work

Answers1. 2.9 cm2. 11.8 cm3. Day 10 and day 164. 0.9 cm/day• b 0.15 cm/day5. Genetic factors, amount of light available, soil conditions• etc.6. 207. A, C, D true, B false8. Elongation, each cell gets longer• Differentiation, cells change so that they can carry out• specialised functions• Meristem, the area in a plant where cells keep dividing• Growth, change in height, mass or number of cells

As an organism grows, the number of cells increases in its body. We can measure the growth of an organism by measuring its change in size, such as its length or mass. Health professionals use growth charts called percentile charts, to check that babies are growing normally in mass and height. Plants have areas of cell division near the tips of shoots and roots. When the cells have divided they elongate. The cells then differentiate into specialised cells that do different jobs, such as a leaf cell or root hair cell. So the plant develops with leaves and roots as it grows. Animals also grow by cell division and increase in cell size. Most animal cells differentiate into specialised cells with different jobs, such as blood cells or bone cells. A few cells in each tissue, called stem cells, can continue to divide and produce different kinds of cell to repair damaged tissue.

What have you learnt?

Explain how factors contribute to the growth and development of a plant and

animal (B/A)

You are to write a closing summary for a friend who has missed this

lesson

Describe and explain how plants and animals grow and develop.

Include in your notes the terms: cell division, elongation, differentiation, percentile charts,

and stem cells.