Summary Use microscopes to view the xylem vessels that transport the water up a plant. Science content Biology: Features, Adaptations of Living Things (K, 1, 3, 7) Science competencies (+ questioning + manipulation + others that are in every activity) Planning/conducting: data collection/recording (K up) Planning/conducting: planning investigations (3 up) Evaluating: inferring (3 up) Lessons activity is in Plants: vessels in plants Resource The Microscope Book/The Ultimate Guide to Your Microscope Materials celery stalk blue food colouring glass razor blade, or very sharp blade ideally: microscope, slide and coverslip, dropper Procedure Make a fresh cut across the stem of a celery stalk. Add a little food dye to a glass contained (won't stain), then dip the cut celery stalk in it. Leave an hour or more - the longer it is left, the further the dye will move up the celery stalk. Left long enough, it will move into the leaves. Check there are blue spots across the stem where the dye has moved into the xylem vessels. Then wash extra dye off the end of the celery stalk. Make thin-as-possible slices of celery across the stem, to include two or more blue spots per sample. You can look closely at the stained xylem vessels with the naked eye, or a magnifier, but ideally put under a microscope: Place one slice on a slide. Add a coverslip. Add drops of water to the edge of the coverslip so that water moves under the whole cover slip. Under a microscope, look under the lowest magnification first, then increase the power to see the xylem vessels in detail. Draw the cells. Grades taught Gr 3
