Caveat Academy course · Grades 8 to 12

Botany: the science of plants

A semester of plant science: what makes a plant and how to key one out, how roots, stems and leaves are built, how photosynthesis works and what limits it, how a tree lifts water with no pump and sends sugar where it is needed, how flowers become fruit and cuttings become clones, and how plants sense light and gravity and feed the world. Six modules at your own pace, with a check in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the High school electives library, $119 for 66 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: What a plant is

    Classify plants into their major groups, explain plant cell structure and turgor, and estimate cell size from a microscope field.

    • What makes a plant a plant
    • Plant cells and tissues
    • Naming and identifying plants
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Roots, stems and leaves

    Compare the structure and jobs of roots, stems and leaves, and compute root-to-shoot ratios, tree ages and stomatal density.

    • Roots
    • Stems
    • Leaves
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Photosynthesis and respiration

    Explain the two stages of photosynthesis and analyze experiments on limiting factors and on where a plant's mass comes from.

    • How photosynthesis works
    • What limits photosynthesis
    • Respiration and the carbon balance
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Water, sugar and soil

    Explain how water and sugar move through a plant and interpret transpiration data, nutrient deficiencies and fertilizer labels.

    • Water's path through a plant
    • Moving sugar
    • Soil and plant nutrition
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Flowers, seeds and new plants

    Describe flower structure, pollination, seed formation and asexual propagation, and compute germination rates.

    • Flowers and pollination
    • Seeds, fruits and germination
    • Making new plants without seeds
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Plants, ecosystems and people

    Explain plant hormones and tropisms, plant adaptations and succession, and evaluate the value of seed banks and plant diversity.

    • How plants sense and respond
    • Plants in ecosystems
    • Plants and people
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 5 · Seeds, fruits and germination

Worked example: a germination test

  1. Before planting a garden, you place 50 seeds from an old packet on a damp paper towel in a sealed bag.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · High SchoolAlso for Enrichment · STEM Explorations$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of botany: you can place a plant in its group and key it out, estimate cell size under a microscope, read a tree's age from its rings and a leaf's stomatal density from a peel, explain both stages of photosynthesis and analyze a limiting-factor experiment, explain how water and sugar move through a plant, read a fertilizer label and spot a nutrient shortage, compute a germination rate, root a cutting, and explain how hormones, day length and succession shape plant life. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 8 to 12 who like growing things, are preparing for a biology, botany or environmental science class, or are curious about careers in agriculture, forestry, horticulture or conservation; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit. Home activities use seeds, houseplants, celery, food coloring and a hand lens.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the High school electives library ($119) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The High School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the STEM Explorations space in Caveat Enrichment (the same course serves the Botany & Plant Science title).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. OpenStax, Biology 2e, the units on plant structure, photosynthesis and plant reproduction, a free college textbook: openstax.org
  2. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, State of the World's Plants and Fungi reports: kew.org
  3. United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, soil health basics: nrcs.usda.gov
  4. The Nobel Prize, Physiology or Medicine 2015, on the discovery of artemisinin: nobelprize.org
  5. Crop Trust, Svalbard Global Seed Vault: croptrust.org

Botany is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester botany or plant science elective but does not replace a school course or supervised lab work and awards no credit. Example numbers in worked problems are labeled as examples. Lessons that mention medicinal or toxic plants are science education only: never taste, eat or use a wild plant as medicine, and let an adult handle fertilizers and garden chemicals. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.