Stem transport through xylem and phloem is the focus of this Grade 6 Science worksheet, helping students connect plant stem structures with the movement of water, minerals, and sugars. Using examples from Alberta forests, students investigate how vascular tissues, seasonal storage, and protective bark contribute to tree growth and survival under changing environmental conditions.

This plant science resource goes beyond naming stem tissues. Students explore how transport systems function, how environmental stress can interrupt resource movement, and why different stem structures are important to trees living in mixedwood and montane forests.

From Plant Structure to Survival

The reading passage introduces the two main transport tissues and their roles:

• Xylem: Carries water and dissolved minerals from roots toward leaves.
• Phloem: Moves sugars produced in leaves to growing or storage parts of the plant.
• Storage tissues: Help trees retain resources for periods when growing conditions are less favorable.
• Bark: Forms an outer protective layer that can reduce damage from herbivores and fire.

Students also examine how freeze–thaw cycles can slow or interrupt water movement, how drought reduces the water available to roots, and how pest damage can injure stem tissues. These connections help learners explain why plant transport, storage, and protection work together to support tree survival.

Skills Students Practise

The worksheet combines a science reading passage with multiple-choice questions, true-or-false statements, short-answer responses, a labeled diagram, a categorization activity, and a short note. Students identify transport tissues, trace the direction of water movement, connect environmental conditions with changes in sap flow, and explain the value of seasonal storage.

Questions also prompt students to connect stem anatomy with plant function and describe how trees respond to changing conditions. The activities reinforce key plant biology vocabulary while encouraging students to apply scientific concepts to realistic environmental examples.

Included with Your Download

• Science worksheet on xylem, phloem, stem transport, storage, and bark protection.
• Separate answer key PDF for checking student responses.
• Student Notes lines at the bottom of the worksheet for recording key concepts and lesson summaries.
• Teacher Guide included in the Answer Key PDF, with Learning Objectives, Teaching Tips, Discussion Questions, and Common Mistakes.

Practical Classroom Applications

Use this Grade 6 plant transport worksheet during a Trees and Forests unit, as guided practice after teaching vascular tissues, or as independent review of plant structure and function. The Alberta forest examples provide a regional context for discussing how temperature changes, water availability, and tissue damage influence tree health.

The separate answer key supports efficient assessment, while the Teacher Guide helps you prepare explanations, lead classroom discussions, and address common misconceptions about how plant tissues move and store resources.

With focused reading, concept application, and diagram-based practice, this resource helps students build a clearer understanding of xylem and phloem while connecting plant anatomy to the environmental conditions that influence tree growth and survival. Alberta is identified as the curriculum framework in the resource details.