cards and learning

ashley13

Hi my name's Ash, im 41 and im disabled from north wales.   I volunteer in a garden centre and im trying to teach myself about plants by making flashcards.   I'm struggling to make them because i have suffered head injury and i find grasping facts/concepts difficult.  I have an Alan Titchmarsh basic gardening book and ive written a few questions and answers to put on the flashcards but im struggling to make questions and then answering them.  These are what i have so far.

What carries water from roots to the leaves?  Xylem
Where does Photosynthesis take place?  in the leaves
What are the two types of root called? Tap and Fibrous
What transports food made from photosynthesis around a plant?  Phloem
What do roots do?  Absorb water and nutrients from the soil and store food
How do plants make their food?  By using sunlight, carbon dioxide and water

Im now stuck on the page about leaves,  would you be willing to help me please?

Fairygirl

Why does it have to be in the form of questions?
Would it not be easier just to have a sentence or two with the basic info?
I'm not sure many people buying plants in a Garden Centre would ask anything too technical about a plant - it would mainly be things like 'when do I prune this?' , 'would this grow in damp soil/full sun/semi shade?' , 'would this grow too big for my garden?'
That type of thing 

ashley13

what do you mean by having a sentence rather than a question  ? 

Fairygirl

Well - taking your last question about plants making food. You'd just write : plants make their food by using sunlight, carbon dioxide and water. 

ashley13

yes that sounds easier but what about the answrs on the back?

Fairygirl

I don't really understand. Why would you need to have answers? Would you not just have the cards with the info on them, and use them as a reference?
Surely you wouldn't try and remember everything off by heart - is that not making it very difficult for you if you find it hard to retain the info?

Joy*

I think that Fairygirl is right. Perhaps you could make some cards which had basic information about the plants on sale. Do the plants have labels which you could use to teach yourself about them? For example, Acer: list of colours available 
           How big they grow
           Type of soil - they like acid soil - ericaceous compost
            Care - how much water,  when or if to prune, position, feeding etc
             Will they grow in a pot - how big would it need to be 
This kind of information I look for. I really wouldn't worry about the science. 

ashley13

This way rather than thinking of how to put sentences into questions is easier.   Like this do you mean?

Xylem carries water from roots to the leaves?  Xylem
Photosynthesis take place in leaves

two types of roots are called Tap and Fibrous

Phloem transports food made from photosynthesis around a plant
roots  absorb water and nutrients from the soil and store food

plants make their food  By using sunlight, carbon dioxide and water

Fairygirl

Yes, but Joy is right. The basic info about a plant is what people would look for when buying, rather than all the technical stuff. If you want to learn more about that though, do some little cards as you've already outlined,  for your own use at home 

Perhaps take a look at the  plants in the G.Centre, and put the general info about them on a card, in the way Joy has suggested with Acers. Do the same with each plant, or plant type.
You could also group them together using a general heading such as sun lovers, shade lovers, climbers and so on. Keep it simple though 

AuntyRach

Hey Ash - I just sent you a reply on your other thread about cards. 
I think fairygirl’s idea about facts rather than questions is good.

In which case, you could say, for example:

Chlorophyll is a green pigment in leaves which turns water and carbon dioxide into starches, by a process called photosynthesis.

Good luck with it all. 

ashley13

This page im stuck on.

Leaves are the powerhouse of the plant. Think of them as super-efficient solar panels with added technology. They absorb sunlight and, via the chemical wizardry of the green pigment, chlorophyll, use the sun’s energy to transform carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil into starches. Starches are ultimately used for building more plant parts, or for hoarding in underground stores, such as tap roots or tubers – think of carrots and potatoes. As a by-product of this process, known as photosynthesis, plants ‘breathe out’