(Download PDF) Microsoft Access 2013 Comprehensive 1st Edition Pratt Solutions Manual Full Chapter

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 37

Microsoft Access 2013 Comprehensive

1st Edition Pratt Solutions Manual


Go to download the full and correct content document:
https://testbankfan.com/product/microsoft-access-2013-comprehensive-1st-edition-pr
att-solutions-manual/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

Microsoft Access 2013 Comprehensive 1st Edition Pratt


Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/microsoft-
access-2013-comprehensive-1st-edition-pratt-test-bank/

Enhanced Microsoft Access 2013 Comprehensive 1st


Edition Pratt Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/enhanced-microsoft-
access-2013-comprehensive-1st-edition-pratt-test-bank/

New Perspectives on Microsoft Access 2013 Comprehensive


1st Edition Adamski Solutions Manual

https://testbankfan.com/product/new-perspectives-on-microsoft-
access-2013-comprehensive-1st-edition-adamski-solutions-manual/

Exploring Microsoft Access 2013 Comprehensive 1st


Edition Poatsy Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/exploring-microsoft-
access-2013-comprehensive-1st-edition-poatsy-test-bank/
Your Office Microsoft Access 2013 Comprehensive 1st
Edition Kinser Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/your-office-microsoft-
access-2013-comprehensive-1st-edition-kinser-test-bank/

Shelly Cashman Series Microsoft Office 365 and Access


2016 Comprehensive 1st Edition Pratt Solutions Manual

https://testbankfan.com/product/shelly-cashman-series-microsoft-
office-365-and-access-2016-comprehensive-1st-edition-pratt-
solutions-manual/

New Perspectives on Microsoft Access 2013 Comprehensive


1st Edition Adamski Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/new-perspectives-on-microsoft-
access-2013-comprehensive-1st-edition-adamski-test-bank/

Shelly Cashman Series Microsoft Office 365 and Access


2016 Comprehensive 1st Edition Pratt Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/shelly-cashman-series-microsoft-
office-365-and-access-2016-comprehensive-1st-edition-pratt-test-
bank/

Exploring Microsoft Excel 2013 Comprehensive 1st


Edition Poatsy Solutions Manual

https://testbankfan.com/product/exploring-microsoft-
excel-2013-comprehensive-1st-edition-poatsy-solutions-manual/
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 1 of 13

Microsoft Access 2013


Chapter Five: Multiple-Table Forms
A Guide to this Instructor’s Manual:
We have designed this Instructor’s Manual to supplement and enhance your teaching experience through classroom
activities and a cohesive chapter summary.

This document is organized chronologically, using the same heading in red that you see in the textbook. Under each
heading you will find (in order): Lecture Notes that summarize the section, Figures and Boxes found in the section, if
any, Teacher Tips, Classroom Activities, and Lab Activities. Pay special attention to teaching tips, and activities geared
towards quizzing your students, enhancing their critical thinking skills, and encouraging experimentation within the
software.

In addition to this Instructor’s Manual, our Instructor’s Resources also contain PowerPoint Presentations, Test Banks,
and other supplements to aid in your teaching experience.

For your students:


Our latest online feature, CourseCasts, is a library of weekly podcasts designed to keep your students up to date with
the latest in technology news. Direct your students to http://coursecasts.course.com, where they can download the
most recent CourseCast onto their mp3 player. Ken Baldauf, host of CourseCasts, is a faculty member of the Florida
State University Computer Science Department where he is responsible for teaching technology classes to thousands of
FSU students each year. Ken is an expert in the latest technology and sorts through and aggregates the most pertinent
news and information for CourseCasts so your students can spend their time enjoying technology, rather than trying to
figure it out. Open or close your lecture with a discussion based on the latest CourseCast.

SAM:
This text is available with SAM 2013 Assessment, Training, and Projects that map directly to the learning objectives
covered in each chapter. SAM's active, hands-on training and skill-based assessment help you master Microsoft Office
skills. SAM Projects let you apply skills in real-world scenarios using the actual Microsoft Office applications.
Immediate feedback and comprehensive study guides give you the practice and support you need to succeed.

If you have a SAM account, login at www.cengage.com/sam2013. To obtain a SAM account, visit
www.cengagebrain.com or contact your instructor or bookstore for additional information.

Table of Contents
Chapter Objectives
AC 266: Introduction
AC 266: Project — Multiple-Table Forms
AC 269: Adding Special Fields
AC 274: Updating the New Fields
AC 283: Multiple-Table Form Techniques
AC 307: Object Dependencies
AC 309: Date/Time, Long Text, and Yes/No Fields in Queries
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 2 of 13

AC 312: Datasheets in Forms


AC 314: Creating a Multiple-Table Form Based on the Many Table
AC 316: Chapter Summary
End of Chapter Materials
Glossary of Key Terms

Chapter Objectives
Students will have mastered the material in Chapter Five when they can:
 Add Yes/No, Long Text, OLE Object, and  Enhance the form title
Attachment fields  Change tab stops and tab order
 Use the Input Mask Wizard  Use the form to view data and attachments
 Update fields and enter data  View object dependencies
 Change row and column size  Use Date/Time, Long Text, and Yes/No
 Create a form with a subform in Design fields in a query
view  Create a form with a datasheet
 Modify a subform and form design

AC 266: Introduction
LECTURE NOTES
• Discuss the one-to-many relationship between the Book Rep and Customer tables

BOXES:
1. BTW: Q&As. Point out the link to the complete listing of Q&As on the web. Information in Q&As is
included in the test bank.

TEACHER TIP
Use this introduction to review the concept of referential integrity (discussed in Chapter 3) with
students.

AC 266: Project – Multiple-Table Forms


LECTURE NOTES
• Use Figure 5-1 to illustrate a multiple-table form that includes several new fields
• Review the general activities that will be performed in this chapter
o Add fields to the Book Rep table
o Enter data into the new fields
o Create a form for the Book Rep table
o Add controls to the form
o Add a subform to the form
o Modify the subform
o Enhance the form
o Create queries with the new fields
• Review the steps to run Access
• Review the steps to open a database
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 3 of 13

FIGURES and TABLES: Figure — 5-1

BOXES:
1. BTW: BTWs. Point out the link to the complete listing of BTWs on the web. Information in BTWs is
included in the test bank.

2. BTW: The Ribbon and Screen Resolution. Remind students that a different screen resolution can
affect how the ribbon appears.

3. BTW: Touch Screen Differences. Point out the differences between the interfaces when using touch.

4. BTW: On-Screen Keyboard. Mention how to display the on-screen touch keyboard.

TEACHER TIPS
This chapter illustrates the advantages of using a graphical user interface (GUI) such as Windows to
create forms. Students should be encouraged to explore different options for the form they will create.

As students work through the tasks in this chapter, encourage them to save their work after each task.
Also, forms with pictures can increase substantially the size of the database. Remind students that they
can compact their database by tapping or clicking FILE on the ribbon, selecting the Info tab and then
tapping or clicking the Compact & Repair Database button in the Info gallery to compact (reduce the
size of) the database.

You can use the Lecture Success System for Access in conjunction with the Figures in the Book. To do
this, start Access and open the database from the appropriate folder. Then, start your slide show
containing the figures for the project. You can switch back and forth between the slide show and Access
by using the ALT+TAB key combination. You can use the Figures in the Book to show the steps students
should follow. If students need additional reinforcement or ask questions about the task, you can switch
to Access to do a live demonstration.

AC 269: Adding Special Fields


LECTURE NOTES
• Define input mask and review the Yes/No, Long Text, OLE Object, and Attachment data types
• Discuss the reasons for using the OLE Object data type rather than the Attachment data type for a
picture
• Use Figures 5-2 through 5-4 to illustrate adding fields to a table
• Use Figures 5-5 through 5-8 to describe using an input mask
• Use Figure 5-9 to explain how to add fields in Datasheet view

FIGURES and TABLES: Figures — 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, 5-5, 5-6, 5-7, 5-8, 5-9

BOXES:
1. BTW: OLE Object Fields. Mention the other types of objects that you can store in an OLE Object
field.

2. BTW: Long Text Fields. Point out the maximum size and the properties of Long Text fields.
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 4 of 13

3. BTW: Input Mask Characters. Explain the purpose of the literal values Access adds to an input mask.

4. CONSIDER THIS: How do you determine if fields need special data types or an input mask? Discuss
the ways you can determine whether an input mask, a Yes/No data type, a Long Text data type, an OLE
Object data type, an Attachment data type, and a Hyperlink data type are appropriate.

TEACHER TIPS
Point out that Yes/No, Long Text, OLE, and Attachment data types do not have field sizes.

You can change the format property for Yes/No fields. The choices are:
Yes/No
True/False
On/Off

An input mask makes data entry easier and controls the values users can enter in a field. Use Figure 5-7
to explain that storing data without the symbols takes up less space. If a format also has been specified
for the field, the format takes precedence over the input mask. The format property affects only how
the value is displayed not how it is stored. The input mask that students create may vary slightly from
the input mask shown in Figure 5-8.

Spend some time reviewing the guidelines in the CONSIDER THIS box with students. It is important
they understand the different data types and when these data types are appropriate. Yes/No fields also
are called Boolean fields because they can accept only one of two values that evaluate to either true or
false. The Long Text data type gives users the flexibility to add comments or notes in their own words.
The OLE Object data type allows users to insert pictures, photographs, and drawings in a database. The
Attachment data type is useful for attaching external files related to a particular record. The Hyperlink
data type allows users to add a web page reference or an email address.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Quick Quiz:
1) Which data type would you use to store links to web pages? (Answer: Hyperlink data type)
2) Which data type would you use to store text that is variable in length? (Answer: Long Text
data type)

2. Critical Thinking: What other fields in the Book Rep table could use an input mask?

3. Critical Thinking: What types of data could Bavant Publishing store in Yes/No fields, Long Text
fields, OLE Object fields, and Attachment fields?

4. Assign a Project: Require students to research the types of objects that can be stored in OLE Object
fields.

AC 274: Updating the New Fields


LECTURE NOTES
• Use Figures 5-10 through 5-12 to illustrate entering data using an input mask
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 5 of 13

• Use Figure 5-13 to illustrate entering data in a Yes/No field


• Use Figures 5-14 and 5-15 to describe entering data in Long Text fields
• Define field selector
• Use Figures 5-16 and 5-17 to illustrate changing the row and column size
• Discuss how to undo changes to row height and column width
• Use Figures 5-18 through 5-21 to describe entering data in OLE Object fields
• Explain why entries in the Picture initially may be other than the words Bitmap Image
• Review the step to enter remaining pictures
• Use Figures 5-22 through 5-25 to illustrate entering data in Attachment fields
• Review the steps to enter data in Hyperlink fields
• Review the steps to save the table properties and close the table
• Explain how to view pictures and attachments in Datasheet view

FIGURES and TABLES: Figures — 5-10, 5-11, 5-12, 5-13, 5-14, 5-15, 5-16, 5-17, 5-18, 5-19, 5-20, 5-21,
5-22, 5-23, 5-24, 5-25

BOXES:
1. Other Ways: Encourage your students to explore other ways of changing the row height and the
column width.

2. BTW: Entering Data in Long Text Fields. Mention that you also can enter data in a Long Text field
using the Zoom dialog box.

3. CONSIDER THIS: How can you insert a picture using the ‘Create from File’ option button? Review
the steps to insert a picture using the ‘Create from File’ option button.

4. BTW: Windows 7 and Paint. Point out the difference if students are using Windows 7 and Paint.

5. BTW: OLE Object Fields. Review the procedure for converting a Bitmap Image to Picture (Device
Independent Bitmap).

6. BTW: Hyperlink Fields. Point out that you can store email addresses in Hyperlink fields.

7. BTW: Attachment Fields. Mention that to view attachments, you must have the application that
created the attachment installed on your computer.

8. Break Point: A good time to take a break, if necessary, is at the end of updating records and before
starting the multiple-table form techniques section. Direct students to page AC 316 for instructions on
exiting Access; to page AC 268 for instructions on running Access and opening the solution file in
progress.

TEACHER TIPS
The steps in this section update the new fields in Datasheet view. You also can update the fields in Form
view. When data is entered in a field that has an input mask, the insertion point should be positioned at
the beginning of the field.
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 6 of 13

Pressing SHIFT+F2 displays a Zoom box that makes it easier for students to enter the data in Long Text
fields.

You also can store sound and full-motion videos in OLE Object fields. Do not use the OLE Object data
type if you want to attach multiple files to a single record. All Office applications support OLE. Access
supports the following graphic file formats:
Windows Bitmap (.bmp files)
Run Length Encoded Bitmap (.rle files)
Device Independent Bitmap (.dib files)
Graphics Interchange Format (.gif files)
Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpe, .jpeg, and .jpg files)
Exchangeable File Format (.exif files)
Portable Network Graphics (.png files)
Tagged Image File Format (.tif and .tiff files)
Icon (.ico and .icon files)
Windows Metafile (.wmf files)
Enhanced Metafile (.emf files)

Other programs running on a computer can interfere with graphic filters and configuration settings. For
this reason, this text uses a method that does not rely on graphic filters to insert pictures. If your
installation of Access supports adding files of the type you want to insert, your students can follow the
instructions in the CONSIDER THIS box on AC 280.

There are certain file types that you cannot attach to an Attachment field. These are file types that
Access has identified as security risks. You can attach any of the file types created in Office 2013 as well
as the graphic file formats shown above. You also can attach log files (.log), text files (.text, .txt), and
compressed (.zip) files.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Critical Thinking: Many different types of data can be entered into database fields. But, what types of
data should be entered? In this project, pictures of book reps are entered into the database. Some people
may feel that pictures of the book reps are irrelevant, or inappropriate. Should pictures of the book reps
be a part of the database? Why or why not?

2. Critical Thinking: How much input should a database designer have on what fields are, and are not,
included in the database? Why?

3. Critical Thinking: You have created a database of prospective employees and need to store both a
picture of the applicant and the applicant’s resume. What type of field (or fields) would you use? Why?

LAB ACTIVITIES
1. Have students view the attachments. Also ask them to delete the attachments and then re-add them.

2. Have students delete the OLE Object field and use the Attachment field to enter the pictures of the
book reps.
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 7 of 13

AC 283: Multiple-Table Form Techniques


LECTURE NOTES
• Review the one-to-many relationship between the Book Rep and the Customer tables; remind
students of the referential integrity rule created previously
• Define subform and main form and explain the difference between the two
• Use Figures 5-26 and 5-27 to describe creating a form in Design view
• Use Figures 5-28 and 5-29 to illustrate adding a control for a field to the form design
• Review the steps to save the form
• Use Figure 5-30 to illustrate adding controls for additional fields
• Use Figures 5-31 and 5-32 to describe aligning controls on the left
• Use Figures 5-33 and 5-34 to describe aligning controls on the top and adjust vertical spacing
• Use Figures 5-35 through 5-38 to describe adding controls for the remaining fields
• Use Figures 5-39 and 5-40 to illustrate using a shortcut menu to change the fill/back color
• Use Figure 5-41 to illustrate adding a title
• Use Figures 5-42 through 5-48 to describe placing a subform
• Use Figure 5-49 to describe viewing the form
• Review the steps to close and save a form
• Use Figures 5-50 through 5-53 to illustrate modifying a subform
• Use Figures 5-54 and 5-55 to illustrate changing a label
• Define size mode and review the steps to change the size mode
• Use Figures 5-56 through 5-61 to illustrate changing label effects and colors
• Use Figures 5-62 through 5-64 to describe modifying the appearance of a form title
• Use Figure 5-65 to illustrate changing a tab stop
• Use Figure 5-66 to illustrate changing the tab order
• Use Figures 5-67 through 5-70 to describe using the form
• Discuss the various actions you can take to navigate within a form

FIGURES and TABLES: Figures — 5-26, 5-27, 5-28, 5-29, 5-30, 5-31, 5-32, 5-33, 5-34, 5-35, 5-36, 5-37,
5-38, 5-39, 5-40, 5-41, 5-42, 5-43, 5-44, 5-45, 5-46, 5-47, 5-48, 5-49, 5-50, 5-51, 5-52, 5-53, 5-54, 5-55,
5-56, 5-57, 5-58, 5-59, 5-60, 5-61, 5-62, 5-63, 5-64, 5-65, 5-66, 5-67, 5-68, 5-69, 5-70

BOXES:
1. BTW: Touch and Pointers. Remind students that when you use touch, you do not see the pointer.

2. CONSIDER THIS: When a form includes data from multiple tables, how do you relate the tables?
Discuss how to determine the main table and the additional table for a form.

3. Other Ways: Encourage your students to explore other ways to align controls on the left.

4. BTW: Moving Controls: Discuss how to make small movements using arrow keys when moving
controls.

5. Other Ways: Encourage your students to explore other ways to add controls for the remaining fields.

6. Break Point: A good time to take a break, if necessary, is at the end of creating the main form with
subform and before starting the section to modify the subform. Direct students to page AC 316 for
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 8 of 13

instructions on exiting Access; to page AC 268 for instructions on running Access and opening the
solution file in progress.

7. CONSIDER THIS: Is there any way to determine the way pictures fit within the control? Discuss the
different size modes for pictures.

8. Other Ways: Encourage your students to explore other ways to modify the appearance of a form title.

9. Break Point: A good time to take a break, if necessary, is at the end of changing the tab stop property
and before starting the changing order section. Direct students to page AC 316 for instructions on
exiting Access; to page AC 268 for instructions on running Access and opening the solution file in
progress.

10. BTW: Auto Order Button. Explain the purpose of the Auto Order button.

11. Other Ways: Encourage your students to explore other ways of using the form.

12. BTW: Navigation: Discuss how to navigate to a specific record in the main form and in the subform.

13. BTW: Distributing a Document. Discuss alternate ways for distributing a document.

TEACHER TIPS
Encourage students to save after each task. Students do not need to place objects in the exact locations
shown in the text.

Emphasize that the main form and the subform are two different objects within the database.

The Etched special effect may not show on some computers. You can have students select one of the
other choices, such as Solid with a Border Width of 3.

This section is lengthy. There are at least two points where students can take a break. One break point
is after they add the subform but before they modify it. The second break point is after changing the tab
stop and before changing the tab order.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 9 of 13

1. Critical Thinking: Ergonomics is the study of workplace design and the physical and psychological
impact it has on workers. How does a well-designed form improve working conditions and efficiency?

2. Critical Thinking: When a form contains a subform, the subform is a separate object in the database.
What are the advantages of having the subform be a separate object? What are the disadvantages?

3. Critical Thinking: You have been asked to recommend a standard background color and a font color
to use on all forms. Which colors would you recommend and why?

4. Quick Quiz:
1) Which size mode does the best job of fitting a picture to the allocated space without
changing the look of the picture? (Answer: Zoom)
2) Which tool do you use to place a subform on a form? (Answer: Subform/Subreport tool on
the FORM DESIGN TOOLS DESIGN tab)

LAB ACTIVITIES
1. Have the students experiment with the different size modes and record their reactions to the results.

2. Have students experiment with the different alignment and spacing options.

AC 307: Object Dependencies


LECTURE NOTES
• Use Figure 5-71 to describe how to view object dependencies

FIGURES and TABLES: Figure — 5-71

TEACHER TIP
Viewing a list of objects that use a specific object helps in the maintenance of a database and avoids
errors when changes are made to the objects involved in the dependency.

AC 309: Date/Time, Long Text, and Yes/No Fields in Queries


LECTURE NOTES
• Use Figures 5-72 through 5-77 to illustrate using Date/Time, Long Text, and Yes/No fields in a
query

FIGURES and TABLES: Figures — 5-72, 5-73, 5-74, 5-75, 5-76, 5-77

BOXES:
1. BTW: Long Text Fields in Queries. Remind students that comments are free-form and they should
consider alternative spellings and phrases.

2. BTW: Date Fields in Queries. Have students read the information on using date fields in queries.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 10 of 13

1. Critical Thinking: You need to search the Long Text field for all records where the book rep has a
knowledge of Spanish. What criteria would you use in your query?

2. Critical Thinking: You need to search the Book Rep table to find out how long each book rep has
worked for Bavant. What criteria would you use in your query?

LAB ACTIVITIES
1. Have students create and run other queries that use Date, Long Text, and Yes/No fields.

AC 312: Datasheets in Forms


LECTURE NOTES
• Use Figure 5-78 to describe a simple form with a datasheet
• Review the steps to create a simple form with a datasheet
• Use Figures 5-79 through 5-81 to discuss how to create a form with a datasheet in Layout view
• Review the steps to create a form with a datasheet in Layout view

FIGURES and TABLES: Figures — 5-78, 5-79, 5-80, 5-81

BOXES:
1. BTW: Date Formats. Point out how to change the format for a date.

2. CONSIDER THIS: Can you modify the form so that the complete labels for the book rep fields
appear? Discuss how to resize the labels in the form.

3. BTW: Placing Fields on a Datasheet. Stress that you need to select the datasheet before adding
additional fields.

AC 314: Creating a Multiple-Table Form Based on the Many Table


LECTURE NOTES
• Use Figure 5-82 to describe a form based on the many table in a one-to-many relationship
• Review the steps to create a multi-table form based on the “many” table
• Review the steps to sign out of a Microsoft account
• Review the steps to exit Access

FIGURES and TABLES: Figure — 5-82

BOXES:
1. BTW: Quick Reference. Point out the location of the Quick Reference and the Quick Reference
resource on the Student Companion Site.

2. BTW: Certification. For more information on the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) program, visit
the Certification resource on the Student Companion Site.

AC 316: Chapter Summary


LECTURE NOTES
• Review the skills learned in this chapter
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 11 of 13

BOXES:
1. CONSIDER THIS: What decisions will you need to make when creating your own forms? Discuss
with students the guidelines needed to create their own reports and forms.
• Determine the purpose of the fields to see if they need special data types
• Determine whether the form requires data from more than one table
• If the form requires data from more than one table, determine the relationship between the
tables
• If the form requires data from more than one table, determine on which of the tables the form is
to be based
• Determine the fields from each table that need to be on the form
• When changing the structure of a table or query, examine object dependencies to see if any
report or form might be impacted by the change
• Determine the tab order for form controls

2. CONSIDER THIS: How should you submit solutions to questions in the assignments identified with a
“Consider This” symbol? Let students know the instructor determines how the solutions are submitted
depending on the assignment.

End of Chapter Material

 Apply Your Knowledge is an assignment that helps students reinforce their skills and apply the
concepts learned in this chapter.

 Extend Your Knowledge is an assignment that challenges students to extend the skills learned in
this chapter and to experiment with new skills. Students may need to use Help to complete the
assignment.

 Analyze, Correct, Improve is an assignment that asks students to analyze a database, correct all
errors and improve the design.

 In the Labs is a series of assignments that ask students to design and/or format a database using
the guidelines, concepts, and skills presented in this chapter.

 Consider This: Your Turn is a series of assignments in which students apply creative thinking
and problem-solving skills to design and implement solutions.

 Learn Online is a series of online exercises that test students’ knowledge of chapter content and
key terms.

TEACHER TIPS
Encourage students to personalize the forms created in these exercises. Students can replace the pictures
with their own pictures and modify Long Text fields to add their own comments. In In the Lab 3,
students use the web to find images and experiment with using both the OLE Object and the
Attachment data type to store images.
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 12 of 13

In the Lab 2 requires students to open an Excel attachment and change a previous cost.
Access 2013 Instructor’s Manual Page 13 of 13

Glossary of Key Terms


• field selector (AC 276) • size mode (AC 299)
• input mask (AC 269) • subform (AC 283)
• main form (AC 283)
Top of Document
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Well, right under your eyes will happen one of the strangest things
I have ever seen.
From the row of dark spots along the leaf’s edge, springs a row of
tiny, perfect plants (Fig. 132).
And when these tiny plants are fairly started, if you lay the leaf on
moist earth, they will send their roots into the ground, break away
from the fading leaf, and form a whole colony of new plants.
Now, those dark spots along the leaf’s edge were tiny buds; and
the thick leaf was so full of rich food, that when it was broken off from
the parent plant, and all of this food was forced into the buds, these
were strong enough to send out roots and leaves, and to set up in
life for themselves.
It will not be difficult for your teacher to secure some of these
leaves of the Bryophyllum, and to show you in the schoolroom this
strange performance.
All children enjoy wonderful tricks, and I know of nothing much
prettier or more astonishing than this trick of the Bryophyllum.
Part V—Leaves

HOW TO LOOK AT A LEAF

T O-DAY we begin to learn what we can about the leaves of


plants. I hope that enough fresh green leaves have been brought
to school to allow every child here to have one on the desk before
him, so that he may see, as far as is possible, just what is being
talked about.
This picture (Fig. 133) shows you the leaf of the quince. Now,
suppose you held in your hand a leaf fresh from the quince tree, and
were asked to describe it to a blind person, how would you tell about
it?

Fig. 133

You would begin, I fancy, by saying, “This leaf is green,” for the
color of an object is one of the things we notice first.
Next perhaps you would describe its shape. “This quince leaf is
rounded, yet it is too long to be called a round leaf.” So you would
use the word “oblong.”
Like most leaves, then, it is green; and like some other leaves, it is
oblong.
Now look at this picture (Fig. 134) of the maple leaf. This, you see,
is not oblong, but three-pointed.
What other differences do you notice between these two leaves?
You do not seem quite sure as to whether there are any other
differences. But do you not notice that the edge of the maple leaf is
cut into little teeth, like the edge of a saw, while the edge of the
quince leaf is smooth?
And let me tell you here, that when I speak of a leaf, I speak not
only of the enlarged flat surface we call the “leaf blade,” but also of
the “leafstalk.” A leaf usually consists of a leafstalk and a leaf blade,
though some leaves are set so close to the stem that they have no
room for any stalks of their own.

Fig. 134

“Oh! then,” you answer, “the leafstalk of the maple is much longer
than that of the quince, and there are little bits of leaves at the foot of
the quince leafstalk which the maple is without.”
You have done very well, and have noticed just those things which
you should.
The shape of the leaf blade, whether the edge of this is toothed,
the length of the leafstalk, and whether this has any little leaves at its
foot where it joins the stem, are things always worth noticing.
Now take your leaves and hold them up against the light, or else
look at the picture of the quince leaf, and study carefully the make-up
of the blade.
You see that this is divided lengthwise by a heavy rib which juts
out on the lower side. From this “midrib,” as it is called, run a great
many smaller lines. These are called “veins.” And from these branch
off still smaller veins that bear the name of “veinlets.” And somewhat
as the paper is stretched over the sticks of a kite, so from the leaf’s
midrib to its edge, and from vein to vein, is drawn the delicate green
material which makes up the greater part of the leaf.
What I wish you to learn this morning is, how to look at a leaf.
Before using our brains rightly, we must know how to use our
eyes. If we see a thing as it really is, the chances are that our
thoughts about it will be fairly correct.
But it is surprising how often our eyes see wrong.
If you doubt this, ask four or five of your playmates to describe the
same thing,—some street accident, or a quarrel in the playground,
which all have seen, or something of the sort,—and then I think you
will understand what I mean by saying that few people see correctly.
THE MOST WONDERFUL THING IN THE
WORLD

I T would be quite a simple matter to interest you children in plants


and their lives, if always it were possible to talk only about the
things which you can see with your own unaided eyes.
I think a bright child sees better than many a grown person, and I
think that it is easier to interest him in what he sees.
And then plants in themselves are so interesting and surprising,
that one must be stupid indeed if he or she finds it impossible to take
pleasure in watching their ways.
But about these plants there are many things which you cannot
see without the help of a microscope, and these things it is difficult to
describe in simple words. Yet it is necessary to learn about them if
you wish really to feel at home in this beautiful world of plants.
After all, whatever is worth having is worth taking some trouble for;
and nothing worth having can be had without trouble. So I hope
when you children come to parts of this book that seem at first a little
dull, you will say to yourselves, “Well, if we wish really to know
plants, to be able to tell their names, to understand their habits, we
must try to be a little patient when we come to the things that are
difficult.”
For even in your games you boys have to use some patience; and
you are quite willing to run the risk of being hurt for the sake of a little
fun.
And you girls will take no end of trouble if you happen to be
sewing for your dolls, or playing at cooking over the kitchen stove, or
doing something to which you give the name “play” instead of “work.”
I only ask for just as much patience in your study of plants; and I
think I can safely promise you that plants will prove delightful
playthings long after you have put aside the games which please you
now.
So we must begin to talk about some of the things which you are
not likely to see now with your own eyes, but which, when possible, I
will show you by means of pictures, and which, when you are older,
some of you may see with the help of a microscope.
Every living thing is made up of one or more little objects called
“cells.”
Usually a cell may be likened to a tiny bag which holds a bit of that
material which is the most wonderful thing in the whole world, for this
is the material which has life.
Occasionally a cell is nothing but a naked bit of this wonderful
substance, for it is not always held in a tiny bag.

Fig. 135

This picture (Fig. 135) shows you a naked plant cell, much
magnified, that swims about in the water by means of the two long
hairs which grow from one end of the speck of life-giving material.
The next picture (Fig. 136) shows you a seed cut across, and so
magnified that you can see plainly its many cells.
In the middle portion of the seed the cells are six-sided, and laid
against one another in an orderly and beautiful fashion, while the
outer ones are mostly round.
All animals, we ourselves, all plants, began life as a single cell.
Sometimes a cell will spend its life alone. When the time comes for
it to add to the life of the world, it divides into two or more “daughter
cells,” as they are called. These break away from one another, and
in like manner divide again.
But usually the single cell which marks the beginning of a new life
adds to itself other cells; that is, the different cells do not break away
from one another, but all cling together, and so build up the perfect
plant or animal.
By just such additions the greatest tree in the forest grew from a
single tiny cell.

Fig. 136

By just such additions you children have grown to be what you


are, and in the same way you will continue to grow.
Every living thing must eat and breathe, and so all living cells must
have food and air. These they take in through their delicate cell
walls. The power to do this comes from the bit of living substance
which lies within these walls.
This strange, wonderful material within the little cell is what is alive
in every man and woman, in every boy and girl, in every living thing,
whether plant or animal.
We know this much about it, and not the wisest man that ever
lived knows much more.
For though the wise men know just what things go to make up this
material, and though they themselves can put together these same
things, they can no more make life, or understand the making of it,
than can you or I.
But when we get a good hold of the idea that this material is
contained in all living things, then we begin to feel this; we begin to
feel that men and women, boys and girls, big animals and little
insects, trees and flowers, wayside weeds and grasses, the ferns
and rushes of the forest, the gray lichens of the cliffs and fences, the
seaweeds that sway in the green rock pools, and living things so tiny
that our eyes must fail to see them,—that all these are bound into
one by the tie of that strange and wonderful thing called life; that they
are all different expressions of one mysterious, magnificent idea.
While writing that last sentence, I almost forgot that I was writing
for boys and girls, or indeed for any one but myself; and I am afraid
that perhaps you have very little idea of what I am talking about.
But I will not cross it out. Why not, do you suppose?
Because I feel almost sure that here and there among you is a girl
or boy who will get just a little glimmering idea of what I mean; and
perhaps as the years go by, that glimmer will change into a light so
bright and clear as to become a help in dark places.
But the thought that I hope each one of you will carry home is this,
—that because this strange something found in your body is also
found in every other living thing, you may learn to feel that you are in
a way a sister or brother, not only to all other boys and girls, but to all
the animals and to every plant about you.
HOW A PLANT IS BUILT

N OW we know that the plant, like yourself, began life as a single


cell; and we know that the perfect plant was built up by the
power which this cell had of giving birth to other cells with like power.
Suppose that a brick were laid upon the earth as the foundation of
a wall; and suppose that this brick were able to change into two
bricks. Suppose that the new brick were able to form another brick in
the same manner, and that this power should pass from brick to
brick; and suppose that all these bricks were able to arrange
themselves one upon another in an orderly fashion, so that they
could not easily be moved from their places.
Now, if you can see this brick wall growing up, you can see
something of how the cells of a plant grow up and arrange
themselves.
But though it is fairly easy to see how the plant cells form one from
another, that does not explain how they come to make a plant, with
its many different parts, with its root and stem, its branches, leaves,
and flowers.
One thing can divide and make two things of the same sort; but it
is not easy to see how it can make things that are quite different from
itself.
Now, if this difficulty as to the building-up of plants and animals
has come into your minds, you are only puzzled by what has puzzled
hundreds of people before you; and all these hundreds of people
have found the puzzle quite as impossible to solve as the king’s
horses and the king’s men found it impossible to put Humpty Dumpty
together again.
A good many questions that we cannot answer come into our
minds; but if we look honestly for the answers and do not find them,
then we can be pretty sure that for the present it is safe to leave
them unanswered.
As cell is added to cell in the building-up of plant life, some
wonderful power forces each new cell to do the special work which is
most needed by the growing plant.
Sometimes this new cell is needed to help do the work of a root,
and so it begins to do this work, and becomes part of the root; or
else it is needed to do stem work, and goes to make up the stem, or
leaf work, and is turned over into the leaf.
A healthy cell is born with the power to do whatever is most
needed.
HOW A PLANT’S FOOD IS COOKED

S OME time ago we learned that the little root hairs, by means of
their acid, are able to make a sort of broth from the earthy
materials which they could not swallow in a solid state.
But before this broth is really quite fit for plant food, it needs even
more preparation.
Why do we eat and drink, do you suppose?
“Because we are hungry.” That is the direct reason, of course. But
we are made hungry so that we shall be forced to eat; for when we
eat, we take into our bodies the material that is needed to build them
up,—to feed the cells which make the flesh and bone and muscle.
And this is just why the plant eats and drinks. It needs constantly
fresh nourishment for its little cells, so that these can live, and grow
strong enough to make the new cells which go to form, not bone and
flesh and muscle, as with you children, but fresh roots and stem and
leaves and flowers and fruits.
If these little cells were not fed, they would die, and the plant
would cease to live also.
And now what do you think happens to the broth that has been
taken in from the earth by the root hairs?
As we have said, this broth needs a little more preparation before
it is quite fit for plant food. What it really wants is some cooking.
Perhaps you can guess that the great fire before which all plant
food is cooked is the sun.
But how are the hot rays of the sun to pierce the earth, and reach
the broth which is buried in the plant’s root?
Of course, if it remains in the root, the earth broth will not get the
needed cooking. It must be carried to some more get-at-able
position.
Now, what part of a plant is usually best fitted to receive the sun’s
rays?
Its leaves, to be sure. The thin, flat leaf blades are spread out on
all sides, so that they fairly bathe themselves in sunshine.
So if the broth is to be cooked in the sun, up to the leaves it must
be carried.
And how is this managed? Water does not run uphill, as you know.
Yet this watery broth must mount the stem before it can enter the
leaves.
Water does not run uphill ordinarily, it is true; yet, if you dip a towel
in a basin of water, the water rises along the threads, and the towel
is wet far above the level of the basin.
And if you dip the lower end of a lump of sugar in a cup of coffee,
the coffee rises in the lump, and stains it brown.
And the oil in the lamp mounts high into the wick.
Perhaps when you are older you will be able somewhat to
understand the reason of this rise of liquid in the towel, in the lump of
sugar, in the lamp wick. The same reason accounts partly for the rise
of the broth in the stem. But it is thought that the force which sends
the oil up the wick would not send the water far up the stem. And you
know that some stems are very tall indeed. The distance, for
example, to be traveled by water or broth which is sucked in by the
roots of an oak tree, and which must reach the top-most leaves of
the oak, is very great.
Yet the earth broth seems to have no difficulty in making this long,
steep climb.
Now, even wise men have to do some guessing about this matter,
and I fear you will find it a little hard to understand.
But it is believed that the roots drink in the earth broth so eagerly
and so quickly, that before they know it they are full to overflowing. It
is easier, however, to enter a root than it is to leave it by the same
door; and the result is, that the broth is forced upward into the stem
by the pressure of more water or broth behind.
Of course, if the stem and branches and leaves above are already
full of liquid, unless they have some way of disposing of the supply
on hand, they cannot take in any more; and the roots below would
then be forced to stop drinking, for when a thing is already quite full
to overflowing, it cannot be made to hold more.
But leaves have a habit of getting rid of what they do not need.
When the watery broth is cooked in the sun, the heat of the sun’s
rays causes the water to pass off through the little leaf mouths. Thus
the broth is made fit for plant food, and at the same time room is
provided for fresh supplies from the root.

Fig. 137

If you should examine the lower side of a leaf through a


microscope, you would find hundreds and thousands of tiny mouths,
looking like the little mouths in this picture (Fig. 137).
Some of the water from the earth broth is constantly passing
through these mouths out of the plant, into the air.
A STEEP CLIMB

I T is all very well, you may think, to say that the pressure from the
root sends the water up through the stem; but when we cut across
such a stem as a tree trunk, one finds it full of wood, with a little
tightly packed soft stuff in the center, and not hollow like a water
pipe, as one would suppose from all that has been said about the
way the water rises in the stem.
No, a stem is not a hollow pipe, or even a bunch of hollow pipes, it
is true; and it does seem something of a question, how the water can
force its way through all this wood; and even if one hears how it is
done, it is not an easy thing to make clear either to grown people or
to children. But I will see what I can do; and I know that you really
love these plants and trees, and will try to be a little patient with them
and with me.
The water, or liquid, when it mounts a stem or tree trunk, takes a
path that leads through the new-made cells. Each young cell wall is
made of such delicate material that it allows the water, or broth, to
filter through it, just as it would pass through a piece of thin cloth.
And so it makes its way from cell to cell, along the stem, more slowly
than if it were passing through a hollow tube, but almost as surely. It
is true, the earth broth does not reach the leaves above without
having given up something to the little cells along the road. These
seem to lay hold of what they specially need for their support, while
the rest is allowed to pass on.
I want your teacher to prove to you by a little experiment that water
makes its way up a stem.
If she will place in colored water the stem of a large white tulip,
cutting off its lower end under the liquid, those parts whose little cells
are in closest connection with the stem will soon begin to change
color, taking the red or blue of the water; for a freshly cut stem has
the same power as the root to suck in water eagerly and quickly.
HOW A PLANT PERSPIRES

W E cannot see the water as it passes from the tiny leaf mouths
into the air. Neither can we see the water that is being
constantly carried from the surface of our bodies into the air. But if
we breathe against a window pane, the scattered water in our breath
is collected by the cold of the glass in a little cloud; and if we place
the warm palms of our hands against this window pane, in the same
way the cold collects the water that is passing from the little mouths
in our skin, and shows it to us as a cloud on the glass.
Heat scatters water so that we cannot see it, any more than we
can see the lump of sugar when its little grains are scattered in hot
water; but cold gathers together the water drops so that we are able
to see them.
This is why you can “see your breath,” as you say, on a cold day.
The cold outside air gathers together the water which was scattered
by the heat of your body.
If you place against the window pane the under side of the leaves
of a growing plant, the water passing from the tiny leaf mouths
collects on the glass in just such a damp cloud as is made by the
moist palms of your warm hands.
When water passes from your hands, you say that you are
perspiring; and when water passes away from the plant, we can say
that the plant perspires. Some plants perspire more freely than
others. A sunflower plant has been known to give off more than three
tumblers of water a day by this act of perspiration.
There is a tree, called the Eucalyptus, whose leaves perspire so
freely that it is planted in swampy places in order to drain away the
water.
Of course, the more quickly the leaves throw off water, the faster
the fresh supply pushes up the stem.
If the leaves do their work more quickly than the roots make good
the loss, then the plant wilts.
When a leaf is broken from a plant, it soon fades. Its water supply
being cut off, it has no way of making good the loss through the leaf
mouths.
Just as the air in a balloon keeps its walls firm, so the water in the
leaf cells keeps the cell walls firm.
As a balloon collapses if you prick it with a pin, and let out the air,
so the cell walls collapse when the cells lose their water; and when
the cell walls of a leaf collapse, the leaf itself collapses.
HOW A PLANT STORES ITS FOOD

W E see that the water is drawn away from the earth broth into
the air by the heat of the sun, just as water is drawn from the
broth we place on the stove by the heat of the fire; and that when
this has happened, the plant’s food is cooked, and is in condition to
be eaten.
But this broth does not lose all its water. There is still enough left
to carry it back through the leaf into the branches and stem, and
even down into the root once more.
In fact, the prepared food is now sent to just those parts of the
plant which most need it.
Perhaps it is laid up beneath the bark, to help make new buds
which will burst into leaf and flower another year.
Or perhaps it goes down to help the roots put out new branches
and fresh root hairs.
Or possibly it is stowed away in such an underground stem as that
of the lily, or the crocus bulb, and is saved for next year’s food. Once
in a while some of this prepared food is stored in the leaf itself.
When a leaf is thick and juicy (“fleshy,” the books call it), we can
guess that it is full of plant food.
Do you recall the Bryophyllum,—the plant we talked about a few
days ago? Its wonderful leaves, you remember, gave birth to a whole
colony of new plants.
You may be sure that these leaves had refused to give up all the
food sent to them for cooking in the sun. You can guess this from
their thick, fleshy look, and you can be sure of this when you see the
baby plants spring from their edges; for without plenty of
nourishment stored away, these leaves could never manage to
support such a quantity of young ones.
LEAF GREEN AND SUNBEAM

B UT the earth broth which the roots supply is not the only article
of importance in the plant’s bill of fare.
The air about us holds one thing that every plant needs as food.
This air is a mixture of several things. Just as the tea we drink is a
mixture of tea and water, and milk and sugar, so the air is a mixture
of oxygen and nitrogen, and water and carbonic-acid gas.
Oxygen, nitrogen, and carbonic-acid gas,—each one of these
three things that help to make the air is what we call a gas, and one
of these gases is made of two things. Carbonic-acid gas is made of
oxygen and carbon.
Now, carbon is the food which is needed by every plant. But the
carbon in the air is held tightly in the grasp of the oxygen, with which
it makes the gas called carbonic-acid gas.
To get possession of this carbon, the plant must contrive to break
up the gas, and then to seize and keep by force the carbon.
This seems like a rather difficult performance, does it not? For
when a gas is made of two different things, you can be pretty sure
that these keep a firm hold on each other, and that it is not altogether
easy to tear them apart.
Now, how does the plant meet this difficulty?
You cannot guess by yourselves how this is done, so I must tell
you the whole story.
Certain cells in the plant are trained from birth for this special
work,—the work of getting possession of the carbon needed for plant
food. These little cells take in the carbonic-acid gas from the air; then
they break it up, tearing the carbon from the close embrace of the
oxygen, pushing the oxygen back into the air it came from, and
turning the carbon over to the plant to be stored away till needed as
food.
Only certain cells can do this special piece of work. Only the cells
which hold the green substance that colors the leaf can tear apart
carbonic-acid gas. Every little cell which holds a bit of this leaf green
devotes itself to separating the carbon from the oxygen.
Why this special power lies in a tiny speck of leaf green we do not
know. We only know that a cell without such an occupant is quite
unable to break up carbonic-acid gas.
But even the bit of leaf green in a tiny cell needs some help in its
task. What aid does it call in, do you suppose, when it works to
wrench apart the gas?
In this work the partner of the bit of leaf green is nothing more or
less than a sunbeam. Without the aid of a sunbeam, the imprisoned
leaf green is as helpless to steal the carbon as you or I would be.
It sounds a good deal like a fairy story, does it not,—this story of
Leaf Green and Sunbeam?
Charcoal is made of carbon. About one half of every plant is
carbon.
The coal we burn in our fireplaces is the carbon left upon the earth
by plants that lived and died thousands of years ago. It is the carbon
that Leaf Green and Sunbeam together stole from the air, and turned
over into the plant.
If one looks at a piece of coal with the eyes which one keeps for
the little picture gallery all children carry in their heads, one sees
more than just a shining, black lump. One sees a plant that grew
upon the earth thousands of years ago, with its bright green leaves
dancing in the sunlight; for without those green leaves and that
sunlight, there could be no coal for burning to-day. And when we
light our coal fire, what we really do is to set free the sunbeams that
worked their way so long ago into the plant cells.
It is more like a fairy story than ever. Sunbeam is the noble knight
who fought his way into the cell where Leaf Green lay imprisoned,
doomed to perform a task which was beyond her power. But with the
aid of the noble Sunbeam, she did this piece of work, and then both
fell asleep, and slept for a thousand years. Awakening at last,
together they made their joyful escape in the flame that leaps from
out the black coal.
In truth, a sunbeam and a flame are not so unlike as to make this
story as improbable as many others that we read.
And because I have told it to you in the shape of a fairy story, you
must not think it is not true. It is indeed true. Everywhere in the
sunshiny woods and fields of summer, the story of Leaf Green and
Sunbeam is being lived. But when the day is cloudy or the sun sets,
then there is no Sunbeam to help the Princess, and then no carbon
is stolen from the air.

You might also like