How Does My Garden Grow? 

A Closer Look at Pollination

Duration:  

    2 hour periods

Objectives:

 w  The student uses technology resources to find information.

 w The student knows the structural characteristics of a flower and how it 
     reproduces.

 w The student understands that plants and animals depend upon each 
     other for survival.

 

Materials:

Various flowers, books

 

Vocabulary:     

Pollen, anther, ovules, petals, stigma, pistil, stamen, pollen basket,  pollinate
Online Glossaries: Sue Bee Glossary and Honey Facts

 

Activities:

    1.  Discuss how a bee not only produces honey from the nectar of a 
         flower but at the same time the bee is helping the flower to   
         reproduce or make more flowers. Provide students with flowers so 
         that they can identify the different parts of a flower as they do their 
         investigation.

 

    2.  Do research on what is pollination. Visit this site and see a movie 
         on pollination. Visit Brain Pop Pollination  and read 
         about pollination at Honey General Info and Cyber Bee

 

    3.  Learn more about flowers and pollination from Scott Foresman 
         Science online: Plant Structure and Function  Read about flowers 
         then click on "flower power" and print the worksheet.  Then go Kids 
 Stuff Pollen
to answer the questions on the worksheet.

 

    4.  After reading about pollination and studying the parts of a flower  
         students will visit this site and copy the outline of the flower.  Find 
         the answers to the questions and label the flower.  Honey- Pollen  

 

Assessment:         

   w Student will present the outline of a flower labeled with its parts and 
       functions.

   w Student will present the flower power puzzle on pollination.

 

Home Learning:

Visit your backyard and see any flowers growing.  Get one and see if you can identify the flower's parts.  Write about your adventure looking for the flower.  Watch out for bees!

 

Extension:

Go to the Scott Foresman Science site and copy the writing prompt.   

 When the story is ready to be published go back to S F Science site and enter your story. Visit SFS Science.

 

PROMPT: You can adapt the prompt to the lesson by changing fern to flower:

"Munch! Imagine being a gigantic fern with dinosaurs nibbling on your long, rough, leaves, spores dropping to the soil below. Or maybe you are trampled into the mud to become a fossil, or used in a nest to cushion eggs. " 

 

So much could happen to a fern! Write a short story about a giant fern that might have grown in an  ancient forest during the time of the dinosaurs. What did it look like? Where did it grow? What type of weather was good for it? Was anybody eating it? Write about the ups and downs of life as a fern in the wild world of dinosaurs.

    

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