Seeds of Life 3rd and 4th grade
Teaching Point: Seeds are tough, small packets of life that come in a variety of shapes and sizes and arise as a result of two types of pollination- pollination by wind and by animals. Cross Cutting Concepts: Patterns, Cause and Effect NGSS: 3-LS1-1 Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles, but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death. 3-LS3-1 Plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exist in groups of similar organisms. 3-LS4-4 Populations live in a variety of habitats, and changes in those habitats affect the organisms living there. Principles of Ecology: Nested Systems, Development, Cycles, Dynamic Balance Time: 40-45 minutes Materials: “Life Box” or apple, flower parts poster, Cal Academy of Science’s “Flowers Seeking Pollinators” lesson placards (linked below, print 9’ by 12’ copies), seed samples (laminated or sealed in small plastic bags), tools and seeds for restoration planting project. Vocabulary: pollination, germination, nectar, pollen, co-evolution
Architecture Set
5 minutes
Lesson Script
Scenario 1: Show a box labeled “Life Box.” Have a student open the box to reveal: one cup of soil and one small bottle of water in it. Lead the class into explaining what is in the box and how this box represents life. Use the Acronym LAWS Light + Air + Water + Soil are all present in the box and represent the basis on which life depends. (air is in the box, and by opening the box light was let in) Give one student a packet of seeds to add to the box. Ask the group why seeds are so important to the life box. Lead the group to understand that seeds use all that is in the box to germinate and grow into a plant and plants are the basis of the food chain (producers). Scenario 2: Take a big bite of an apple to reveal the seeds and ask, “Is this apple dead or alive?” Allow students to discuss their answers in pairs. Lead them to understand that the fruit is the body carrying the dormant seeds that contain all the genetic information and nutrition needed to grow a new apple tree. Once conditions are right (LAWS and temperature) the seed will germinate or start to grow.
Teach 15 minutes
Did you know that seeds are kind of like you when you are heading to school with your lunchbox? They come in all sizes and shapes and are each similar to their parents, but uniquely themselves. Inside their tough outer seed coat, they are a tiny living embryo or baby with their own root, shoot and food. Depending on what kind of plant they are, they will remain in the seed “sleeping” or dormant until the conditions are right. Once the temperature, air, water, and sunshine are right, the seed will germinate.
Turn and tell your partner about seeds you know. Include seeds you might have planted in your garden; seeds you have eaten (hint: think of fruits and nuts) Before we can talk about seeds we need to first talk about flowers and pollinators. Most plants have flowers that have both the male and female reproductive parts needed to make seeds. Use a flower parts poster to point out basic flower parts: sepal, petal, stamen with the pollen on the anthers and the pistil with the ovules (eggs). You can also have the students model the different flower parts (one student stands with their arms up to be the pistil, other students stand around them to be the petals, etc.) In order for a seed to be created, the flower needs to be pollinated. Pollination is the process by which pollen from the male part of a plant is transferred to the female part of the plant. Last updated 7/24