Pollination-Lesson Plan

Year 5 Lesson 3

Pollination Overview

In this lesson, students gain understanding of the name and function of the different parts of a flowering plant, and how it reproduces through pollination and the fertilisation process. They will integrate and exhibit learning by creating a system to simulate pollination.

Key Information

Lesson Structure

45 or 90 minute lesson

Learning Objectives

As a result of this lesson, students will be able to: Warm-Up

➜ Recognise ​and label the different parts of a flowering plant.

Mini-lesson

➜ Explain​ how a plant reproduces through pollination and fertilisation.

Worked Example​ – Let’s Build!

Challenge 1

➜ Create ​a system to simulate the way in which a flowering plant attracts insects.

Challenge 1 ​–​ Debug​ It!

Challenge 2

➜ Create ​a system to represent the process of pollination.

Chilli Challenges​ & ​Exit Ticket

➜ Opportunity to extend understanding and reflect on learning.

Curriculum Topic ​(refer to the ​Curriculum Alignment Map​)

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Science Year 5

Materials Required SAM Labs STEAM Kit

Squares of coloured card/paper

The Student Handouts can be used alongside each lesson.

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Year 5 Lesson 3

Pollination Warm-Up

Recognise and label the different parts of a flowering plant.

Key Information to Share: ● Flowers come in many different colours, shapes and sizes, but most have a similar structure and reproductive parts. ● Plants are made up of male and female parts which together enable the reproductive process. ● Male parts: ○ The male part of a plant is called the ​stamen​. ○ It produces ​pollen. ○ It consists of the ​filament​ and the ​anther​. ● Female parts: ○ The female part of a plant is called the ​carpel​. ○ It produces seeds. ○ It consists of the ​ovary, stigma ​and ​style​.

Activity: ● Display the image of the flower on the Lesson Slides. Think, pair, share: ​“Can you label the different parts of a flower?” ● Ensure students can differentiate between the male and female parts of a flower. Discuss how each part of the flower performs a different role. “​Can you work out the function of each part?” ● Students work in pairs to narrate the function of each part of the flower.

Link forward:​ Students learn about the process of pollination and fertilisation.

Mini-lesson

Explain how a plant reproduces through pollination and fertilisation.

Key Information to Share: ● The flower is essential to the reproduction of flowering plants. ● The stamen and carpel are surrounded by ​petals​, which attract insects. ● When an insect lands on a flower to drink its ​nectar​, tiny grains of pollen brush off the anthers onto the body of the insect. ● When the insect visits another flower, the grains of pollen transfer to the sticky stigma of the new flower. This is called ​pollination​. ● The pollen travels down the style to the ovary at the base of the flower and produces new seeds from the ​ovules​. This is called ​fertilisation​.

Activity: ● Display and discuss the process of pollination and fertilisation using the images on the Lesson Slides. Students can narrate the process. ● Think, pair, share: ​“Why is it important for the pollen of one plant to be carried to another?” ​Explain that most plants cannot be pollinated by their own pollen. Their pollen must land on another plant. This process is called cross pollination.

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Year 5 Lesson 3

Pollination

In their Student Handout, students can draw the male and female parts of a flower then add features to make it more attractive to insects.

Students can complete the keyword activity in the Student Handout.

Keywords: Stamen

The male reproductive organ of a flower; it consists of the ​anther and the ​filament​.

Carpel

The female reproductive organ of a flower; containing ​ovary​, stigma ​and ​style​.

Petals

Brightly coloured outer parts of a plant which surround the reproductive organs of a flower and attract insects.

Nectar

A sugary fluid produced by flowers to attract insects; collected by bees to make honey.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen from the male part of a plant to the female part.

Fertilisation

The process through which the ​pollen​ (a fine yellow powder) turns the ​ovules​ into seeds.

Let’s Discuss:​ ​“What needs to be transferred between plants in order for pollination to take place?” ​With a partner, students can discuss how a flowering plant attracts insects.

Link forward:​ Students create a system to represent the process of pollination.

Worked Example – Let’s Build!

Create a system to represent the movement of an insect between flowers.

Instructions Step 1 Turn on and pair: ● 1 DC Motor block and drag it onto the workspace.

Also drag on: ● 1 Key Press block.

Connect the blocks as shown.

Workspace

Notes

Explain that the DC Motor will be used to represent the movement of the insect (the example shown is a bee) as it travels between flowers.

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Year 5 Lesson 3

Pollination

Step 2 Sketch an insect, cut it out and attach it to the Wheel.

Attach the Wheel to the DC Motor.

Note, students may wish to illustrate with a different insect.

Opportunity to research other insects that pollinate flowers in their local geographic area.

Explain that later, students will move the DC Motor by hand around the classroom to replicate the movement of the bee between flowers.

Step 3 Test your system

Challenge 1

Create a system to simulate the way in which a flowering plant attracts insects.

Instructions Step 1 Turn on and pair: ● 1 RGB LED block and drag it onto the workspace. Also drag on: ● 1 Interval block ● 1 Cycle Colours block.

Connect the blocks as shown.

Workspace

Notes

Explain that the RGB LED flashing different colours will represent the bright colours of the petals which plants use to attract insects.

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Year 5 Lesson 3

Pollination Step 2 In the settings of the Interval, set to a low value.

Step 3 Test your system.

Students may wish to set their own time for the RGB LED to flash. Discuss the setting that would best represent a flower attracting attention. Note, here ‘250 milliseconds’ has been set.

Checks for understanding:​ “​Which block is being used to represent the movement of the insect? What is the transfer of pollen between flowers called?”

Challenge 1 – Debug It!

How can we keep the system on?

Instructions Step 1 Drag onto the workspace: ● 1 Toggle block

Connect the blocks as shown.

Step 2 Test your system.

Workspace

Notes

Explain that the Toggle acts like a switch and will keep the system on once the Key Press has been selected.

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Year 5 Lesson 3

Pollination Challenge 2

Create a system to represent the process of pollination.

Instructions

Workspace

Notes

Step 1 Turn on and pair: ● 1 Light Sensor block ● 1 additional RGB LED block and drag them onto the workspace. Also drag on: ● 1 Inverse block ● 1 Compare block ● 2 Number blocks.

Connect the blocks as shown.

Step 2 In the settings of the Number blocks, set as follows: ● Number connected to Toggle and RGB LED: ‘100’ ● Number connected to Compare and RGB LED: ‘0’.

NB. Groups of students will need to join together in order to have enough hardware blocks for this activity.

Explain that this will mean that​ if the Light Sensor is covered (light levels ‘10’ or lower), ​then Compare will send a message to the second Number which will send a ‘0’ value to the RGB LED, resulting in it switching off.

Step 3 In the settings of the Compare, set to ‘≤ 10’.

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Year 5 Lesson 3

Pollination Step 4 Create two colourful origami flowers.

Slot the flowers into the red Car Controller.

NB. The search term ‘simple origami flower’ can be used to find video tutorials online.

Alternatively, students may wish to draw or paint their own flower onto card, or build from LEGO​®​.

Explain that one flower will act as the flower from which the bee is taking the pollen and the other the flower which is receiving the pollen, and will be fertilised.

Step 5 Insert one RGB LED into each flower.

Slot the Light Sensor into the front of the second flower’s stand.

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Year 5 Lesson 3

Pollination

Students should observe that once the Key Press is activated, the RGB LED in the first ‘flower’ will begin flashing and the bee will start ‘moving’.

Then, when students move the ‘bee’ towards the second flower, placing it in front of the Light Sensor, the Number block will send a ‘0’ value to the first ‘flower’ to turn off, and the Inverse will send a signal to the second ‘flower’ to turn on, representing that it has been pollinated by the ‘bee’.

Step 6 Test your system.

Move the bee between the flowers.

(Enlarged screenshot below)

Checks for understanding:​ ​“What is the purpose of the Inverse block in the system? How does a bee help to pollinate a flower?”

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Year 5 Lesson 3

Pollination

Chilli Challenges

Experiment with altering the speed with which the ‘bee’ travels. Can you alter the settings of the DC Motor to better represent how a bee flies?

Experiment with the Sound Experiment with a third Player block. Can you use flower. Can you represent a sound to further represent bee travelling to two flowers? the behaviour of a bee?

Exit Ticket

Reinforce the learning objectives of the lesson.

In the Student Handout, students can: ● record and reflect​ on their results from the Challenge ● annotate ​their system ● apply ​what they have learned to the real world.

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