1. Topic-
Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
 
2. Content-
Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around.

In every ecosystem, organisms rely on each other in unique relationships that ensure each other's survival. All living things have basic needs and depend on other living things to meet those needs. In this science lesson, students will learn that most flowering plants depend on animals like bees for effective pollination and reproduction. Humans are also dependent on bees which are responsible for pollinating many of the fruits and vegetables we consume.
Key Concepts:
- Al living things have needs and depend on other living things to meet those needs.
- Bees are responsible for transporting pollen to flowers, plants, fruits and vegetables allowing them to reproduce (pollination)
- Without bees many of the fruits and vegetables we eat would not be able to reproduce resulting in less food for human consumption
Key Vocabulary Terms:
- Pollination
- Nectar
- Pollen
-

- Interdependence
 
3. Goals: Aims/Outcomes-
put goals here
 
4. Objectives-
1. Students will be able to define and use key vocabulary words to describe the process of pollination.
2. Students will be able to explain why humans and plants are dependent on bees.
 
5. Materials and Aids-

- Chalk
- 20 large pictures of flowers cut out
- cotton balls
- pencils
- markers
- projector
- computer with Internet access
- Pollination worksheet
 
6. Procedures/Methods-

A. Introduction-

1.
When introducing this lesson to students the teacher will present a short YouTube clip that shows bees collecting pollen from flowers. After students watch the video the teacher will ask the children a series of questions about what they saw in the video.
- What was that bee doing in the picture?
- Why do bees visit flowers?
- Why do flowers attract bees?

2. Next the teacher will show a brief slideshow (5-10 minutes) consisting of 5 images that introduces key concepts and vocabulary words used in the lesson.
- Slide One- should address how all organisms depend on each other for survival.
- Slide Two- Should show an example of this dependency with a graphic or chart (bees collect nectar from flowers which they use to make honey, flowers receive different pollen from bees which they use to reproduce new seeds). Without both organisms helping each other they would not be able to exist.
- Slide Three- Should address how pollination occurs between flowers and bees using a diagram or another short video. The teacher will then explain vocabulary words like pollen and nectar during this slide
- Slide Four- Should show examples of other fruits, vegetables and plants that bees pollinate. This slide should also address the fact that, in addition to bees, there are other insects that can carry pollen (butterflies, moths etc.)
- Slide Five- Should address the idea that, in addition to plants, humans are also dependent on food.


 

B. Development-

During the development portion of the lesson, the teacher will model the activity that demonstrates how pollination occurs between bees and flowers.
1.
Prior to beginning the lesson the teacher will have set up approximately 20 paper flowers on flat surfaces around the room. In the middle of each flower there will be an ample pile of chalk dust. There should be at least 5 different colors of chalk on flowers around the room.

2.
Explaining to students that insects such as moths, bees and butterflies visit flowers in search of nectar, they brush their legs and wings against pollen which sticks to their bodies. Using a cotton ball as a "bee"�, the teacher will select a flower in the room and dip the cotton ball in the chalk to collect "pollen"�.

3.
Next, the teacher will explain that when bees leave the flower to visit another, they take the pollen with them and deposit it on another flower. Taking the cotton ball covered in chalk, the teacher will walk to another flower and rub some of the chalk off on the petals.

4.
The teacher will then dip the cotton ball in the chalk of this same flower and repeat the process of pollination with another flower in the room. The teacher will explain to students that when the pollen is transported from flower to flower, the receiving flower accepts the pollen, beginning the process necessary to produce seeds.

 

C. Practice-

During the practice portion of this lesson, students will have the opportunity to participate in the pollination activity modeled by the teacher.

1.
Each child will be given a "bee"� (cotton ball) and the entire class will have 5 minutes to pollinate as many flowers as they can. Students will be encouraged to act like bees through sound and movement.

2. A the end of 5 minutes students will be asked to stop pollinating and observe the flowers and their bees
- What do their bees look like now? (Are they covered in pollen? Do they have several colors on them?)
- What do the flowers look like now?
- Were all of the flowers pollinated?
- What will happen to the flowers that are pollinated?
3. The teacher will then take away all the flowers and put out five new ones with chalk in the center. Randomly selecting one student, they will be given a new cotton ball and 20 seconds to pollinate the flowers. At the end of the 20seconds the teacher will ask the class to observe the flowers.
- Was one bee able to pollinate all of these flowers? The answer should be no.
- What will happen to the flowers that were not pollinated?
- What would a world without bees look like? (Food production, the survival of other plants and animals depend on to survive).
 

D. Independent Practice-

1.
During the independent portion of this lesson students will be given a formative assessment by completing a worksheet with two pictures. The first picture shows a bee drinking nectar from a flower and collecting pollen. The second picture shows a bee bringing pollen to a new flower. In at least two sentences, students need to explain how pollination works (pollen sticks to bees' bodies, bees carry the pollen to other flowers), and why the relationship between flowers and bees are so important (bees need flowers for food; flowers need bees to make new seeds).
 

E. Accommodations (Differentiated Instruction)-

1. For students that may not be able to physically participate in the activity, they will be partnered up with a friend that can assist them in completing the portions that require them to move around to different stations or pick up objects.
2. For students that may have difficulty with reading, answers to worksheets can be recited orally to the teacher for credit.
3. Students that need extra time to complete the assessment worksheet will be permitted to take it home and submit it the following school day.
 

F. Checking for understanding-

Throughout this lesson the teacher will be checking for students understanding using various formative assessments.
1. The teacher will check student knowledge after the pollination activity through a series of questions. These questions will act as a formative assessment to determine whether students understand the concept they have just acted out.
2. Students will also be given a formative assessment during the independent portion of the lesson. Students will be asked to describe the process that they see in two illustrations and explain the importance of this process.
 

G. Closure-

To wrap up the lesson, students will gather together in a circle for a small snack of apples and honey. As the children are eating the teacher can ask how the interdependent relationship between bees and plants produced these two items and how all organisms in nature depend on each other in order to survive.
 
7. Evaluation-
7. Evaluation-

Ideally this lesson will be part of a larger unit that explores the interactions that occur in ecosystems. Specifically the ways in which plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around. An appropriate summative assessment would be to have students create their own model that illustrates this type of relationship. Students can choose to focus on one method of pollination or seed dispersal to demonstrate how and why this occurs. Students will also be expected to present the project to the class where they will explain in 5 minutes how the organisms they chose depend on each other to pollinate and disperse seeds.
 
8. Teacher Reflection-
Reflecting on lessons can give teachers great insight into what changes can be made to improve a lesson in addition to creating more effective lesson in the future. Some questions for teachers to consider and reflect on after a lesson would be...


- Did I feel prepared for this lesson? (Content knowledge)
- What aspects of this lesson worked well?
- What aspects of this lesson did not work well?
- Did students seem engaged and challenged?
- Did I modify the lesson once we were working for students that were having difficulties? In what way?
- Did children feel comfortable offering suggestions about the content of the lesson?
- What kinds of feedback did I (teacher) receive from this lesson? (Don't understand; don't like this; want to do it again, etc.)

 

This Lesson Plan is available at (www.teacherjet.com)