Plants

Science Year 3 Artful Flowers, Fruits and Seeds

Step into the amazing, secret world of flowers. Discover their relationship with bees and other insects. Learn how flowers transform into fruits and seeds to perpetuate the cycle of life and use the inspiration to create some beautiful works of art. Stage your own stunning art exhibition of paintings, sculpture, collage and dance on the theme of Artful Flowers, Fruits and Seeds to delight your visitors.

Session 1 Flower power

Objectives

Discover some amazing facts about flowers and make close observations of different flowers with magnifiers. Learn about the work of artist Georgia O’Keeffe and create some beautiful watercolour paintings from life and press flowers for a future project.

Science Objectives
i) Explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants.

Working Scientifically

  1. Make systematic and careful observations.
  2. Record findings using simple scientific language, drawings and labelled diagrams.

Other Curriculum Areas
Art

  • Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials.
  • Learn about great artists, architects and designers in history.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • Teaching and plenary PowerPoints
  • List of flower clues
  • Instructions for pressing flowers
  • Watercolour painting reminder sheet
  • Template for flower petals (plenary)

Additional Resources

  • A box with a lid (large enough to hold a reasonably large flower)
  • A large selection of flowers of different colours shapes and sizes
  • Blotting paper (approximately A4 sized) – 1 sheet per child
  • Some large heavy books (to press flowers in) 1 for every 5-6 children
  • Magnifying lenses (1 per child if possible)
  • Water colour pallets and water pots (one between 2 children)
  • Mixing pallets (1 per child)
  • A range of good quality paintbrushes including some fine ones
  • Cartridge paper for watercolour painting (2-3 sheets per child)
  • Cheap white paper to lay samples on
  • Plenary: for each group of 3 you will need:
    • 6 cotton buds with the bud at one end cut off and 1 with both ends cut off
    • A lump of Plasticine the size of a conker
    • A pair of scissors
    • A4 coloured card folded twice and marked with a petal on one side

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Observe a range of different flowers closely using magnifiers.
  • Record observations using pencil and watercolour.

Activities

  1. Play a guessing game to introduce the new topic and help them understand why flowers are so amazing.
  2. Find out some interesting facts about flowers and the people who have hunted, studied and painted them.
  3. Learn about the work of the artist Georgia O’Keeffe.
  4. Closely observe a variety of flowers with magnifiers and record this in the form of a watercolour painting.
  5. Press flowers to preserve them.
  6. Create a model flower and begin to know and label the male and female parts within it.

Investigation - observation/analysing secondary sources
Study a variety of different flowers, making botanical paintings. Use hand lenses for close observation. Discover that flowers usually have male and female parts.

Vocabulary
Botany, botanist, botanical, petals, reproduction, male, female, stigma, style, stamens

Session 2 More about flowers

Objectives

Learn how insects and other creatures are important in the pollination of flowers. Discover the secrets of how bees communicate using a waggle dance and give it a go yourself. Create some stunning bee and flower models.

Science Objectives
i) Explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants.

Working Scientifically

  1. Identify differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes.

Other Curriculum Areas
Art

  • To improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • A sheet of other session templates
  • 3 strikes and you’re out and task PowerPoints
  • Instructions to make model bees and the waggle dance game

Additional Resources

  • Watercolour flower paintings from last session
  • Flight of the Bumble Bee by Rimsky Korsakov (CD or YouTube)
  • The petal templates and other templates copied onto white card
  • Watercolour/water soluble crayons – about 6 sets
  • Paint brushes, water pots, water colour pallets & mixing pallets
  • Covers or newspaper to protect tables
  • Plasticine or sticky tack (a conker sized blob for each flower)
  • PVA glue and spreaders (1 pot per table)
  • Lots of cotton buds with one end cut off and a few with no ends
  • 4 rectangular car wash sponges & pipe cleaners (3 for each bee)
  • Strong black thread (e.g. embroidery thread) & needles
  • A yellow (felt style) dishcloth & 0.5 metre of plain black cotton
  • Bendy black wire and thick strong wire
  • Tambourine
  • Sticky notes (for plenary)

Weblinks
A short film on how flowers make seeds from https://www.bbc.co.uk
Lovely film clip showing the bee waggle dance from https://www.bbc.co.uk
The Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky Korsakov from https://www.YouTube.com

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Understand that flowers vary in size, colour, shape and form but all play a crucial role in reproduction..

Activities

  1. Discover the role played by insects in pollination.
  2. Learn to do a bee Waggle Dance and know this is how they communicate with other bees.
  3. Create 3D models of either flowers or bees.
  4. Play a waggle dance game to communicate the location of a target “flower”.

Investigation - analysing secondary sources/observation
Identify male and female parts and learn their function. Make model flowers and insect puppets for the exhibition. Use puppets and models to demonstrate pollination.

Vocabulary
Reproduction, male, female, stigma, style, ovary, carpel, stamens, pollination, fertilisation, waggle dance

Session 3 Seeds in the making

Objectives

Check out some real plant specimens to discover what happens to flowers after pollination. Make a beautiful illustrated zigzag book to explain how fruits develop from pollinated flowers.

Science Objectives
i) Explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants

Working Scientifically

  1. Record findings using simple scientific language, drawings and labelled diagrams.
  2. Use straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support findings.

Other Curriculum Areas
Art

  • To improve mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing and painting.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • PowerPoints to mark sequencing task and teaching
  • Sequencing task and answer sheet
  • Hard and easy task sheets
  • Plenary cards and how to play Fruity Pairs instructions.

Additional Resources

  • The model flowers and bees made last session
  • Colour copies of the sequencing task (enough for one between two)
  • Scissors and glue sticks
  • Sample plants that show the sequence of development after pollination
  • Sharp knife
  • Large sheets of tissue paper
  • Magnifying lenses
  • A3 card or paper to make Zigzag books
  • Pencils, pens, rulers and coloured crayons (watercolour or regular)
  • Paint brushes and water pots (if you are using watercolour crayons)

Weblinks
Runner bean plants growing from www.bbc.co.uk

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Make first hand observations of the development of fruits from flowers.
  • Use evidence to form theories.
  • Understand the process of how fruits develop from pollinated flowers.

Activities

  1. Consolidate knowledge on pollination by doing a sequencing puzzle in pairs.
  2. Examine plant specimens that show the development of fruits from pollinated flowers.
  3. Discuss observations, generate questions and form theories on the process.
  4. Learn how pollen grains fertilize ovules by watching a film clip and an explanatory PowerPoint.
  5. Make illustrated Zigzag books that explain the development of fruits.
  6. Play a team game to reinforce the link between flowers and fruits and the huge variety that exists.

Investigation - analysing secondary sources, observation
Research what happens to a flower after pollination. Observe different plants that show seedpod formation at different stages.

Vocabulary
Stigma, style, ovary, ovules, pollination, fertilisation, fruit, pod, seeds

Session 4 Explore fruits

Objectives

Explore the huge variety of different fruits – asking questions and making observational drawings and notes. Sort fruits according to your own criteria based on their similarities and differences.

Science Objectives
i) Explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants.

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask relevant questions and use different types of scientific enquiries to answer them.
  2. Gather, record, classify and present data in a variety of ways to help answer questions.

Other Curriculum Areas
Art

  • To improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing and painting.

Extended Writing Opportunities
Information texts: Make illustrated zigzag books that explain the development of fruits.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • Teaching PowerPoint
  • A Match the Name game board (printed in colour)
  • And a set of trimmed label cards for each team of 4 children
  • Fruit note sheets –at least one per child
  • Plenary cards – colour printed and trimmed into individual cards

Additional Resources

  • A pair of dice for each team of 4 children
  • Paper plates, or trays to display fruits
  • Magnifying lenses
  • A variety of fruits ideally including berries, pods and dry types like nuts, helicopters and parachute types
  • Oil pastels or good quality soft pencil crayons
  • A selection of sugar paper in dark shades, e.g. black, and different browns and greens
  • Cardboard rectangles and board pens (for labels)

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Explore a variety of fruits and generate questions.
  • Classify fruits according to observable similarities and differences.

Activities

  1. Consolidate the learning of scientific vocabulary by playing a word matching game in teams.
  2. Explore a wide variety of fruits and ask questions about them.
  3. Use observation skills to create detailed drawings of fruits with accompanying notes.
  4. Suggest criteria for grouping fruits and classify them accordingly.

Investigation - exploration
Investigate a wide variety of different fruits, pods, berries etc. that “package” seeds.

Vocabulary
Fruit, pod, nut, seed, berry, seed head, ovary, ovule

Session 5 Seed dispersal

Objectives

Begin to understand why fruits are so varied – to help with the dispersal of their seeds. Make your own paper seed and investigate wind dispersal by testing different versions to find the best flier.

Science Objectives
i) Explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants.

Working Scientifically

  1. Set up simple practical enquiries and comparative and fair tests
  2. Report on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions.
  3. Use results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • Four different challenge sheets, teaching and task PowerPoints.
  • A set of Fruit Sort cards printed in colour and trimmed (or use plenary cards from Session 4)
  • Paper-copter templates (2 per sheet), trimmed – enough for several per child
  • Various paper-copter templates - use the enlarge and reduce function on the photocopier to provide a range templates sizes
  • Cardboard templates - standard size, with pen holes at the 3 large black dot points
  • Task sheets copied ready for the 4 different challenges

Additional Resources

The observational drawings and the plenary grouping labels made last session

  • Sticky tack
  • Scissors
  • Paperclips
  • A selection of 5 different types of paper/ card (Material Challenge)

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Understand that the function of a fruit is to produce and disperse seeds.
  • Know the different ways that seeds can be dispersed.
  • Investigate wind dispersal by setting up a fair test to compare the flight of different paper spinners.

Activities

  1. Sort a variety of fruits according to observable features.
  2. List the different ways seeds are dispersed.
  3. Investigate wind dispersal by setting up fair tests to determine the best type of paper spinner.
  4. Record and report back on results.
  5. Use results to generate further questions and possible enquiries.

Investigation - exploring/pattern seeking/fair testing
Investigate other types of dispersal e.g. burrs and wind dispersal. Conduct a wind dispersal investigation.

Vocabulary
Fruit, seed, parent plant, dispersal, germination, investigate, fair test, record, results

Session 6 What an exhibition

Objectives

Test your knowledge on flowers, fruits and seeds with a quiz. Then it will be time to make preparations for the Art Exhibition. Work on your own group project to delight visitors, perhaps a quiz, a dance, a puppet display, a competition or some interesting labels and explanations.

Science Objectives
i) Explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants.

Working Scientifically

  1. Report on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions.

Extended Writing Opportunities
Information texts: Make creative, informative posters that invite visitors to your exhibition and include key information that they will learn when they attend.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • Quiz and quiz answers PowerPoints
  • Quiz sheet
  • Answer sheet
  • Bunting triangles printed from session resource (see Teachers’ Notes)

Additional Resources

  • All the artwork produced so far in this block
  • Individual letters drawn onto coloured paper to spell out a bunting message
  • Scissors
  • PVA glue & spreaders or brushes
  • A length of string for your bunting
  • Pressed flowers from Session 1
  • Other resources may vary according to your activity choices – paper, pencils, colouring pencils, felt tip pens, marker pens, rulers

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Recap on all our knowledge and understanding of flowers, fruits and seeds.
  • Prepare a variety of displays, explanations and presentations for visitors to the Artful Flowers, Fruits and Seeds Exhibition.

Activities

  1. Undertake a quiz to assess knowledge and understanding of flowers, fruits and seeds.
  2. Make bunting for the exhibition using the pressed flowers from Session 1.
  3. Undertake a group activity in preparation for the Artful Flowers, Fruits and Seeds Exhibition, e.g. a bee dance or puppet display, labels and explanations, quizzes and competitions, posters and invitations.

Investigation - analysing secondary sources
Gather together and stage exhibits for the Art and Science exhibition. Write explanations and captions to accompany art, models, real life exhibits and investigation results.

Vocabulary
Fruit, seed, flower, pollination, pollen, stamen, stigma, ovary, fertilization, dispersal, germination, reproduction