Science Year 3/4 Feast of Flowers, Fruits & Seeds

Provided Resources

• Teaching and Plenary PowerPoints
• List of Flower Clues
• Botanical Painting reminder sheet
• Template for flower petals (plenary)
• Teachers’ Notes

Additional Resources

• A box with a lid and specimen flowers for drawing
• A selection of edible flowers
• Cauliflower, broccoli, salad leaves, optional other salad ingredients (choose from cherry tomatoes/radishes (1-2 per child), peas, sweetcorn, cucumber) and salad dressing
• Cooking equipment for one third of the class
• Cooking aprons, chopping boards, short handled knives, forks and teaspoon
• Small plastic pudding dishes or disposable cups (1 per child)
• Disposable forks (1 per child)
• Water colour pallets and mixing pallets (or water-soluble colouring pencils)
• Jug and water pots
• Good quality art paper cut into sheets (A4 size approx.), fine brushes and rulers
• Per group of 3: 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 and a sheet of A4 coloured card

Teaching

• Observe a range of different flowers closely using magnifiers.
• Record observations using annotated drawings, paintings and notes.

Activities

1. Play a guessing game to introduce the new topic and introduce some fascinating flower facts (Yrs3&4).
2. Closely observe a variety of flowers with magnifiers and record this in the form of annotated botanical illustrations (Yr3 3-4 annotations, Yr4 4-6 annotations).
3. Create a model flower and begin to know and name the male and female parts within it (Yrs3&4).

Investigation - observation/analysing secondary sources
Flowers, fruits and seeds are crucial to the lifecycle of plants but they are also nutritious foods. Discover which flowers are edible and taste some examples. Study a variety of different flowers use hand lenses for close observation. Discover that flowers usually have male and female parts. Make a flower salad.
Year 3 - Make annotated drawings of a variety of flowers.
Year 4 - Create a Flower Fact file from research of different sources.

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

Provided Resources

• Teaching and Task PowerPoints
• 2 Task sheets (Y3 and Y4)
• 2 petal templates
• Recipe for Saffron Vegetable Paella
• Teachers’ Notes

Additional Resources

• Cooking ingredients for saffron paella (see recipe)
• Cooking equipment: large lidded saucepan, 2 measuring jugs, cooking scales, bowls or tubs to store prepared ingredients, chopping boards, cooking knives, forks, plates, teaspoon, fine graters, lemon squeezers, kettle to make stock, serving spoon
• Bowls or disposable cups and forks (1 per child) to serve
• A selection of coloured paper cut into 21 cm squares
• Scissors, card egg boxes and PVA glue and spreaders
• Cotton buds (at least 7 per child) and Plasticine
• Felt tip pens and colouring pencils

Weblinks
A short film on how flowers make seeds from https://www.bbc.co.uk

Teaching

• Understand that flowers vary in size, colour, shape and form but all play a crucial role in reproduction.
• Be able to identify and describe the role of the male and female parts in a flower.

Activities

1. Rehearse the names and functions of the parts within a flower (Yrs3&4).
2. Create colourful labelled 3D flower models (Yr3 using key word prompts, Yr4 without prompts).
3. Help to prepare all the ingredients to make a saffron, vegetable paella (Yrs3&4).
4. Discuss where ingredients come from and experience the cooking and eating of some paella (Yrs3&4).

Investigation - analysing secondary sources/observation
Discover the secret of saffron (made from dried crocus stigmas) – the most expensive spice in the world. Observe and identify the male and female parts of a flower and learn their function. Make saffron bread and some simple model flowers to demonstrate stigmas and stamens.
Year 3 - Write annotated labels using prompts.
Year 4 - Write annotated labels.

Vocabulary
Reproduction, male, female, stigma, style, seed, nectar, stamens, pollination, fertilisation

Provided Resources

• Task, 3 Strikes Quiz and Answers PowerPoints
• Recipe for Honey Dippers
• Task Sheet and Waggle Dance Game Instructions
• Bee Wing Template
• Teachers’ Notes

Additional Resources

• Bee puppet: enough resources for one puppet between two
• A black sock, 3 pipe cleaners, a rubber band, a ball of scrunched up tissue paper
• 4 strips of yellow dishcloth (approx. 2cm wide)
• 2 lengths of garden wire (each about 14cm)
• A wooden skewer
• A cardboard wing template (see resources)
• PVA glue and brushes/spreaders
• Paper an A4 sheet of thin white card and scissors
• Honey dip and dippers
• Small bowl or cup and a plate
• 2 tablespoons and a teaspoon
• Ramekin plus other equipment and ingredients depending on which optional ingredients you use (see recipe and Teachers’ Notes).

Weblinks
Lovely film clip showing the bee waggle dance from www.bbc.co.uk
Recording of Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky Korsakov from www.YouTube.com

Teaching

• Understand the role of bees and other insects in the pollination and fertilization of flowers.
• Discover how bees communicate the location of a nectar source through a waggle dance.

Activities

1. Discover the role played by insects in pollination and play a quiz game to reinforce vocabulary and concepts (Yrs3&4).
2. Learn to do a Waggle Dance and know this is how bees communicate with other bees (Yrs3&4).
3. Create bee puppets in pairs and use them to be wildlife presenters by writing an explanatory commentary (Yrs3&4 but with higher expectation of Yr4 in terms of leadership and outcome).
4. Play a Waggle Dance game to communicate the location of a target ‘flower’ (Yrs3&4).

Investigation - analysing secondary sources, observation
Discover the role of bees and other creatures in pollinating flowers whilst collecting nectar. Make a honey dip/ dressing. Learn how pollination takes place. Make model bees.
Year 3 - Sequence the events of pollination.
Year 4 - Write the sequence of events that lead to pollination.

Vocabulary
Bee, pollen, nectar, waggle dance, honey, hive, pollination, fertilization, attract, transfer, stamen, style

Provided Resources

• Sequencing Task Answers and Teaching PowerPoints
• Sequencing Task and Answers Sheet
• Stages of fruit development in photographs
• Differentiated task sheets
• Teachers’ Notes

Additional Resources

• Colour copies of the Sequencing Task (enough for one between two) and Task sheets
• Sample plants that show the sequence of development after pollination
• Sharp knife
• Large sheets of tissue paper
• Magnifying lenses
• For fruit salad: a selection of fruits, chopping boards or plates, cooking knives, forks, a large bowl, a class set of small bowls or cups and teaspoons
• For drawing activity: a selection of cut pieces of sugar paper in earthy shades, pastel crayons or other good quality art crayons, slices of fruit showing seed formation

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

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 of pollination by doing a sequencing puzzle in pairs (Yrs3&4).
2. Examine plant specimens that show the development of fruits from pollinated flowers and generate questions and theories about the process (Yrs3&4).
3. Explain how fertilization takes place and how this leads to the development of fruits and seeds (Yr3 using a cloze task and Yr4 using key words as prompts).
4. Make detailed pastel drawings of sections through fruits (Yrs3&4).
5. Cut up fruits for a shared class fruit salad (Yrs3&4).

Investigation - exploration, problem solving, classifying and identifying
What happens after pollination and fertilisation? Fruits develop. Make a delicious fruit salad. Discover that fruits hold seeds. Investigate a wide variety of different fruits, pods, berries etc. that “package” seeds. Group them in different ways. Why are there so many different types?
Year 3 - Draw a section through a fruit and write a short explanation of how it has developed from a flower using cloze procedure.
Year 4 - Draw a section through a fruit and write a short explanation of how it has developed from a flower using key words as prompts.

Vocabulary
Stigma, style, ovary, ovules, pollen grains, pollination, fertilization, fruit, pod, seeds

Provided Resources

• A set of colour fruit sorting cards cut up into individual cards
• Paper-copter templates (2 per sheet) trimmed - enough for several per child

Additional Resources

• Fruits for sorting
• Paper plates to hold cut sections
• Sticky notes and scissors
• 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
• Selection of 5 different types of paper/card and paperclips
• Task sheets copied ready for the 4 different challenges

Teaching

• Classify fruits according to their similarities and ask questions about the variety of fruits.
• Investigate wind dispersal by setting up a fair test to compare the flight of different paper spinners.

Activities

1. Classify fruits into groups according to similarities of structure and type (Yrs3&4).
2. Investigate wind dispersal by setting up fair tests to determine the effect of varying size/weight (Yr3) or material/shape (Yr4) on the flight of a paper spinner.
3. Record and report on results and then use them to generate further questions (Yrs3&4).

Investigation - exploring, fair testing, problem solving
Why are there so many types of fruit/seed? For different types of dispersal. Make some easy granola bars. Investigate types of dispersal e.g. animals, water and wind dispersal.
Year 3 - Conduct a simple investigation to answer a question on dispersal.
Year 4 - Explore a variety of factors that may affect wind dispersal.

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

Provided Resources

• Quiz and Quiz Answer PowerPoints
• Recipe for Chewy No Bake Granola Bars
• Task Sheets
• Quiz sheet
• Answer sheet

Additional Resources

• Ingredients for Chewy No Bake Granola Bars: porridge oats, rice crispy cereal, chopped nuts, dried fruit, mixed seeds, butter/dairy free margarine, brown sugar, honey
• Cooking equipment: weighing scales, tablespoons, dessert spoon, knife, very large mixing bowl or other large, clean container
• Access to a hob or microwave oven and either a saucepan or plastic jug accordingly
• A large metal tray (24cm x 33 cm approx.) and paper napkins to serve
• Access to a fridge
• Access to the internet for research
• Paper, card, felt pens and crayons
• Access to the outcomes from previous sessions, e.g. model flowers, bee puppets, drawings and paintings, paper-copters

Teaching

• Recap on all our knowledge and understanding of flowers, fruits and seeds.
• Prepare a variety of displays, explanations and presentations for guests at the Feast of Flowers, Fruits and Seeds.

Activities

1. Make chewy no bake granola bars and discuss the origins of the various ingredients (Yrs3&4).
2. Work in groups to prepare a presentation of information or findings to an audience (Yrs3&4 working together but with higher expectations of Yr4 children).
3. Take part in a quiz on flowers, fruits and seeds to assess knowledge and understanding of the scientific concepts and vocabulary introduced in this block (Yrs3&4).

Investigation - analysing secondary sources
Divide up into teams to present the different foods to guests at the feast (flowers, saffron stigmas, honey, fruits and seeds. Work together on team presentations using drawings, models, dance, PowerPoint slides, narration, quizzes etc. to accompany each course.
Year 3 /Year 4 - Take on different roles within a mixed aged group.

Vocabulary
All vocabulary introduced during this block