Resources: Plant/flower (best examples are tulip, lily, daffodil), knife, scalpel, tweezers, cutting mat/board/tile, the handout, a camera (optional) and clear tape.
Core Handout: Flower structure questions and activities.
From KS2, the students should have a basic understanding of the process of pollination, which involves the transfer of pollen from the male part of the flower to the female part of the flower. They should also know that flowers are the reproductive organs of a plant, and that they contain male and/or female reproductive structures.
Why do plants have flowers? Ask the students if they think it is just to look pretty or so that they can be sold in shops? Reveal the real reason - they contain the plants' reproductive organs.
Run through the presentation about reproduction in plants. During the presentation, give the students page one of the handout to record some of the facts they find out whilst watching. Alternatively, you could use this handout as a quiz after the presentation. Label the reproductive parts of the flower using the diagram and key words on the handout. Carry out the dissection using page 2 of the handout.
Expert Film: Mike Linley describes the parts of a plant and how they are used in reproduction.
Dissecting a Plant/Flower
Warning: Pollen can aggravate hayfever sufferers. Check if anyone suffers from hayfever before proceeding.
Ask the students to remove the flower from a plant and lay this on the cutting surface. Then, pluck some of the petals from the top of the flower so they can see inside the flower head. Ask them to make a vertical cut from the base, moving up through the ovary and up the style. This will give a cross section of all the major reproductive organs to examine.
Mission to Write! Flower Reproduction
This task will enable the students to show an understanding of the reproductive process a plant goes through. They are to to draw and explain the process using key words from the lesson and from the bottom of Handout - Mission to Write! Flower Reproduction. The students should check for accuracy of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Support: Pollinators see flowers very differently to us; they can see the UV light reflected off the flower. Ask the students to look at some pictures of this and design their own flower to attract pollinators. Don’t forget to think about how the flower will transfer the pollen.
Challenge: Ask the students to compare the flower they have dissected to other photos of flowers. How are they different? Can they explain any of the differences? Can they design a flower that will attract the most pollinators?
As a whole class, discuss the students’ observations from the dissection task. Address any remaining misconceptions.
Flower Anatomy: The teacher should have a clear understanding of the different parts of a flower, such as petals, sepals, stamen, carpel, ovary, style, stigma and receptacle.
Pollination: The teacher should be familiar with the different types of pollination, such as self-pollination and cross-pollination, and the role of different agents of pollination, such as insects, wind and water.
Reproduction: The teacher should have a good understanding of the process of sexual reproduction in flowering plants, including the fusion of gametes, fertilisation and the formation of a seed.
Plant Life Cycle: The teacher should be familiar with the different stages in the life cycle of a flowering plant, including germination, growth, flowering and seed production.
Adaptations: The teacher should be aware of the different adaptations of flowers, such as colour, scent, and nectar production, and how these adaptations help in pollination and seed production.
Importance: The teacher should also understand the importance of flowers in plant reproduction, food production and aesthetic appeal.
