NY Botanical Gardens Elementary Grades:

NY Botanical Gardens Elementary Grades:

Flowers Up Close: Structure/Function in Flowers - A Trip to The New York Botanical Garden

Grade Level: 6^th grade

Learning Standard: Students will demonstrate an understanding of structure/function in a living system and will develop the ability to do scientific inquiry.

Time Requirements: Pre-Visit: 3 hours; Visit: 2.5 hours; Post Visit: 3 hours

Topics Covered by This Lesson:

Role of flowers in the environment

Parts of the flower as they relate to structure/function

Colors of flowers as they relate to structure/function

Smell of flowers as they relate to structure/function

Shape of flowers as they relate to structure/function

Pre-Visit:

Purpose of Lesson: To learn about structure/function in flowers and to develop the ability to do scientific inquiry.

Purpose of Trip: To reinforce classroom lessons and provide close contact with flowers discussed in the classroom.

Objectives: Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

identify the five main parts of the flower and describe how structure/function relates

provide one reason for the different colors, smells, and shapes of flowers and describe how structure/function relates

Materials Required: 1 notebook for each child, 1 pencil for each child, 1 box of crayons for every group of four children

Student Learning Prerequisites: Knowledge of structure/function relationships

Visit:

Students will meet with Botanical Garden educator at the Green School where the parts of the flower as they relate to structure/function will be reviewed. Each student will dissect a flower as its parts are reviewed.

Tour of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. Students, in-groups of four, will walk through the flowers and grasses of the Arthur Hays Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger Meadow Gallery, participating in several interactive exhibits about the secrets of flowers (Bee Pollen Mover, A Bee’s Eye, What’s in a Flower). As they go through the meadow, they will have the opportunity to draw interesting flowers they see. They will pay close attention to the parts of the flower, the colors, the shapes and the smells of the flowers they see.

Lunch.

Time to ask questions and color in the flowers they saw.

Post Visit:

Assessment: Oral - Each group will take ten minutes to present their findings in the meadow, utilizing the pictures they drew at the museum. Each presentation must include:

naming of the five main parts of the flower and how they relate to

structure/function.

one reason for the different colors, smells and shapes of flowers and how they

relate to structure/function.

Extensions/Suggested Homework Assignments:

Create your own flower by designing and coloring one like you saw at the Botanical Gardens.

Photograph live flowers in nature.

Watch a flower in nature and watch for who takes the nectar from it - name the flower, its color, its smell, and its shape, how many petals it has, and name the animal/insect who took the nectar.

Possible questions that may be brought up:

Do certain flowers grow in certain environments and not others?

Do flowers close their petals at night?

Who takes care of all the flowers at the Botanical Garden?

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