Science
SCI.III.2.2
Grade: 6
Strand III:
Using Scientific Knowledge in Life Science
Standard 2:
Organization of Living Things - All students will compare and
Contrast differences in the life cycles of living things
Benchmark 2:
Describe the life cycle of a flowering plant
Constructing and Reflecting:
SCI.I.1.1 Generate scientific questions about the world based on observation.
SCI.I.1.2 Design and conduct scientific investigations.
SCI.I.1.3 Use tools and equipment appropriate to scientific investigations.
SCI.I.1.5 Use sources of information in support of scientific investigations.
SCI.II.1.5 Develop an awareness of and sensitivity to the natural world.
Vocabulary / Key concepts
Context
Flowering plant parts and processes:
• roots
• stems
• leaves
• flowers
• fruits
• seeds
• embryo
• pollen
• ovary
• egg cell
• germination
• fertilization
Common flowering plants:
• bean
• flowering fruit tree
• tulip
Tools: Microscope and hand lens
Knowledge and Skills
Flowering plants, just like animals, have distinct
stages in their life cycle.
• Fertilization, the first stage of a flowering plant,
involves the union of egg and sperm. Students
will investigate a variety of flowers to locate the
structure where sex cells form.
• Next, students will recognize the stages of
growth from seed to mature plant. Seeds,
which contain the embryos and their food, form
in the ovary as a result of the egg/sperm union.
As the seeds mature and the fruit ripens, the
seeds may be dispersed.
• If conditions are favorable, then the seed
germinates (seed coat cracks open and
embryonic plant emerges) and a mature plant
develops with roots, stems, leaves and flowers.
• The cycle of the flowering plant is ready to
begin again.
Resources
Coloma Resources:
Laser Disk (full size) Diversity of Life
CO2 & O2 Meter Using Logger Pro 3.3
Other Resources:
•
Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee
(free classroom kit)
P.O. Box 287
Frankenmuth, MI 48734
•
The Lives of Plants – MDE
•
Wisconsin Fast Plants – University of
Wisconsin-Madison
•
Budding Botanist – AIMS – p. 49 “Flower
Study”
•
GrowLab – National Gardening Association
– p. 118-138 “Plants from Seeds”
•
The Franklin Institute Online – Living Things
Excellent! resource
•
Plant Unit – University of Tennessee
•
Local orchards, greenhouses and florists
Videoconferences Available
For more information, see
www.remc11.k12.mi.us/dl or call Janine Lim
471-7725x101 or email jlim@remc11.k12.mi.us
III.2.MS.2
A Seed Grows from Minnetrista Cultural Center
& Oakhurst Gardens
6th Grade Science Curriculum
Technology Resources
III.2.MS.2 Describe the life cycle of a flowering
plant
Instruction
Students will:
• Dissect a variety of flowers to observe their structures.
Dissection should be done carefully and sequentially,
so structural parts are kept together.
Place a sheet of black construction paper on a
table and gently tap the flower to collect pollen on
the paper. Examine the pollen under the
microscope.
Remove the petals and sepals to allow for closer
observation.
Examine the pollen producing structures (stamens)
and remove them carefully.
Observe the remaining ovary structure. Carefully
slice the ovary vertically in half. Because this is a
mature flower, fertilization has already taken place -- meaning that the egg and sperm have already
united, forming the tiny seeds they may see.
• Discuss the role the flower plays in the life cycle of a
plant.
• Examine a variety of seeds, such as a lima bean, to
observe the embryonic plants inside. Hypothesize
which areas will develop into the roots, stem(s) and
leaves.
• Have the students design an investigation to observe
the life cycle of a flowering plant (ex. Wisconsin Fast
Plants, bean plants, etc.).
Self-Evaluation Checklist for the Investigation
1. Problem
• Have you clearly stated the problem you
investigated?
• What variables did you investigate?
2. Experiment
• Are your instructions for each step written clearly
and completely enough so that someone else
could easily replicate your investigation?
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•
•
•
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3. Results
Are your data organized in a table, chart, or graph?
Are your tables, charts, or graphs properly labeled?
4. Conclusions
Are your conclusions fully supported by your data?
How valid are your conclusions or results?
In what specific ways could your experiment be
improved?
Assessment
Required Coloma Assessment:
What are two important functions of flowers to
the life cycle of plants?
a. They attract bees and other animals
that help move the pollen.
b. They include the parts of the plant that
are needed for reproduction.
c. They provide beauty to landscapes and
houses.
d. They are an important food source for
many animals.
What happens to the ovary of a plant after it is
fertilized?
a. It falls to the ground where it
germinates into a new plant.
b. It takes in sunlight and carbon dioxide
to produce the plant’s food.
c. It grows into a fruit, which contains the
plant’s seeds.
d. It moves water from the roots to the
leaves.
Students will create a model (PowerPoint
presentation, flip-book, flowchart, picture
book, song, poem) illustrating the
development of a flowering plant .
( seed —> plant —> flower [ fertilization / fruit
development ] —> cycling back to seed ).
(Give students rubric before activity.)
Scoring Rubric
Criteria: Correctness of plant
development sequence:
Apprentice - Shows inaccurate sequence of
developmental stages of a flowering plant.
Basic - Illustrates partial sequence of
developmental stages of a flowering plant.
Meets - Illustrates proper sequence of
developmental stages of a flowering plant.
Exceeds -Illustrates detailed examples of
numerous flowering plants moving through
their developmental stages.
Teacher Notes:
“Animals and plants have a great variety of body plans and internal structures that contribute to their being
able to make or find food and reproduce. Similarities among organisms are found in internal anatomical
features, which can be used to infer the degree of relatedness among organisms. In classifying organisms,
biologists consider details of internal and external structures to be more important than behavior or general
appearance.” (BSL)
The middle school classification benchmark does not require students to be able to name or classify
organisms into the major kingdoms, or to explain the difference between plant and animal cells. These two
ideas are included in the corresponding high school benchmark (III.2.HS.1). Students are not responsible for
knowing the difference between bacteria and viruses, or among various types of single-celled organisms: The
organisms listed in the real-world contexts are only examples to be used in instruction, not organisms that
students must commit to memory. (JCISD)