Yakima WATERS Mini Lesson
Introduction to Flower Structure and Diversity
Targets and Assessment
WA Science Standards Addressed:
Science 9-12 INQB Inquiry investigation
Science 9-12 INQC Inquiry explain
Lesson Parameters
Content Area: Biology
Overview: Students will learn basic parts of a flower and
some of the reproductive adaptations of plants in the shrub
steppe.
Grade Level: 10
Assessments:
 Students will turn in diagrams and detailed
descriptions on the plants they dissect. They will
be graded based on attached rubric.
Suggested Time: 55 minutes
Special Materials:
 none
Learning Outcomes:
 Knowledge: Students will be able to explain how flowers have evolved for different modes of pollen
and seed dispersal. Students will have an increased understanding on plant reproduction.
 Skill: Students will be able to dissect a flower and describe the basic reproductive structures.
Science Concept Background:
Plants have many reproductive strategies. Most undergo sexual reproduction, yet some can also
reproduce through vegetative structures. This gives plants a wide range of methods they can use in order
to secure the survival of their species.
This exploration will focus on learning about some of the sexual strategies and will focus specifically on
flowers. Each species tends to have special flower characteristics than can be useful to help determine
what type of plant it is. These structures have developed in regards to the environment in which the
species lives and it’s mode of seed dispersal.
In this lab we will examine several types of flower structures and discuss methods of seed dispersal and
environmental cues that determine why flowers may look the way that they do.
Materials:
 several different species of solitary flowers
 flowers exhibiting different inflorescence types
 dissecting microscope
 forceps
 scissors
 razor blades
 dissecting probes
Procedure:
Key questions:
Why do flowers all look different?
Do all plants have the same type of reproduction?
1. Ask students above questions and then elaborate on their answers. Talk specifically about different
modes of reproduction in the shrub steppe and why plants needed to evolve to have different modes
of reproduction (reproductive vs. vegetative, etc.)
2. Have students choose which flowers they want to dissect.
3. Make sure they choose at least two different types of flowers.
4. Have students look at flowers and dissect them under the microscope. They should be making a
diagram of what their flower looks like and writing detailed descriptions about what they see.
5. Diagrams and descriptions will be due at the end of the lab.
Extension(s):
 At end of class have class discussion about what the flowers looked like and if they saw different
structures when looking at different flowers. Recap by covering the main types of reproductive and
vegetative forms of growth and relate them to the shrub steppe environment. See if students have
any questions about what they did and get feed back about what they learned.
Teaching Tips:
 Make sure students have already been introduced to the reproductive structures of a flower. This lab
will preferably follow up a lecture teaching the main parts of the flower and why they are important.
 Give quick demo on dissecting microscopes before students are allowed to use them.
Supplements:
 Diagram of basic flower parts
 Diagram of different inflorescence structures
Author: Jennifer Lannoye, Yakima WATERS Project, CWU, Fall 2009