Jacoby - Spring Into Life

Ms. Jacoby's Second Grade
Class Page
Peirce School
Arlington, Massachusetts

LEARNING ABOUT FLOWER PARTS

We always know Spring has arrived at our school when it's time for Daffodil Day. This is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and the flowers bring much joy and hope to all.

See how it inspired us to write wonderful haiku poetry here.

After the bloom had passed on our beautiful daffodils,
it was time to begin our scientific investigation.
We began with a reading of
The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller.
This helped us to understand the reason
for every flower in the world - to make seeds!

Next we learned the names of the parts of a flower.
Using a sheet to guide us, we carefully dissected our daffodil flowers,
matching each part to the names on our sheet.
This was very exciting - we even found some seeds in the ovary!

Our young botanists closely examine their daffodils' flower parts.

Here is a glossary of the flower parts we learned.

GLOSSARY OF FLOWER PARTS

petals are usually colorful and attract birds or insects

pistil is a single stalk in the center of the flower

ovary is a pouch at the bottom of the pistil

stamens are the stallks that surround the pistil

anther is a sac at the top of each stamen

pollen is a yellowish sticky dust seen on the anthers

sepals surround the bottom of the flower and protect the ovary

seeds form in the ovary after pollen travels down through the pistil

INVESTIGATING SEEDS AND BULBS
The children were quite familiar with seeds, and were SO excited to find seeds in their daffodils. "Can we plant them?" "Will they grow into daffodils?" were questions I heard over and over. I let them know that, of course, they could plant them, and that scientists discover answers through experimentation, but that they might be disappointed with the results. Most of the chidren were VERY surprised to learn that daffodils grow from bulbs. Some knew nothing about plant bulbs, so on to our next investigation... Our current literacy theme was fairy tales, so we enjoyed a version of Jack and the Beanstalk, a story in which seeds play an important role. Did the children know a bean was a kind of seed? Most did, but did they know the treasure hidden inside? We soaked lima beans, then carefully pried them open. We found a tiny plant with a root and leaves inside! (Some children marveled at how they looked like butterflies!) Children took home five beans each to plant (like Jack in the version we read). After just 10 days, look at Piper's beans! We think it miight be Piper and the Beasnstalk! Then we turned our attention to bulbs. Bulbs look quite different than seeds, but would they hold the same tresaure? Although very different than seeds in some ways, bulbs are very much the same, each holding the beginning of a life cycle inside, ready, when the time is right, to "spring into life." To help us further understand bulbs we read excerpts from Millicent Selsam's book Bulbs, Corms, and Such. This book is highly readable for second graders and gives great information. (Note: This book is out-of-print, but a wonderful resource for exploring bulbs - check your local library.) WHAT DID WE LEARN? We compared and contrasted seeds and bulbs as a class. Here is a Venn diagram we created together using Inspiration. As our investigation began to wind down, I shared Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Snowdrop with the children - a perfect connection with our literacy theme. Finally, we carefully studied the parts of a bulb and drew scientific diagrams of them in our Artists' Notebooks. Here are just two examples of the many wonderful diagrams the children drew. Nick's work above, Teresa's below.

INVESTIGATING SEEDS AND BULBS

The children were quite familiar with seeds,
and were SO excited to find seeds in their daffodils.
"Can we plant them?" "Will they grow into daffodils?"
were questions I heard over and over.
I let them know that, of course, they could plant them,
and that scientists discover answers through experimentation,
but that they might be disappointed with the results.
Most of the chidren were VERY surprised to learn
that daffodils grow from bulbs. Some knew nothing about plant bulbs,
so on to our next investigation...
Our current literacy theme was fairy tales,
so we enjoyed a version of Jack and the Beanstalk,
a story in which seeds play an important role.
Did the children know a bean was a kind of seed?
Most did, but did they know the treasure hidden inside?
We soaked lima beans, then carefully pried them open.
We found a tiny plant with a root and leaves inside!
(Some children marveled at how they looked like butterflies!)

Children took home five beans each to plant
(like Jack in the version we read).
After just 10 days, look at Piper's beans!
We think it miight be Piper and the Beasnstalk!

Then we turned our attention to bulbs.
Bulbs look quite different than seeds,
but would they hold the same tresaure?

Although very different than seeds in some ways,
bulbs are very much the same, each holding
the beginning of a life cycle inside, ready,
when the time is right, to "spring into life."

To help us further understand bulbs we read excerpts from
Millicent Selsam's book Bulbs, Corms, and Such.
This book is highly readable for second graders
and gives great information.
(Note: This book is out-of-print, but a wonderful resource
for exploring bulbs - check your local library.)
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
We compared and contrasted seeds and bulbs as a class.
Here is a Venn diagram we created together using Inspiration.
As our investigation began to wind down, I shared
Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Snowdrop
with the children - a perfect connection with our literacy theme.

Finally, we carefully studied the parts of a bulb
and drew scientific diagrams of them in our Artists' Notebooks.
Here are just two examples of the many
wonderful diagrams the children drew.

Nick's work above, Teresa's below.

ONLINE RESOURCES
You may find these resources useful in exploring flowers, their parts, plant parts, and bulbs. Flowers at Enchanted Learning learn flower parts, take a plant quiz, try out a flower craft, or see flowers in the world of Art. plus more. Why do plants have flowers? Why do plants have flowers? More info on this question Daffodil Dissection Great close-up photos of some of the flower parts Flower Parts Songs and Fingerplays about flowers and plants - especially for the younger set Parts of a Plant Bulb Anatomy at Enchanted Learning Gardening for Kids - Bulbs

ONLINE RESOURCES

You may find these resources useful in exploring flowers, their parts, plant parts, and bulbs.

Flowers at Enchanted Learning
learn flower parts, take a plant quiz, try out a flower craft, or see flowers in the world of Art. plus more.
Why do plants have flowers?
Why do plants have flowers?
More info on this question
Daffodil Dissection
Great close-up photos of some of the flower parts
Flower Parts
Songs and Fingerplays
about flowers and plants - especially for the younger set
Parts of a Plant
Bulb Anatomy at Enchanted Learning
Gardening for Kids - Bulbs

ADDRESSING THE STANDARDS
This project addressed many of our state's standards, including the following Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework learning standards: Life Science (Biology) Recognize that animals (including humans) and plants are living things that grow, reproduce, and need food, air, and water. Recognize that plants and animals have life cycles, and that life cycles vary for different living things. Recognize changes in appearance that animals and plants go through as the seasons change. Identify the structures in plants (leaves, roots, flowers, stem, bark, wood) that are responsible for food production, support, water transport, reproduction, growth, and protection. Recognize plant behaviors, such as the way seedlings’ stems grow toward light and their roots grow downward in response to gravity. Recognize that many plants and animals can survive harsh environments because of seasonal behaviors e.g. in winter, some trees shed leaves, some animals hibernate, and other animals migrate.

ADDRESSING THE STANDARDS

This project addressed many of our state's standards, including the following Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework learning standards:

Life Science (Biology)

Recognize that animals (including humans) and plants are living things that grow, reproduce, and need food, air, and water.
Recognize that plants and animals have life cycles, and that life cycles vary for different living things.
Recognize changes in appearance that animals and plants go through as the seasons change.
Identify the structures in plants (leaves, roots, flowers, stem, bark, wood) that are responsible for food production, support, water transport, reproduction, growth, and protection.
Recognize plant behaviors, such as the way seedlings’ stems grow toward light and their roots grow downward in response to gravity.
Recognize that many plants and animals can survive harsh environments because of seasonal behaviors e.g. in winter, some trees shed leaves, some animals hibernate, and other animals migrate.