ARTICLES
Lesson / Activity: Seeds that Fly (continued)
Preparation
• Set up pedestal fan with back near the wall to prevent trip hazard.
• Fill containers with water and place away from any electrical equipment.
• Ensure computer is connected to the internet, data projector on standby, audio connected.
• Access Youtube clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slUkyA2cy60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buZV0h4vfmQ
Lesson steps
Intro (5 mins):
1. Ask children to think about a time when they used a dandelion clock, ie blew the seeds
from a dandelion and counted how many times they needed to blow until all the seeds
had been blown away.
2. Watch: The Dandelion from Secret Life of Plants https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=slUkyA2cy60 (2:03)
The purpose of this lesson is to explore the characteristics of seeds that are spread by
the wind and those spread by water.
Lesson body (20 mins):
3. Children work in small groups to separate seeds to predict if they could be dispersed
by wind, water, both or neither. They record their predictions using a table similar to the
one below:
Type of seed
Will it float?
Will it fly?
4. They devise a way to test their ideas using the materials provided (ie floating the seeds
in water, or holding them in front of the fan to see which ones blow away.) Teachers
should encourage children to test every seed in the same way.
Allow time for students to test their initial ideas and pose new own questions, eg.
• apples float but what about apple seeds? Teacher can cut open apple, allow children to
remove seeds and check.
• Can a floating seed be moved by the wind? (Could explore using a small container of
water with fan on the side to propel seeds)
• Does weight affect how buoyant the seed/fruit is in air or water? (Children can use
jewellery scales to weigh the seeds and compare.)
Lesson close (5-7 mins):
5.
Watch Seeds from The Secret
watch?v=buZV0h4vfmQ (3:03)
Life
of
Plants
https://www.youtube.com/
6. Discuss key ideas from their own investigations and how they connect to the video:
a. What are the features of seeds that are dispersed by the wind?
b. How do adaptations that allow plants to disperse seeds in different ways help plants
to survive in their environment?
Questions/ results
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SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 67 NO 1
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