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Integrating Science and Language Arts: NGSS Performance Expectation 2-LS2-2

2-LS2-2.
Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing
seeds or pollinating plants.

 

Miss Maple’s Seeds
by Eliza Wheeler

Planting the Wild Garden by Kathryn
O. Gailbraith


Plant
a Little Seed by Bonnie Christensen

No
Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart

Activity 1

Ask
your students to look at their feet and raise a hand if they are
wearing shoes with Velcro straps. Can they think of other clothing or items in
their homes that use Velcro? Are there items around the classroom that rely on
Velcro?

Let
the class know that Velcro was invented by a man named Georges de Mestral. The idea came to him one day after he
and his dog had been walking outdoors. Georges noticed that burrs, a kind of plant
seed, were sticking to his clothes and his dog’s fur.

Project
several photos of burrs on the classroom SmartBoard and tell students that when
Georges looked closely at
the seeds, he saw why they got caught on clothing and fur. Your students can see
why, too.

Divide the class into
groups of two or three students and give each group a hand lens and a Velcro
strip. Invite group members to take turns looking closely at the Velcro. If
students are wearing sneakers with Velcro straps, encourage children to look at
them, too. Each child should draw and label what he or she sees.

After a few students have had a chance
to share their drawings, explain that when Georges saw hundreds of tiny hooks on the
burrs, he realized that the same kind of little hooks could be used
instead of buttons and zippers. Later, someone else realized that Velcro straps
could replace shoelaces. And that meant people wouldn’t have to spend a lot of
time tying their shoes.

Let the class know
that hooking onto clothing and fur isn’t the only way that seeds disperse, or
move to new places. After sharing some of the books listed above, work with your
class to make a list of seed dispersal methods.

Activity 2

Gather several kinds of
seeds and place them in your classroom Science Center along with a half dozen
hand lenses. When students have free time, encourage them to visit the center,
observe the seeds, and predict how they might disperse.

Activity 3

Divide
the class into two teams—New Animals and New Machines. Then divide each team
into three smaller groups (A, B, and C). Let the students know that each New Animals
group will brainstorm to come up with an imaginary animal with unusual or
surprising body parts that could spread seeds like the fox (Group A), bird (Group
B), or squirrel (Group C) in Planting the
Wild Garden. The imaginary animal’s body parts should make it possible for
the creature to disperse more seeds in less time than the real animal it is
mimicking. Similarly, each New Machines group will brainstorm to come up with a
new machine that could disperse seeds like the fox (Group A), bird (Group B), or
squirrel (Group C) in Planting the Wild
Garden. The invention should disperse seeds more efficiently than the
animal it is mimicking. After the brainstorming sessions, each student should
create a drawing of their group’s New Animal or New Machine.

 

Invite the
groups to take turns sharing their visual models with the class. As the
children present, encourage them to explain their designs and how they mimic
the actions of real animals discussed in Planting
the Wild Garden.

 

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