Flowers

In the previous lesson, students analyzed what plants need to survive. In this lesson, they explore the relationship between the structure and function of a lily by dissecting one. They use their observations to help them construct an explanation about why many plants depend on animals called pollinators for making seeds. 

• Flowers have different parts, and each part has a specific role in making seeds.  
• Pollination is the way that some plants make new seeds.
  
  

• Why do flowers make pollen? Where is pollen made in a flower?
• Where are seeds made in a flower?
• Why is the top part of the pistil, called a stigma, sticky?
• Why does the pistil need the style (the middle part of the pistil)?
• Why do bees love flowers like lilies?
• Why do bees become covered in pollen?  
• Why is it good for flowers that pollen sticks to bees?
• What would happen to plants if there were no bees or other pollinators?  
  
  

Misconception: Plants are not alive because they don’t move.

Fact: Plants are alive, and they need air, water, and sunlight to survive.

Misconception: Plants need sunlight to stay warm.

Fact: Unlike animals, plants need sunlight because they make their own food from sunlight through photosynthesis.

Misconception: Plants get water from their leaves.

Fact: Plants take in water through their roots.

Flower:  the part of the plant that makes seeds

Leaf: the part of the plant that takes in sunlight and makes food

Pollen: a fine powder that flowers make

Pollination: the way some plants make new seeds

Roots:  the parts of a plant that grow under the ground; hold the plant in place; take in nutrients and water from the soil

Seed: a young plant inside a protective coat

stem – the part of a plant that holds the leaves and flowers in place; water and nutrients travel through the stem to the rest of the plant

Popular Lilies

Many people love lilies. Lilies are flowering plants. They are common in gardens. They are also common in bouquets. Lilies have large, colorful petals. Bees love lilies too. Lilies make nectar. Nectar is a sugary liquid. Bees eat the nectar for food. 

Flowers Make Pollen

Bees have to reach into the flower to get nectar. This causes pollen to get on their bodies. Pollen is a fine powder that flowers make. Flowers need pollen to make seeds.

Pollen is made in a part of the flower called the stamen. The stamen has two parts: the anther and the filament. The anther makes the pollen. The filament holds up the anther.

Making Seeds

The pollen has to move from the stamens to another part of the flower called the pistil. Seeds are made in the pistil.

Pistils have three parts. They have a stigma, a style, and an ovary. The stigma is at the top of the pistil. It is sticky. This is so it can trap and hold pollen.

For the hands-on activity of this lesson, students dissect a flower to then develop a model, using the dissected parts, to describe how a flowering plant has different parts that allow it to make seeds so it can reproduce and produce new plants. Once students complete their dissection, they come together as a class, using their observations and their model to analyze the relationship between a flower’s reproductive structures and the importance of pollination.