Brief Description
How many people have given or received flowers as gifts? How many people realize that these pretty, sweet smelling gifts are bunches of reproductive organs? Humans often forget that the purpose of a flower is reproduction and that most flowers are not able to reproduce without assistance. This lesson is designed to have students explore the process of pollination and the strategies flowering plants use to get themselves pollinated. Students will use several Internet sites to learn about pollination. They will use a Smartboard to present what they learn to their classmates.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

1T-P1. Use the appropriate technology device to complete a task.

3T-P1. Communicate to a variety of audiences using professional level technology tools. 4T-P1. Routinely and efficiently use online information resources to meet needs for collaboration and communication.

4T-P1. Routinely and efficiently use online information resources to meet needs for collaboration and communication.

3SC-PO1. Identify the relationships among organisms within communities and ecosystems.

3SC-PO2. Describe how organisms are influenced by a particular combination of biotic and abiotic factors in an environment.

Academic and Technological:

• Using technology as a tool for communicating and learning, students will be able to describe in writing at least one abiotic and three biotic relationships that flowering plants have with their pollinators. Students will demonstrate this by scoring at least a Level 3 on a 4 point rubric.

• Students should have experience using the Internet to locate and gather information.
• Students should have a basic overview of Smartboard operating procedures.

ABC Brainstorming documents to use with the Smartboard

Copies of the student Pollination Ecology worksheet

Smartboard/projector

The following site can be used for Smartboard Assistance

Students will need Internet access for the information gathering portion of this lesson.

The following Internet sites will be used:

Pollination Adaptations
Seeing Differently… Pollination Strategies
Putting Pollen Where It’s Needed
The Biology of Plants- Pollination

Procedures

Prior to beginning this lesson, it is helpful if students have completed activities that review the purpose and basic structures of flowers. Students should know that the purpose of a flower is reproduction and be able to explain the functions of the following flower parts: stamen, pollen, pistil, stigma, style, ovary. If needed, these can be reviewed using The Biology of Plants- Pollination site.

Day 1
1. Tell students that they are going to learn about the topic of Pollination Ecology. Share the objectives with them so that they understand the purpose of the lesson. Let students know that they will be using a variety of strategies to help them make meaning of content.
2. Show the blank ABC Brainstorming form on the Smartboard. Point out that the topic is Pollination Ecology. Tell students that the purpose of ABC Brainstorming is to think about what they already know and generate a list of ideas that might be connected to the topic of Pollination Ecology. Ask students to think about the words separately. What is pollination? What does it involve? What is ecology? What might the words mean when put together? As they brainstorm ideas, they should be placed on the form according to the letter of the alphabet with which they begin. Student volunteers can type the ideas onto the form. More than one idea can be placed into a letter category. An example of what a portion of the form might look like is included below. If students are having trouble getting started, fill in a few of the boxes with ideas of your own. Think out loud to show students how you come up with ideas for the form. Example- “When I think of pollination I’m reminded of bees and butterflies. I know that animals like birds can also help to pollinate flowers. Some pollinators are attracted to colorful flowers…etc.” Not all letters need to be used.

ABC Brainstorming
Topic: Pollination Ecology- What topics might be involved?

A animals	N
B bees, butterflies, birds pollinate	O
C colorful flowers	P pollinate

After 5-10 minutes, tell students that the form will be revisited at the end of the lesson. They will be able to change and/or add ideas to the form based on what they learn. Before closing the ABC Brainstorming form, make sure to save the completed version onto the computer so that it can be used again later.
3. Formally introduce the concept of pollination ecology. Students can piece this together by first considering the meaning of each word (pollination and ecology) separately. Pollination- The movement of pollen (male) to the stigma (female) of a flower. This can be demonstrated using the Smartboard. Show the flower picture at the beginning of The Biology of Plants- Pollination site. Using one of the Smartboard pens, an arrow can be drawn from the pollen to the stigma and labeled with the word pollination. This can be done by you or a student can be asked to come up and do this. Next review the meaning of ecology. Ecology- The field of biology that studies the relationships/interactions organisms have with each other and their environment. Ask students how pollination occurs in flowers. How is pollen moved to the stigma? (Possible responses include insects, birds, people, bats, wind, or water.) A quick sketch of an insect can be placed next to the arrow that was drawn on the picture of the flower on the Smartboard. Ask students to now define pollination ecology. They should be able to explain that it involves studying the relationships that exist between flowers and their pollinators. These relationships/interactions can include both living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem. If a flower uses a biotic factor for pollination, it relies on another living organism (insect, bird, human, bat, etc.). If a flower uses an abiotic factor for pollination, it relies on a nonliving part of the ecosystem for pollination assistance (wind). (If students have not been previously exposed to the terms biotic and abiotic, a quick list of examples can be generated to explain the difference between the two.)
4. Pass out copies of the Pollination Ecology worksheet and rubric. Students should fill out the introduction section of the worksheet. This involves writing down a definition of pollination ecology and listing examples of biotic and abiotic factors that can aid in pollination. The worksheet can be opened up and shown on the Smartboard. Students can volunteer or be called on to come up and type or write their responses onto the projected worksheet. Tell students that they will complete the next part of the worksheet using a variety of Internet sites.

Day 2
5. This portion of the lesson is best done in a computer lab. Students should work in pairs to explore the websites listed in Part 2 of the Pollination Ecology worksheet. Even though students have hard copies of the worksheet, they will need to access it on the computer so that they can open the links. The information needed to fill in the table can be found at more than one of the sites. Each of the sites has useful pictures and illustrations. Questions 5-12 generally require students to use higher level thinking skills to synthesize and apply information from the readings.

Day 3
6. Review Part 2 of the Pollination Ecology worksheet using the Smartboard. Project a blank copy of the worksheet onto the Smartboard. Assign partners from Day 2 a section of the worksheet to quickly present to the class using the Smartboard. They can place their responses onto the board and/or show illustrations from the websites that support their responses. Encourage students to ask questions and discuss responses that are different from those being presented.
7. Open up the ABC Brainstorming form that was completed on Day 1. Have students read through their original responses. What needs to be added? What needs to be modified? Save the updated version of this form. A hard copy of the form may be useful to students at a later date as a quick way to review the topics covered.

Day 4
8. Prior to meeting with students, preview the following site for pictures of flowers to use with Part 3 of the Pollination Ecology worksheet.
Spring Flower Gallery
Many of the flower pictures displayed at this site illustrate the pollination strategies students read about on Day 2. Several flower pictures should be strategically chosen in advance so that students have the opportunity to think about a variety of pollination relationships as they complete Part 3 of the worksheet.
9. Tell students that they are going to apply what they have learned about pollination ecology to several pictures of flowers that you have chosen for them to view. Display the first flower picture on the Smartboard. In Part 3 of the Pollination Ecology worksheet, have students quickly sketch and identify possible pollination strategies/pollinators for the flower. Have students share their ideas. Students can come up and use a Smartboard pen to highlight or label the parts of the flower that support the pollination strategy/pollinator they chose for that flower. This process can be repeated three or four times using different flower pictures depending on time available.
10. Part 4 of the Pollination Ecology worksheet requires students to individually complete several paragraphs that will serve as the final assessment for this lesson. It can be completed in class or assigned as homework. Students will need to use the information they have gathered in Parts 1, 2, and 3 to complete Part 4. Review Part 4 with students before they begin.

Parts 1-4 of the Pollination Ecology worksheet can be assessed using the Pollination Ecology Rubric.