Flower Investigation

What are the parts of a flower and why are they important for plant reproduction? Make observations about the parts and features of flowers and make inferences about how flowers help plants reproduce.

Materials

• One or more varieties of plant flowers

• Magnifying glass (optional)

• Paper and writing utensil (optional)

• Access to a garden (or similar space) (optional)

Observation Ideas

• With the naked eye, dissect and examine the inside of a flower with visible parts (e.g., snapdragon, carnation, or rose). Students can make observations about what structures they notice. Use a magnifying glass to explore the textures of the flower.

• Smell the flowers. Some flowers are fragrant, and some have no strong smell. Some fragrant flowers smell pleasant to humans and some fragrant flowers smell very unpleasant to humans.

• With the naked eye, survey a garden or other natural area to see how many different colors of flowers you can find.

Discussion Ideas

• What do you notice about the structure of the flower? The main purpose of a flower is plant reproduction. Look for the main reproductive parts of the flower: the stamen (where pollen is produced) and pistil (female reproductive part). Draw a close-looking sketch of the structures you find in the flower.

• Before touching the flower, make predictions about the texture. What will the flower feel like? Why do you think that? Then touch the flower and discuss how it feels.

• How do insects and other animals pollinate flowers? Look closely at the flower and act out how a bee would use its tongue to take in the nectar inside the flower and pick up pollen on their legs and body.

• What do you wonder about flowers? Talk in pairs or small groups about what you have learned about fruits and what questions you have now. Can you answer your peers’ questions based upon what you have learned through your investigations? How might you plan an investigation to answer them?

Further Investigation Ideas

• Compare two different flowers. Investigate the two flowers in small groups. What do you see that is the same among the flowers? What is different?

• The color, shape, and smell of the flower is important to the plant’s ability to reproduce. The flower it attracts pollinators that help spread the plant’s pollen. Which colors, shapes, or smells do you think would be best suited to attracting different pollinators? What predictions do you have and how might you find out if your predictions are correct?