This document outlines a hands-on educational activity for students to explore the relationship between flowers and fruits, focusing on the purpose of flowers in the plant life cycle. Students will investigate various flowers, observe their pollination, and learn how this process leads to the development of fruits containing seeds. The lesson includes group observations, classroom discussions, and a creative poem-writing exercise based on their experiences with flowers and fruits.

1. THE REASONS FOR A FLOWER
Grade Level: Grade 1
Description
In this activity students will look closely at some flowers in the garden and classroom to see the
connections between the flower and the fruits. They will then work together to write a poem to tell the
reason for a flower.
Guiding Question
What is the purpose for a flower? What does the flower do for the plant?
Big Idea
Each plant has a distinctive flower that is unique to that plant. The flower is especially designed
to provide a way for the pollen from one flower to reach the eggs in another flower. If this transfer
is successful, then the eggs will grow into seeds and a part of the flower will grow into a fruit that
encloses and protects those seeds. Since plants are unable to move on their own, they need help to
transport their pollen. Some flowers utilize the wind or water, while many others are pollinated by
insects such as honey bees, bumble bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, moths and many others. Additional
flowers may be pollinated by hummingbirds and bats. Once pollination occurs and the pollen reaches
the egg in the ovary of the flower to fertilize the egg, the flower petals will drop from the plant and the
fertilized egg will grow into a seed and the ovary will ripen into a fruit that encloses and protects the
seed. On some flowers such as bean and strawberries, it is possible to see the beginnings of the fruit
that will develop, or to see all the stages from flower to fruit at the same time.
Learning Objectives
To understand that flower petals are designed to attract pollinators. Once pollinated, the flower petals
will drop off, but part of the flower will continue to grow and produce a fruit. Inside the fruit are the
seeds of a new plant.
Materials
* Paper
* Pencils
* An assortment of flowers with matching fruits such as peas, beans, scarlet runner beans, purple
hyacinth beans, strawberries, alpine strawberries, squash, dill, sunflowers or apples.
* mature beans, apples, squash and strawberry fruits from the store.
* Knife
* Pictures of flowers and matching fruits
Lesson supported by a Specialty Crops Grant from the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources.

2. Preparation
Go out into the garden or schoolyard and look for examples of flowers that have an associated fruit.
In some cases such as the strawberry and squash and bean you can see a miniature version of the
fruit that will develop. In the cases of apples and other plants as the petals drop off, you can see the
beginnings of the fruit and the mature fruit will show remnants of the flower parts. Collect pictures of
flowers and fruits.
Introducing the Lesson
Activate prior knowledge: Ask students what is the purpose of the flower? How does it benefit the
plant. Ask them if they have ever seed a dandelion flower. What happens to the dandelion flower the
day after it blooms. What about a strawberry flower. Where does the fruit develop on the strawberry?
How does the sunflower turn into a sunflower head full of seeds?
Engage Student Interest:
Tell them you are going to investigate flowers to see what happens to them once the petals drop off.
Procedure Total Time approximately forty five minutes.
In the Garden:
1. Take students into the garden or schoolyard to explore flowers. Divide the class into small working
groups and set each group up to investigate a specific flower in the garden. Use flowers of plants that
show different levels of maturity at the same time: bean with flowers and pods; dill or coriander with
flowers and also seeds; peas with flowers and pods, strawberries or alpine strawberries with flowers
and fruits.
2. Ask them to look closely at the assigned flower and watch it quietly for several minutes. Does
anything come to visit the flower? What do they notice about the flower and the fruits?
3. Ask each group to tell you one or more words that describe the experience of observing flowers
and fruits. Ask them what they saw, heard, touched or smelled. Write down the words and bring them
back to the classroom. Bring samples of the flowers and fruits back into the classroom. (15 minutes)
Tip: If you grow plants such as alpine strawberries that bloom and produce fruit from May to frost,
this lesson can be conducted at anytime. Purple Hyacinth beans, and scarlet runner beans will also
bloom while at the same time showing different stages producing fruit from mid-summer to frost.
Plant a crop of early peas for spring or plant fall peas or beans to offer this lesson in the fall.
This lesson supported by a Specialty Crops Grant from the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources.

3. In the Classroom:
1. Using the samples of the flowers from the school yard or garden and any associated fruits. Also
use the mature fruit from the store and photographs, show the students each of the flowers. In the case
of the bean seed they should be able to see the bean flower; a developing pod with petals attached; a
larger pod with no petals and then a mature pod. Open the pod to show the bean seeds inside. Show
the strawberry sample with a flower, and then the strawberry fruit developing as the petals drop. If
a female squash flower is available show the squash flower with the ovary that resembles a tiny
squash. Then cut open a ripe fruit from the garden or store to show the seeds inside. If there are apple
blossoms in the schoolyard you can show apple flowers and then the fruit with the remnant calyxes.
Cut open the apples to show the fruit inside. Discuss how the flowers and the fruits connected. (15
minutes)
Part 2
Write a Flower Poem.
1. Write a poem to describe the experience of visiting flowers and fruits in the garden or looking a
flowers and fruits in the classroom.
2. Write the words on the board that the students suggested while in the garden visiting their flowers.
Add any additional words that express a color, shape, texture, scent, sound, feeling or action.
3. Work with the students to write a poem from these words. Give the poem a one word title. This
will be the first line of the poem. Continue filling in the outline below (15 minutes)
Line 1 ______________________________________________________
One word to give title
Line 2 _______________________________________________________
Two words to describe the title
Line 3 _______________________________________________________
Three action words about the title
Line 4 ________________________________________________________
Four words that express the feeling about the title
Line 5 _________________________________________________________
One word that renames the title
Lesson supported by a Specialty Crops Grant from the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources.

4. Wrap Up
Read the poem and review the flowers and fruits. Ask the class what they think is the purpose of the
flowers. How are the fruits and flowers connected? (10 minutes)
Assessing Student Knowledge:
Show students a picture of a pineapple with a flower. Ask them what common fruit do they think will
grow from this flower. Show them other pictures of flowers that have ovaries that resemble the fruit
that will develop.
Extensions
Bring in a number of different fruits (including vegetables that are fruits such as peppers and tomatoes
and pumpkins) and ask the students where the seeds will be. Cut the fruits open and look inside for
the seeds. Be aware that some hybrids plants such as bananas and seedless watermelon are sterile and
will not produce seeds)
* MA Department of Education Standards in this lesson *
Life Science Standard 3. Recognize that plants and animals have life cycles...
Writing Standard 7. Participate in shared research writing projects
Language Standard 5. Vocabulary acquisition and use: demonstrate understanding of word relationships
Books and Resources
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom Newsletter on Pollination
http://aginclassroom.org/Newsletter/spring2004.html
Botany for All Ages by Jorie Hunken, Globe Pequot Press, 1993.
Project Seasons by Deborah Parrella, Shelburne Farms, VT, 1995.
Please visit the Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom website at www.aginclassroom.org
to tell us how you used this Pollination Garden-Based Lesson
Lesson supported by a Specialty Crops Grant from the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources.

5. Alpine Strawberry
with flower and fruit in
various stages
Purple Hyacinth Beans
With flowers, forming pods
and mature pods

6. Butternut Squash
with flower and fruit like ovary
also inside of female
squash flower
and mature squah on vine
Pine Apple Flower

7. Apple Blossoms
Also apple on tree and
Inside of apple showing remnant
flower parts and seeds