Download Sunflowers Lesson Plan - Seeking Paths in Nature

Sunflowers and Early Cherokee Agriculture
Summary: Sunflowers were one of the first crops cultivated by Cherokees. In this lesson,
students learn about how and why Cherokees began domesticating plants, define characteristics
of a sunflower as a plant, examine the parts of a seed, and eat and plant sunflower seeds.
Grade: 6
Subject area: Science/ Social Studies
Activity Time: 1-2, 45 minute class periods (depending on extension activities)
Setting: indoor classroom
Skills: describe, identify, follow directions, make connections, and work with timelines
Vocabulary:
agriculture: the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of
crops and the rearing of animals to provide food and other products
producer: green plants that synthesize food through the process photosynthesis
native plant: occurs naturally in a particular region, habitat, or ecosystem
annual plant: completes its life cycle from germination to the production of seed, within one year
and then dies
dicot: having two cotyledons, or food stores, within one seed
archaic period: the earliest period of a culture, (Archaic Period in North America ranges from
8000BC-1000BC)
cultivate: to prepare and use land for crops or gardening
germinate: to begin to grow and put out shoots after a period of dormancy
phototropism: the orientation of a plant or other organism in response to light, either toward the
source of light ( positive phototropism ) or away from it ( negative phototropism )
photosynthesis: a process used by plants to convert light energy into chemical energy that can be
later released to fuel the organisms' activities.
Materials: sunflower seeds (both edible and to plant), soil, small pots or paper cups (using clear
cups can allow students to view germination, but are not as eco-friendly), popsicle sticks, water,
permanent markers, plastic baggies, paper towels, squirt bottles, water
Objectives:
Students will be able to…
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Describe at least 3 scientific characteristics of a sunflower (i.e. producer, native,
flowering, annual, dicot)
Explain the how sunflowers are related to Cherokee culture and history.
Identify the 3 parts of a seed.
Name 3 things a seed needs to germinate.
NC Essential Standards:
Social Studies
6.H.2.3 Explain how innovation and/or technology transformed civilizations, societies and
regions over time (e.g., agricultural technology, weaponry, transportation and communication).
6.G.1.4 Explain how and why civilizations, societies and regions have used, modified and
adapted to their environments (e.g. Invention of tools, domestication of plants and animals,
farming techniques, and creation of dwellings.)
Science
6.L.1 Understand the structures, processes and behaviors of plants that enable them to survive
and reproduce.
6.L.2 Understand the flow of energy through ecosystems and the responses of populations to the
biotic and abiotic factors in their environment.
Background:
As knowledge of plants grew and more vegetation was added to their diets, Archaic Indians were
able to create a surplus of food without having to cultivate crops. As a result they took on a more
sedentary lifestyle. With leisure time they were able to develop more sophisticated tools, and in
the late Archaic Period, they began to cultivate plants, like sunflowers. (Museum of the
Cherokee Indian). The earliest known examples in the United States of a fully domesticated
sunflower have been found in Tennessee, and date to around 2300 BC.
For additional background information, see
http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/heritage/agriculture/cherokee-agriculture
https://www.cals.ncsu.edu/plantbiology/ncsc/rare/helianthus.htm
http://www.jeffpippen.com/plants/helianthus.htm
Procedures:
1. Using the prepared presentation, teacher will lead the students through the main
objectives of the lesson.
2. On the “Parts of the Seed” slide, pass out one edible seed to each student. Have them
examine the seed closely, take it apart to identify the three main parts, and sketch and
label it in their journals. (Then eat the seeds!)
3. At the “Let’s plant some seeds!” slide students will begin germinating seeds using one of
two methods.
4. Wrap up by reviewing vocabulary and ideas of why sunflowers are important.
Extension Activities:
Keep a log of the growth of the sunflowers in science notebook or as a class. Include data
table, drawings or photos, and notes.
When sunflowers have reached 4-6 inches tall, they can be transplanted into the school
garden.
Visit a garden or greenhouse. (There are sunflowers in both our campus garden and the
Mountain Farm museum garden.)
Visit the Museum of the Cherokee Indian focusing on agricultural information.
Visit the Center for Cherokee Plants.
Visit Judaculla Garden on the campus of WCU.
SUNFLOWERS
Prezi Notes for Presenter
Introduction (Home slide)
Today we are going to start learning about sunflowers. Why do you think sunflowers are
important? (Take several answers.) I am going to give you some more information that we can
use together to find out some reasons, both scientific and historic, that will give us some insight
into why sunflowers are important to us.
Slide 1: Photo of sunflowers growing in school garden: Ask students if they have seen these
flowers growing on our campus or other places. How do you know this is a sunflower?
Slide 2: What is a sunflower? Ask students if they know any of the words listed on this slide
that describes the characteristics of a sunflower. Let them answer, and clarify or support as
needed. (See vocabulary list above for exact definitions but allow for discussion before just
giving definitions.)
Plant:
Producer:
Native
Flowering:
Annual:
Dicot:
Slide 3: Sunflowers and the Cherokee: Sunflowers were one of the first crops to be cultivated
by the people of this area.
3a: During the mid to late Archaic period (about 6,000 to 3,000 years ago) people of the
Southern Appalachians began to cultivate (go over meaning of “cultivate”) plants such as
lambsquarter, some native squash, sunflowers and other plants. These were plants that
appeared in the clearings created by people using early stone axes. They grew sunflowers
and often ground the seeds with a mortar and pestle to add to flour.
3b: Photo from Museum of the Cherokee of early sunflowers cultivated in the area. Note
that this early variety was tiny, much more the size of daisies, than the sunflowers we
know today with towering stems, huge flowers, and large seeds.
3c: Most students are familiar with the size of a gourd, so you can compare the seed and
flower size to the gourd in this photo.
Slide 4: Photo is of 3 sunflowers growing in our garden together. Ask the students to describe
what they observe in this photo and tell why they think this occurred.
Cross pollination of the light seeds and dark seeds create the hybrid purple seeds. Sunflowers
cross pollinate very easily and may have to be separated by a few miles or have the flowers
bagged to avoid this. Also the seeds and flowers are much larger than the first sunflowers
cultivated by the Cherokee. Since sunflower seeds were a good source of nutrition, they
immediately started using genetics, selecting seeds from the largest flowers, to grow sunflowers
that would produce larger seeds and more seeds.
Slide 5: Parts of a Seed: Pass out edible seeds to students. Crack seeds open by removing the
seed coat (protective outer covering.) The inner meat that you eat is the “food store” (cotyledon)
needed for the plant to use as fuel until it grows leaves and can make its own food. Some of the
embryo will be visible if students are careful when they remove the seat coat. After dissecting
the seed, students will sketch it into their science journals. Be sure to draw the inside and outside
of the seeds, and label all parts of the seed. After the seeds have been dissected and sketched, eat
up!
Slide 6: Photo of the young plant with leaves still emerging from the seed. You can see in
this photo the last bit of the seed coat hanging onto the edge of a newly grown leaf. Now the
plant can begin photosynthesis and no longer needs the food store provided by the seed.
Slide 7: What does a seed need to germinate?
7a: Water
7b: Oxygen (What are some sources of oxygen if the seed is buried?)
7c: light/heat energy (What are some sources of this energy?)
7d: Is soil needed?
Slide 8: Let’s plant some seeds!
Baggie Method:
1. Each group or student needs a baggie, a paper towel, 1-3 seeds, and a spray bottle of
water.
2. Fold the paper towel in half.
3. Dampen (but do not drench) the paper towel using the squirt bottle on the spray setting.
4. Place 1-3 seeds on the folded paper towel. Make sure they are not touching.
5. Fold the paper towel over the seeds so they are completely covered.
6. Place the paper towel with the seeds in the baggie and seal it.
7. Place the baggie under a grow light or in a sunny window.
8. Check daily and record results on a data chart or in notebooks.
Soil Method
One bag of soil needed for use by whole class. Make sure spray bottles are full of water.
1. Each group or student needs a small pot or cup, a popsicle stick (or other way to label
plant), 2 seeds, and a spray bottle of water.
2. Fill the pot ¾ full with soil.
3. Create a hole in the soil about ½”deep (I always say down to the first knuckle of your
finger, just past the fingernail.)
4. Drop two seeds into the hole and lightly cover with soil. (Do not press down!)
5. With the bottle on the spray setting, water the pot until damp, but not soaking.
6. Place under grow light or in sunny window.
7. Check daily and record observations on data sheet or in notebook.
Written by J. Metz-Bugg for Seeking Paths in Nature
This project funded in part by Cherokee Preservation Foundation