Download Native Plants and Pollinators Lesson Plan (Grow Native! Curriculum)

Grow Native
Native Plants and Their Pollinators
Objectives
Students will…..
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Observe a variety of prairie wildflowers up close and notice the differences between them
Learn basic flower identification skills and learn more about some common prairie wildflowers in
Michigan
Learn the basic life cycle of a plant and look for evidence of plants in these different stages
Discover the parts of a flower (leaves, stem, pollen, roots, petals) by observing the plant up close in the
gardens
Learn about pollination and observe pollinators up close
Length of Lesson
90 minutes, either in one long block, or in several shorter activities (15-20 minutes each) over the
course of a week.
Grade Levels
Preschool, Young-Fives, Kindergarten, and 1st grade (see program notes for adaptations)
Standards covered
 L.OL.00.11 Identify that living things have basic needs.
 L.OL.00.12 Identify and compare living and nonliving things.
 S.IP.00.11 Make purposeful observation of the natural world using the appropriate senses.
 S.RS.00.11 Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performances, models,
exhibits, and activities.
 E.SE.00.12 Describe how Earth materials contribute to the growth of plant and animal life.
Materials
 Pre Activity:
o Native wildflower coloring pages
o Crayons/markers/colored pencils
 Intro Activity:
o Storybook (Tiny Seed by Eric Carle or Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert)
o Optional pollinator puppets/flower models for discussion
 Exploration/Observation: Prairie Wildflower Hike
o flower model
o hand lens
o fake flower
o pollinator profile cards and flower description cards
o sunflower seeds
o Bugs & Blooms hand-out
 Conservation project: native seeds or plugs
 Art project: Torn paper flowers
April 29, 2015
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Grow Native Curriculum
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o tissue paper
o glue
o pencils
o cardboard
Plant Parts lyrics for instructors (http://www.mrsjonesroom.com/songs/plantparts.html)
Background
Students will learn about different pollination strategies that plants use to attract pollinators and the types of
pollinators that pollinate flowers by matching pollinators to specific flowers. As time permits, students will
learn how honeybees communicate with one another as to where flowers are located. Students will become
“honeybees” and dance to show the “bees” where the pollen/flowers are.
Flowers use different strategies to attract pollinators. Spring ephemeral wildflowers rely on smell and early
blooming time to attract pollinators while prairie wildflowers may rely on their brightly colored petals,
abundance of sweet nectar, and unique shapes to attract pollinators. Petals have evolved to form landing pads
for bees to rest on while gathering nectar and pollen. Flowers also utilize ultraviolet lines that direct insects to
their centers.
Flowers are pollinated by a variety of insects: bees, ants, beetles, flies, mosquitoes, butterflies, etc. In addition,
bats and hummingbirds also pollinate flowers. Finally, some flowers self-pollinate and use the wind to move
their pollen.
Activities of the session
Proposed Schedule*
Activity Description
Time
10:00
10:10
10:20
Pre-activity
Welcome, introduction, dividing into 2 groups, restrooms
Exploration hike (Bugs & Blooms, Flower Fantasy,
Pollinator Parade & optional Bee Dance game)
10:55
Conservation project
11:10
Art project (tissue paper flower collages)
11:30
Home and discovery pages and dismissal
*Can omit activities as time, interest and weather permits.
Location
Lab classroom
Lab classroom
Berms/gardens
Berms/gardens
Lab classroom
Lab classroom
1. Pre Activities (10 minutes):
o Native wildflower coloring sheets
o Discussion of prairies and native plants. Remind students that prairies are areas that are open,
mainly with grasses and flowers, while forests have trees as a major feature. Introduce the idea
of native plants as plants that are from Michigan.
o Introduce the students to the idea that flowers are pollinated in different ways (this is a good
time to show a flower or a model of a flower). Ask them to name some ways (or types of
pollinators) that pollinate flowers. Hopefully, they will suggest a variety of insects. Share the
other ways they didn’t mention, and explain that flowers have certain characteristics to attract
specific pollinators such as color, scent, shapes, etc. In this next activity we are going to look at
some of these ways.
2. Introductory Activities (10 minutes):
o Read the Tiny Seed by Eric Carle or Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
o Plant Parts Song (optional)—you can find the lyrics at
http://www.mrsjonesroom.com/songs/plantparts.html
April 29, 2015
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Grow Native Curriculum
The Plant Part Song
Tune: The Farmer in the Dell
written by Mrs. Jones
The seed makes a plant.
The seed makes a plant.
With soil and rain and sunny days,
The seed makes a plant.
The roots find the water.
The roots find the water.
With soil and rain and sunny days,
The roots find the water.
The stem holds it up.
The stem holds it up.
With soil and rain and sunny days,
The stem holds it up.
The leaves make the food.
The leaves make the food.
With soil and rain and sunny days,
The leaves make the food.
The flower makes the fruit.
The flower makes the fruit.
With soil and rain and sunny days,
The flower makes the fruit.
The fruit holds the seeds.
The fruit holds the seeds.
With soil and rain and sunny days,
The fruit holds the seeds.
3. Exploration & Observation Activities (30 minutes if you include all three activities):
o Flower Fantasy (A Dramatic Reading) adapted from: Keepers of Life by Michael J. Caduto and
Joseph Bruchac, p. 139-140. (Suggested motions are in capital letters)
You are a tiny seed buried in a field of rich, dark soil (CURL UP IN A BALL CLOSE TO THE GROUND). It is spring
time and each day the soil get warmer in the sun and wetter with the spring rain. Soon you are about to sprout!
First, your root splits out of your seed coat and reaches down into the soil (STRETCH ONE LEG OUT INTO THE
GROUND). Then, two small leaves push through the soil into the bright sunlight. (SLOWLY REACH TWO HANDS
OUT TOWARDS THE SUN). Each day you grow a longer, stronger stem and large wide leaves that catch the
sun’s energy and make food that feeds you. (CONTINUE TO STRETCH OUT HANDS AND GROW TALLER) More
leaves grow and branches form with flowers and buds. The wind bends you at times, but you are anchored
strong in the soil. (SWAY FROM SIDE TO SIDE) One day, the large bud on the top of your stem begins to open.
Soon a large, round yellow flower with many petals opens. (MAKE A CIRCLE WITH YOUR ARMS OVER YOUR
HEAD). Buzzing bees and other insects visit your flower every day. (LEADER MAKES BUZZING SOUNDS). The
bees pollinate your flower and soon tiny seeds form where the flower once was. (HAVE STUDENTS EXTEND ONE
HAND ABOVE THEIR HEAD WITH THE PALM FACING UP - PLACE A SEED ON EACH PALM).
Birds are landing on you to eat your seed. (ADULT PRETENDS TO BE BIRD AND COLLECTS A FEW SEEDS).
Some of the seeds drop to the ground from the birds or from you. (HAVE STUDENTS DROP REMAINING SEEDS
ON FLOOR). The days start getting colder and the frost causes your leaves and flowers to droop. (CHILDREN
BEND OVER LIKE DROOPING FLOWER). Some of your seeds on the ground are buried by squirrels for the long
winter ahead. (HAVE AN ADULT PRETEND TO BE A SQUIRREL BURYING SEEDS). The squirrel forgets some
April 29, 2015
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Grow Native Curriculum
seeds and they will grow into new plants next year. When the snow starts to fall, your leaves, stems and
flowers are brown and withered. (HAVE EVERYONE FALL TO THE GROUND). But, your seeds will grow next
spring
o Prairie wildflower hike- Take the students outside to the prairie (or any area that has flowers that
are blooming). Have the students look for flowers and observe the flowers to see if there are any
pollinators visiting the flowers. Use the Bugs & Blooms handout to do plant and pollinator
observations and basic identification. As you walk along the berm flower planting, try to find a
variety of blooms and pollinators. Each of the students can have their own handout, and have
them check off (likely as a class) the different colors of flowers and types of pollinators they see.
Have the students use their five senses as they are doing this activity.
o Bee Dance: This activity is a lot of fun and works well for younger students. They don’t have to
get all the dances exactly right to get the idea that bees communicate by dancing, and you can
draw with chalk on the ground to help them follow along if you need to give them a route to
dance. 
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4. Conservation Project (10-20 minutes, depending on your planting arrangement and number of plants):
o Plant native seeds or plugs: You can plant either plant seeds or small plants from a nursery to
help create more prairie habitat. Example plants include milkweed, black-eyed susans, purple
April 29, 2015
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Grow Native Curriculum
coneflowers, and other native plants. If starting from seed, you can either plant directly in the
ground or raise them in small cardboard milk containers until you plant them outside.
5. Art Project (15 minutes):
o Tissue paper flower collages
 Students will have the opportunity to create their own flower collages by using various
colors of tissue paper, construction paper and glue. The students can use a green piece of
construction paper as their garden, and then have them glue on pieces of colored tissue
paper to make flowers.
6. At Home Activities: Create your own letter for caretakers using the template below:
Preschooler Discovery Page
(Informational hand-out to send home to caretakers of preschoolers—adapt according to what you did with
your class)
Today we learned about native prairie wildflowers
Today we learned:
a. Flowers are a very important part of the plant life cycle. They can self-pollinate, use wind
pollination, or use their petals and nectar to attract pollinators such as bees, bats,
hummingbirds, and other insects to the plants. Then these pollinators assist with pollination
which leads to the production of seeds. These seeds enable the plant to reproduce.
b. A plant goes through a life cycle. It starts out as a tiny seed that grows into a sprout, then into a
flower which uses its various characteristics to attract pollinators to help it become fertilized and
then produce fruit. The fruit that is produced contains those tiny seeds and the whole cycle
starts over again.
c. A few Michigan wildflowers that live here in our prairies and fields are: black-eyed susans, purple
coneflowers, wild blue lupine, wild columbine, and even a prickly pear cactus!
What we did today:
d. We took a hike through the gardens to look for wildflowers that are blooming. We looked for
black-eyed susans, purple conflowers, wild blue lupine, and even a cactus that grows in
Michigan.
e. Along the way we learned about the life cycle of a plant by pretending that we were plants
growing from a tiny seed to a big giant flower.
f. We observed pollinators, small bees and wasps, busy collecting pollen and nectar from the
flowers and leaned how to dance like bees.
g. After our long hike, we had fun making beautiful tissue paper flowers.
At home activities:
h. For a fun snack and cooking adventure, make fruit flowers together. You’ll need several types of
fruit and celery. Cut the fruit into this slices and the celery stalks in half lengthwise. Use the
fruit slices to arrange beautiful edible flowers and the celery as the flower’s stem. Enjoy this
healthy and fun snack!
i. Go on a wildflower scavenger hunt in your own neighborhood! Look for a flower with three
petals, a flower with more than five petals, a pink flower, a flower on a tree, pollen, a plant with
more than one flower on its stem, a flower with an insect on it and a flower that smells nice.
j. Read a good book. Here are some of our favorite books about flowers:
i. A Seed is Sleepy (Dianna Aston and Sylvia Long)
ii. On One Flower Butterflies, Ticks and a Few More Icks (Anthony Fredericks)
iii. I Saw It in the Garden (Martin Brennan)
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Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Grow Native Curriculum
iv. Planting a Rainbow (Lois Ehlert)
k. Dissect a flower. Look for all the flower’s parts: stem, sepals, petals, pistil, stamens, and pollen
l. Create a wildflower book mark. Collect some beautiful flowers and place them between sheets
of white paper under several heavy books and leave them there for several days. After the
flowers are pressed, place them on a sheet of contact paper. Place another piece of contact
paper over them to create your book mark. This activity can also be done with wax paper, by
ironing the wax paper under a towel to seal it.
Resources
Want to learn more about native plants and how to make a butterfly garden? Then visit some of our favorite
websites for more information and to get started.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Michigan State Native Plant: http://nativeplants.msu.edu/
Michigan Wildflower Association: http://www.wildflowersmich.org/
Wild Ones: http://www.for-wild.org/
Michigan Wildflower Coloring Sheets: http://www.oaklandwildflowerfarm.com
Recommended Preschool-appropriate story books
 Planting a Rainbow (Lois Ehlert)
 I Saw it in the Garden (Martin Brennan)
 A Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds (Jean Richards)
 The Reason for a Flower (Ruth Heller)
 A Seed is Sleepy (Dianna Hutts Aston)
 This is a Sunflower (Lola M. Schaefer)
Other Resources:
Small Wonders (by Linda Garrett and Hannah Thomas) has several activities on plants and pollinators
(including a puppet show).
Wildflowers of Michigan: A Native Plant Coloring Book (Oakland Wildflower Farm, LLC)
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Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Grow Native Curriculum
Extensions and Modifications
This lesson was originally presented as a field trip model, but it would also do well as a series of
activities split up over a week in the classroom. In this way, you could do 15-30 minutes each day
instead of one larger block of time. If this activity is done in the winter, it would good to bring in a
variety of flowers from a flower store for students to look at.
Appendix:
April 29, 2015
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Grow Native Curriculum
Bugs and Blooms Search
Directions: As you walk along the berm, try to find a variety of blooms and pollinators.
April 29, 2015
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Grow Native Curriculum
April 29, 2015
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Grow Native Curriculum