SPRING PLANTSADVENTURE IN LEARNING LESSON

Lesson DescriptionThis lesson focuses on flowering plant anatomy and reproductive traits. Participants will watch a video or read a description of different traits plants have to attract pollinators, disperse seeds and more. Participants will then create field guide entries, using plants they find in their yards or elsewhere, to apply their knowledge.

Guiding QuestionHow can close observation and documentation of plant characteristics help us understand their success in ecosystems?

Concepts1. Plants have traits designed to increase their likelihood of successful reproduction.2. Field guide entries help us present evidence of reproductive traits in a clear and organized way.

OutcomesUpon completion of this lesson the individual will be able to:• Identify the main groups of flower parts and apply them to examples they find• Design field guide entries that describe reproductive traits of plants.• Support their understanding of plant/pollinator relationships by writing clear explanations.

Minnesota Academic Standards in Appendix

6 2 8 2 C r a n b e r r y R o a d | F i n l a n d , M N 5 5 6 0 3 - 9 7 0 0 | 2 1 8 - 3 5 3 - 7 4 1 4 | w w w. w o l f - r i d g e . o r g

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Here is an example of the StoryMap. Students scroll through the screens.

Three ways to do this Spring Plants lessonRecommendedThe online Spring Plants StoryMap presentation has everything you need! Click to start, then scroll through the pictures, questions, videos, and links. Do the suggested activities along the way. Follow this Spring Plants StoryMap link,or have students start from the Spring Plants Adventures in Learning web page on Wolf Ridge's website.

1. Read the following lesson plan for overview, activity information, and MN State Standards.

2. Share link to the lesson’s StoryMap, a virtual presentation with pictures, videos, questions, and links to activities.

3. Open the link and scroll through the StoryMap presentation and watch video.

4. Within the StoryMap, there are links to PDF’s containing activities.5. Additionally, the StoryMap contains links to worksheets with two

options for accessing:a. Link to PDF- Use this link if would like to print or respond to

questions in a journal.b. Link as a Google Doc (with force copy) - Use this link to create

a copy of the document in your Google Drive. We recommend saving the copied file as “student name – name of lesson”.

6. Once complete the student can be instructed to share the file with the teacher.

If Internet access is an issueThe teacher or parent reads through this lesson plan, then prints the handouts, to distribute. You are looking at the whole lesson plan right now, which includes all handouts. Here are links to individual handout pages if you prefer: Spring Plants Story, Activity - Field Guide, Activity - Putting it All Together, and Spring Plants Extensions. Send printed materials to students for them to complete at home.

Only have 10 minutes?You can watch the video without using the accompanying educa-tional StoryMap or student activities.

Check back for more lessons and let us know if you have feedback!

StoryMap image

...... Lesson continues with more photos, activities, videos, and links.......

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Lesson Flow (for those who are NOT using the online StoryMap)

Spring Plants StoryRead Spring Plants story found in the appendix.

Activity - Field GuidesSee attached field guide worksheet.Students will go outside and observe and record data about spring flowers.

Spring Plants ExtensionsSee attached Spring Plants extension worksheet.Watch a mystery plant develop or try the leaf out experiment.

AppendixMinnesota Academic Standards4th Grade science• 4L.4.1.1.1 Construct or support an argument that traits can be influenced by different environments. (P: 7, CC: 2, CI: LS3)

Emphasis of the practice is on using evidence, data and/or a model to support an argument. Examples of the environment affecting a trait may include the stunted growth of a typically tall plant grown with insufficient water or an animal’s weight being influenced by the availability of food.

6th grade English language arts• 6.7.2.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the

selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. a. Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and informa-tion, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. c. Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. e. Establish and maintain a formal style. f. Provide a concluding statement or section that fol-lows from the information or explanation presented.

7th grade science• 7L.4.1.1.2 Support or refute an explanation by arguing from evidence and scientific reasoning for how animal behavior

and plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction. (P: 7, CC: 2, CI: LS1) Examples of behaviors that affect the probability of animal reproduction may include nest building to protect young, herding of animals to protect young from predators, and vocalization and/or colorful plumage to attract mates for breeding. Examples of animal be-haviors that affect the probability of plant reproduction may include transferring pollen or seeds, and creating conditions for seed germination and growth. Examples of plant structures may include bright flowers attracting butterflies that transfer pollen, flower nectar and odors that attract insects that transfer pollen, and hard shells on nuts that squirrels bury.

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SPRNG PLANTS STORYWelcome to the eighth episode in the Wolf Ridge Adventures in Learning series! Today’s episode is all about zooming in and noticing details in nature. To do that, Wolf Ridge naturalists Caroline and Robby are exploring flowering spring plants. They will look at the relationships plants have with their environments as well the relationships humans have developed with them over time.

Flowering plants, called angiosperms, include any plant that produces flowers. That might seem obvious, but have you ever noticed that all deciduous trees and even grasses produce flowers? Let’s zoom in on the flower of a beautiful spring plant.

The word trillium means “three” in latin, and we can see why: it has three petals, three sepals, and three leaves. What’s a sepal you ask? Sepals are actually the part of the plant you probably thought were the leaves in this picture.

Here’s a diagram of all the major flower parts.

The purpose of flowers is to help a plant reproduce. The pistil is the part of the plant that includes the ovary where seeds will be produced. The stamens are the parts of the plant that produce the pollen necessary to fertilize the seeds.

Some plants self pollinate by letting pollen drop onto their own stigmas. Many other plants cross-pollinate, which requires some help. Bees, flies, butterflies, ants and more are key to this process. Insects are attracted to flowers by their smells and colors; they’re looking for sweet nectar to eat from the flowers. When the insects touch the flowers, they get some of the pollen from the stamens stuck to their bodies. After they’ve finished eating from one flower, they usually move on to another. When they do, they rub some of the pollen from the last flower onto the new flower’s stigma. Through this process genetic diversity is increased because different plants’ genes are mixing. Amazing!

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Plants have many different traits to help them reproduce successfully. With the help of Wolf Ridge naturalists and plant enthusiasts Isabel and Danielle, we’ll look at some of these traits.

Trilliums usually self pollinate, and once the seeds are developed and dropped, ants gather them like crazy. They are attracted to globs of fat and oil on the outsides of the seeds’ called elaiosomes. Ants carry the seeds back to their midden piles, eat the elaiosomes, and discard the whole seed (in some places wasps will also gather the seeds). By taking the seeds to eat, the ants have moved the seeds away from where they fell, which disperses the seed to new places, allowing the plant species to spread. The seeds then lie dormant for two years! And it takes between 5-20 years for it to flower!

Spring Beauties attract pollinators with color. The vivid pink streaks on their petals act like runway lights guiding insects into the center of the flower. You’ll notice a trend with the flowers we look at today: almost all of them are white - sometimes with pink accents like the veins in the spring beauties. This is because producing color takes a lot of energy, which these plants need to devote to growing quickly before they die.

Wild Ginger. This wacky plant grows so low to the ground that it’s flowers are often buried under dead leaves. That suits the ginger just fine though, because it’s flowers are pollinated by beetles. The story of the ginger flowers is as wild as their appearance. Their brownish red color, combined with the smell of rotting meat that they produce is meant to attract the beetles and flies that pollinate them. These insects eat dead flesh, so what may be gross to us, is delicious to them.

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Humans and PlantsSo far we’ve covered the cool relationships plants have with their environments. Now we’ll dive into some of the relationships people have had with plants throughout history.

Wild edibles

A patch of wild leeks, also called ramps, are a favorite plant to harvest in the spring.

People have been gathering and eating wild plants for thousands of years. For many people, wild harvesting helps them build a deeper relationship with nature.

There are a few very important things to know when it come toeating wild plants:

• Never harvest and eat plants without permission from an expert.• Take only 1 in every 10 plants you find, to preserve their population.• Make sure you are on land where it is legal to harvest.

Sometimes wild edibles turn out to be familiar faces! Here’s one you’ll probably recognize:

That’s right, the common dandelion. Did you know that the name dandelion translates from the french words for lion’s teeth? The name refers to the plant’s toothy looking leaves. Most people consider this plant a weed, but all parts of it can be eaten! The young leaves of the plant make a tasty salad, the flowers can be fried in batter, and the roots are used to make a tea that tastes like coffee.

Remember:Although we all recognize dandelions, they are a part of a larger group of plants that look very similar: do not eat one unless an expert has confirmed it for you.

Natural HistorySpeaking of plant names, some plants have very strange names - like Cut-leaved Toothwort. Where did that come from?

Both in early western medicine and in indigenous medicine, plants were thought to have physical characteristics that gave hints to what parts of the body they are medicine for. In western medicine this was called the Doctrine of Signatures.

The doctrine of signatures is not a part of modern medicine, but at the same time can be a fascinating way of using our imaginations to look at plants more closely and in a different way.

When people looked at the roots of this plant they were reminded of human teeth! That led them to believe that this plant was good for curing toothaches. Do you think they look like teeth?

The roots of a Cut-Leaved Toothwort.

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Another way people have explored plants is by pressing them. People who study plants (botanists) have pressed for hundreds of years as a method of preserving scientific observations. Collections of pressed plants that are hundreds of years old still exist today.

Today, botanists still press plants, and so do many other people! A nature journal is a great place to put pressed plants as a way to record your observations. Remember not to pick more than 1 in every 10 flowers you find.

Natural DyesOne last example of how people have used plants throughout history is for dyeing clothes and other materials. One of the most striking examples of a natural dye plant is Bloodroot.

As its name suggests, Bloodroot has a bright red root that produces a red-orange sap. Indigenous peoples use red sap to dye baskets and clothes, as well as make face paint (Wildflowers of the BWCA and North Shore).

Piece of Bloodroot root.

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ACTIVITY: MAKE A LOCAL FIELD GUIDEObservation and NotesIn this lesson you will make observations of flowering plants in your area and create field guide entries for a few of them. Use the next two pages or your nature journal.

You can use plants in your yard, in a neighborhood park, or somewhere beyond! Any plant you choose is fine, as long as it has flowers. To record your observations you will need:

• pencil• paper (or use your nature journal)• hard surface to write on• colored pencils/crayons (optional)• measuring tape (optional)

Choose at least three flowering plants to make an entry about. For each plant, write notes about each of the following:1. Do the flowers have color? If so, where?2. Do the flowers have a smell?3. Where on the plant are the flowers located? High up, low to the ground?4. Do you see any insects visiting the flowers? Describe them.5. Measure the plant’s height and petal length. (optional)

Then, on a separate piece of paper or page, draw the flower, stem, and at least one leaf of each plant. Use color if you can. Then, label the following flower parts (or as many as you are able to see).

• petals• sepals• pistil (optional: label the individual parts: the stigma, style, and ovary)• stamen (anther and filament)

Use the diagram below to check the accuracy of your labels, or rewatch part of the video.

Source: https://www.greenandvibrant.com/parts-of-a-flower

Thoughts and reflections. Look at your notes for each drawing. You will use your notes to write at least 1 paragraph for each of your flowers. In your paragraphs, answer the following questions with evidence from your observations.

1. Think about the traits that would attract pollinators. How might these traits of this plant help it reproduce successfully?2. Think about the environment this plant lives in. Is it wet, dry, shaded or sunny, have harsh temperature changes? What

traits does the plant have that help it be successful there?3. For one of your entries, write a summary of how plant pollination works, and how the plant’s seeds could be dispersed.

Add any other observations you made that you have not included yet.

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MAKE A LOCAL FIELD GUIDE

Flower 1 drawing, thoughts, and reflections

Flower 2 drawing, thoughts, and reflections

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MAKE A LOCAL FIELD GUIDE

Flower 3 drawing, thoughts, and reflections

Flower 4 drawing, thoughts, and reflections

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SPRING PLANTS EXTENSION 1Mystery PlantsHave you ever seen a tiny plant poke out of the ground and wondered what it will become? Find a young plant in your yard that you aren’t able to identify yet and mark it with a stick (something to make it easy to find). If you are able, take a picture of it. Each day come back and look at it. What changes do you notice? Here are some other ideas.

• Record how many days it takes for it to become fully developed.• Take a picture of it every day and compare them.• Draw pictures of the plant’s transformation.• Choose several different plants and compare their growth.

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SPRING PLANTS EXTENSION 2

Leaf-Out ExperimentDid you know that if you take a small clipping from a tree branch with buds on it, you can watch the leaves burst out of it? (This will only apply if there are trees that do not have leaves yet in your area). Take an 8-12 inch clipping from the end of a small tree branch. Remember what tree you took it from.

• Put it in a cup of water.• Place the cup in a sunny window.

In your nature journal, record when the buds begin to open (called bud-burst), when the leaves start to unfurl, and when they are fully open. Try comparing the clipping you took to the tree it came from; which one is fully leafed-out first?