Name: Grace Meier Date: 06.21.

21

Student Exploration: Flower Pollination

Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.
Vocabulary: anther, cross-pollination, filament, fruit, ovary, ovules, petal, pistil, pollen, pollen tube,
pollination, self-pollination, sepal, stamen, stigma, style
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. How do insects help a plant to reproduce?

Insects help plants to reproduce by carrying pollen from one plant to another

2. Apples, oranges, and watermelons are all examples of fruits. How are they all alike?

They all have seeds and they can also be reproduced

3. Based on your answer to question 2, do you think that a pumpkin is a fruit? How about broccoli?

I do think pumpkins are fruit because they have seeds but broccoli is not because it does
not have seeds

Gizmo Warm-up
Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from the male part of a flower,
called the stamen, to the female part of a flower, which is called the pistil.
This fertilizes the female flower and enables it to produce seeds and fruit.
In the Flower Pollination Gizmo, you will explore how this process works.
1. On the POLLINATION tab, check that Self-pollination is selected.

How many flowers do you see? 1

Notice the different parts of the flower. The stigma is a sticky surface
at the top of the female pistil. The male stamen consists of a long filament and a pollen-producing
anther.
2. Select Cross-pollination.

How many flowers do you see now? 2

3. How do you think cross-pollination may be different from self-pollination?

I think cross-pollination is different because it is the transfer from one flower to another to a
different plant while self-pollination is the transfer of pollen from the same flower to another
on the same plant

Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
 Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
● Select the POLLINATION tab.
● Click Self-pollination.
Pollination
● Click Start over.

Question: How are self-pollination and cross-pollination the same and how are they different?

1. Observe: Follow the directions in the Gizmo to observe the steps of self-pollination. In your own
words describe what happens in each step.

1 grains of pollen stick to the stigma

2 the pollen tubes grow from the pollen grains to the ovules

3 Ovules are fertilized by the sperm cells

4 The petals on the flower fall off

5 The fertilized ovules turn into seeds and grows into fruit

2. Think about it: Read the description of the last step carefully. Why do you think plants surround the
seeds with a yummy fruit?

I think plants surround the seeds with fruit because they want to protect the seeds so
they can keep reproducing once the fruit has been eaten

3. Observe: Click Start over, then click Cross-pollination. Follow the directions to observe the steps
of cross-pollination. How is cross-pollination different from self-pollination?

The only difference between the process of self-pollination and cross-pollination is that
pollen grains move from one plant to another

4. Extend your thinking: In cross-pollination, pollen grains must get from one flower to another. What
are some ways that this might happen? Discuss your answer with your teacher and classmates.

I think pollen grains get from one flower to another by the pollinators such as insects

Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
 Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity B:
● Select the IDENTIFICATION tab.
Flower parts and
● Click Start over.
pollination
● Check Show information.

Goals: Identify the parts of the flower and describe the function of each.
1. Complete the diagram: Drag the ten listed flower parts to the blanks in the diagram. When a part is
labeled correctly, information about the part appears below.
When your diagram is complete, click the
can then paste the Screenshot below.
📷 camera icon at upper right to take a Screenshot. You

2. Test yourself: Uncheck Show information. For each flower part below, write the letter of the correct
description. Use the Gizmo to check your answers.

B Anther A. A small leaf that protects the flower before it blooms

J Filament B. They contain pollen

L Ovary C. Tiny grains that contain sperm cells

H Ovules D. The male part of the flower

I Petal E. The part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary

G Pistil F. They grow from a pollen grain to an ovule

C Pollen G. The female part of the flower

F Pollen tube H. They contain the egg cells and develop into seeds

A Sepal I. A part of the plant that attracts insects

D Stamen J. A stalk that supports the anther

Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
 K Stigma K. The sticky top of the pistil

E Style L. The part of the pistil that contains the ovules

3. Make connections: How might having the anther atop a tall filament make it more likely that plants
will be pollinated?

Having an anther on a tall filament makes it more likely for plants to be pollinated
because it gets the pollen grains up higher which will make it more likely for a pollinator
to go to them

4. Think and discuss: In some plants, the pistils don’t form until a few days after the stamens do. How
might this keep a plant from self-pollinating?

When the stamens mature first, the pollen will be dispersed throughout insects and the
wind, but by the time the pistil is formed, there is no pollen left in the flower to land on
the stigma

Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved